Rocks at Bowles Outdoor Centre - geograph

Bowles Rocks is a

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

crag in the county of

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...

, on the border with

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, approximately south of the town of

Royal Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...

. It is popular with

rock climbers Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

due to the excellent, south-facing, quick-drying rock, the range of climbs and the ease of access. It is one of the cluster of local outcrops known as

Southern Sandstone Southern Sandstone is a local name for the Ardingly Sandstone of southeast England, a soft sandstone of Cretaceous age separating the Tunbridge Wells Sands from the overlying Grinstead Clay. The outcrops in the Weald of Kent are the rock climbi ...

History

Bowles Rocks was cleared in the early 1960s by John Walters, who was inspired to set up a 'rock climbing gymnasium'. Previously the site had been used as a firing range during the Second World War and to house pigs – hence the climb named Pig's Nose and area called Range Wall. The bullet holes in the rock and larger square holes lower down, which once supported the wooden beams of the pig sties, can still be clearly seen.

Climbing

There are approximately 230 climbs or variants at Bowles Rocks, ranging widely in difficulty. A good list can be found here.

Type of rock

Bowles Rocks is made of a relatively soft

, formed 130 to 140 million years ago. This rock has a hard skin or rind enriched with organic matter and silica and iron salts deposited when water from within the rock evaporates. However, this skin is easily worn away so it is important that climbers keep erosion to a minimum. Top ropes should be set up so as to ensure that rope movement against rock surfaces is minimised and lowering off is not permitted.

Bowles Rocks Trust

Bowles Rocks is owned and managed by the Bowles Rocks Trust as part of

Bowles Outdoor Centre Bowles Outdoor Centre is an outdoor education/outdoor learning centre in southeast England, located between Royal Tunbridge Wells and Crowborough at Bowles Rocks. The centre was founded in 1961 and became a charity in 1964. It provides resi ...

.Bowles Outdoor Centre website
/ref> The centre has developed over 50 years and now works with several thousand young people each year. It has two dry ski slopes, a pool and residential accommodation for young people in line with achieving its charitable objectives.

References

External links

Climbing guides and other information can be found here:
Bowles Rocks
British Mountaineering Council BMC
Sandrock guide

* http://www.southernsandstoneclimbs.co.uk/ Climbing areas of England Sport in East Sussex Rotherfield {{England-sports-venue-stub