Rosyth Quarry & Limekilns, Fife. 9th September 2012

Rosyth Quarry (125 833) is usually some where that I call into after a day at The Hawkcraig (200 849) or after a day at Limekilns (070  837). The close proximity of these crags to one another does make it possible to climb at all three within a single outing from Glasgow during a long summers day if the tides are right. Rosyth Quarry is not the most pleasant of climbing venues. The quarry floor is littered with all sorts of debris and the local youth do frequent it on regular basis on trails bikes which is noisy and throws up a lot of dust. Despite this there are some worth while climbs especially in the lower grades, making it ideal for beginners and groups.

Me topping out on Chemical Warfare S*, Rosyth Quarry. Rosyth 09/09/2012 (Photo: A J Thorley)

Getting to Rosyth Quarry from Glasgow is straight forward, take the A 80 north towards Stirling and turn off for the Kincardine Bridge. Cross the bridge onto the A 985 and follow the signs to Rosyth. Once in Rosyth continue towards the A 90. Rosyth Quarry will come into view straight ahead. Turn left just before the roundabout and then take the 1st right. It is then possible to park on the right. Only take your essentials up to the quarry and leave nothing on show in your car. Cross the road and then turn left. Cross the road again and go under the motorway. Cross another road and a faint path leads up through the trees into the quarry around 10 minutes.

The view towards Rosyth from Rosyth Quarry, Rosyth 09/09/2012 (Photo: A J Thorley)

We started our days climbing on the left of the quarry with Chemical Warfare S* a pleasant route with some nice lay-backing. Following on from this we then did all the beginners routes before finishing off with Drizzle S and C.N.D S*. The climbing in this area of the quarry is dirty but the rock is fairly stable. There are no belays at the top other than a huge boulder set a way back from the edge. There are belay stakes hammered into the ground which are easy to spot as there is no vegetation at the top of the crag. Take care with them and make sure you check them before use they could have been there for some time.

Rosyth Quarry, Rosyth 09/09/2012 (Photo: A J Thorley)

By late afternoon the quarry had become quite busy with climbers so we decided to go to Limekilns as it was on the way home. As luck would have it Limekilns was busy with instructional groups and our plan for a peaceful afternoon was not going to happen. Despite Limekilns being as busy as it was we still got a good number of climbs done making it a worth while detour. I even bumped into friends so I got to have a good natter and catch up in-between waiting to get on climbs. All in all it was great way to end the day.