Burbage North

Burbage North is a very popular area, with easy access and a high density of quality boulder problems… along the edge there’s an array of blocs to go at, from technical walls to overhanging prows. This place really has a bit of everything.

Like many gritstone venues, the line between boulder and route can be blurred… and with Burbage North being made up of relatively short traditional walls, the overlap here is even greater than most. Old, poorly protected short routes are now often classed as highballs.

Burbage North faces mainly southwest, meaning it gets plenty of sun and can dry quickly after rain… but you can find boulders facing all directions, so there’s still shade in the summer months. Back Street Mime Artist for instance is a perfect summer project, as well as the boulders in the trees down near Boyager.

Route Recommendations
Banana Finger 6a
Nicotine Stain 6b
Remergence, 6B
Sallyvation 6c+
Boyager 7a+
Asylum Sika 7b
Zaff Skoczylas 7c
The Terrace, 7C
Back Street Mime Artist, 8A

The climbing history at Burbage North goes back nearly 100 years… with the first recorded traditional routes dating to the early 1930s—routes like Great Crack (VS 5a) in 1932.

Further development came through the 50s and 60s, before bouldering really started to take off, with the first ascent of Banana Finger in 1971… then John Allen’s The Sphinx in 1985.

Since then Burbage North has really come into its own, now with over 200 dedicated boulder lines. New, harder lines are still being put up, with the likes of Punting in Oxford by Ned Feehally in 2023.