Rock Climbing

World Class Rock Climbing

Our Guided Rock Climbing days give you the opportunity to undertake some of the most incredible rock climbing in the country. If you are visiting the area for a holiday, or you are local, it is easy to be inspired by the beautiful mountains and crags all around us. Torridon and the North West Highlands have a huge range of climbing routes to suit all abilities and experience levels. As well as some of the best classic climbs in the entire UK.

Traditonal, Sport and Bouldering

Torridon and its surrounding area is famed for its immaculate rock of Gneiss and Sandstone as well as big mountain routes on Quartzite. The Gneiss provides well protected climbing on edges, slabs and cracks. Torridonian sandstone is Scotland’s answer to the peak district gritstone. It provides fantastic cracks, grooves and aretes to climb on. The quartzite routes on Beinn Eighe and Beinn Mhuinidh provide brilliant adventurous climbing. There’s even loose esoteric Schist on Beinn Lair if you’re after a wild adventure. All this adds up to one of the best traditional rock climbing venues in the UK.

It’s not all about trad climbing here unless you want it to be. To the north of Glen Torridon lies the small village of Gairloch. This is surrounded by rocky coast and moorland with some of the best sport climbing to be found anywhere in Scotland. Routes have been established here to cater for all abilities with crags such as Clown Slab being great for those starting out in sport through to Creag nan Cadhag with routes of all standards from 4c to 8a+. Whatever your standard we can help you find the best venues and get the most out of your climbing there.

The Celtic Jumble in Glen Torridon is Scotland’s premium bouldering venue with hundreds of problems of all difficulties. Expect aretes, groves, sloppy holds, small edges and funky moves to link them all. It even lies only a few minutes from the road. If you’re looking for all the best problems and want an experienced spotter then get in touch.

Sport Climbing near Gairloch

Classic Climbs or Hard Rock Routes

We cater for all abilities so if you’re looking to line up some classic rock routes of Diff to VS like East Buttress on Beinn Eighe or the Cioch Nose on Applecross in their magnificent mountain settings we can help. Perhaps you’re a bit more experienced and you’d like to push into the hard rock climbs of HVS to E2? There’s loads of venues to choose from and four star routes to experience. Experienced and need a belay on something higher graded? Get in touch and we’ll help you with your tactics and achieve your goal route during your trip.

What to Expect

After we receive your enquiry we will contact you to find out any specific requirements you may have. For example, the location you would like to climb or if you have any routes in mind. Some people will have an exact idea of what they would like to do, others will just let us know their current experience and let us pick an appropriate route to match. We can either guide you up multi pitch or a variety of single pitch routes.

On the day itself, we will meet you at a carpark nearby to the crag and we will walk in together. Then we are out for a fantastic day of climbing. Your friendly guide can lead you up the routes, helping you get the most out of the day and keeping you safe throughout. If you have a specific time you need to be down for, please let us know in advance. Otherwise, do expect quite a long day out climbing as we like to make the most of the fantastic rock on offer. So bring plenty of lunch and snacks, water and some spare warm clothes.

Who is this for?

Guided Rock Climbing is for anyone who has done a bit of climbing and is looking for a true climbing adventure. While we would recommend you have done some climbing before, we can still take out very novice climbers. Alternatively, you may be an experienced climber looking for a guide to help make the most of the area while you are here. We cater for all grades and abilities. You may have a specific climb in mind or we can suggest routes to fit your experience/ability.

We will spend a full day out, so a reasonable level of fitness is required.

Location

We are based around Gairloch and Torridon. However, we can travel throughout the whole of the North Highlands. Examples of what we offer locally include; Seana Mheallan, Carn Mor, Diabaig, or on the big mountains like Beinn Eighe. Further afield we can travel across the North Highlands (including Reiff, Skye and the Cairngorms), or down to Fort William and Glencoe.

Find out more about our pricing for your adventure here

Ratios and Pricing

In order to provide the highest level of experience and safety we maintain low ratios. Below you can see the details. All trips are considered private bookings so you will not have to worry about sharing the climbing with others and the day can be tailored to your individual needs.

Sport climbing and glen cragging days are typcially a little shorter with a simpler walk in – examples include; the sport climbing near Gairloch, trad climbing at Diabaig, Ardheslaig, Loch Tollaidh Crags or Seana Mheallan. Mountaineering and mountain crags are a bit more complex, requring a longer walk in and a technical approach / descent – examples include; the Cioch Nose on Applecross, East Buttress and the other routes on Beinn Eighe, and adventurous climbing on Carnmore or Beinn Lair. If you’d like to book several days that’s no problem at all, pricing below is per day. Do feel free to get in touch with any questions.

Guided Rock Climbing

Due to the technical nature of rock climbing our maximum group size is 2 clients per instructor.
Ratio Sport Climbing and Glen Cragging – Full Day
1:1 £230
1:2 £130 per person
Due to the technical nature of rock climbing our maximum group size is 2 clients per instructor.
Ratio Mountaineering and Mountain Crags – Full Day
1:1 £285
1:2 £155 per person

A 50% deposit will secure your booking, with the remaining balance due 4 weeks in advance of your trip. Full payment is only required at the time of booking if you wish to book a date within the next 4 weeks.

Highlights of the Session

  • Fully Qualified and Friendly Instructor
  • Private Group – we don’t mix you with any other clients
  • A full day out climbing
  • Advice and coaching
  • All Safety Equipment Included

What you will need

  • Comfortable Clothing
  • Appropriate Footwear (e.g. usually boots and/or climbing shoes.)
  • Warm spare layers/waterproofs
  • Drink
  • Lunch/Snacks
  • Head Torch