General

Cape Collinson’s The Zawn has a sheltered pebble beach with easy access for swimming, and good climbing on aretes, walls and slabs. Scramble down past the lower bunker almost to sea level and locate a series of metal hand rungs to your right on the cliff edge. Use these to descend to a ledge that allows an easy scramble around to the zawn itself and onto the pebble beach.

Routes

The left wall of the Zawn offers by far the most concentrated area of good quality routes at Cape Coll

1 – Sea, Love and Steel – F6c+
Pitch 1 (F6a):  Can be combined with the first pitch of Sun, Love and Steel if the tide is high or a swell is preventing access to the first pitch.
Pitch 2 (F6c+)
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok, Tom Blackford (21/08/2011)

For the second abseil to the ground, use the anchor atop the first pitch of Sun, Love and Steel to prevent a touchdown in the sea.

2 – Sea, Love and More Steel – F6b+*
Pitch 1 (F6a): As for Sun, Love and Steel Pitch 1.
Pitch 2 (F6b+): climbs directly above the belay of Sea, Love and Steel to join Sun, Love and Steel where the route traverses in from the termination of the groove on the right.
F.A. Francis Haden (22/05/2011)

3 – Sun, Love and Steel – F6c+**
Pitch 1 (F6a+)
Pitch 2 (F6c+): Superb climbing up the crack and corner system on the front of the buttress. A classic with a fiendishly hard crux.
F.A. Francis Haden, Nia Cooper, Donna Kwok (13/03/2011)

4. Get Some – F6c/6c+
A direct line up the lower arete. Saunter easily to the 3rd bolt then engage in ferocious climbing following the crack out right. A desperate crux move if you are short!
F.A. Francis Haden (16/10/2011)

5 – Sensation Seeker – F7c **
The photogenic arete features technical climbing that is sustained all the way to the bitter end.
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (16/04/2011)

6 – Break Away – F6c+ ***
The excellent crack line in the wall left of the corner has a distinctly trad climbing feel to it – long and pumpy but with plenty of opportunity to rest, provided you can hand jam…
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (10/04/2011)

7 – Cape Vintage – F6c
Pitch 1 (F6a+): 10m, 6 Bolts
Pitch 2 (F6c): 20m, 12 Bolts
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (03/04/2011)

Exactly 30m from the top anchor to the rock platform. Tie a knot in the end of your rope!

8 – Traffic and Tides – F5
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (16/10/2011)

9 – It’s a New Zawn, It’s a New Day, a Climbing Life For Me – F6c+
The thin groove left of the corner. Hard for the short.
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (13/11/2011)

10 – Voyager – F7a+*
Pitch 1 (F6c): The obvious left facing corner is engrossing to start but degenerates higher up.
Pitch 2 (F7a+): The second pitch requires careful rope management and it suggested to either un-clip the first bolt once the second is clipped, or use a sling as an alternative on the first bolt. Save plenty of energy for the sustained and exposed headwall!
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (10/07/2011)

11 – Immediate Action – F7b+**
A two pitch extravaganza taking in the most sustained route up the back wall. The first pitch is challenging enough but the second will ensure no energy remains! Use a sling on the first bolt of pitch 2.
Pitch 1 (F7b+): Powerful opening moves lead into a sustained finger crack.
Pitch 2 (F7a+): The last bolt on the second pitch is used for aid to clip the lower off.
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok

12 – Bermuda Corner – F7c**
The obvious hanging corner system.
F.A. Lau Koon Hing (08/01/2012)

13 – Run Aground – F6a
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (26/06/2011)

14 – Beached and Burnt – F6a+
Carefully place your rope when lowering off!
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (26/06/2011)

The blank looking wall above and to the right of route 13 holds potential for a F8a grade route.

15 – Use Your Groove – F6a+
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok, Neil Carruthers, Nia Cooper (16/10/2011)

16 – Bust Ya Boiler – F6c*
An easy start followed by powerful climbing up the bulging arete.
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (16/10/2011)

17 – Sui Yew Kay Gic (It’s Gonna Take a Miracle) – F7c+
A somewhat unique power route up the overhanging wall opposite the slab. Launch up the steep wall on the limestone pockets and crimps (formed by seepage/ precipitates from the headwall above) before transitioning onto the volcanic tuff headwall above.
F.A. Rocky Lok (15/12/2011) Equipped with resin bolts by Francis Haden (23/10/2011)

18 – Name Unknown – F6a+*
F.A. Jackie Cheung (circa 2005) Re-equipped with resin bolts by Francis Haden (25/09/2011)

19 – On Stranger Tides – F6a*
F.L.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (10/07/2011)

20 – Oceans Apart – F6a*
F.L.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok, Simon Heppelthwaite, Mei Hurrell (10/07/2011)

21 – Rain Drops Keep Falling On My Head – F4
F.L.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok, Simon Heppelthwaite, Mei Hurrell (10/07/2011) Possibly lead before using traditional protection.

22 – Sea of Tranquility – F5*
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok, Simon Heppelthwaite, Mei Hurrell (10/07/2011)

A direct start to this has also been bolted and climbed at F6a

23 – Ride the Wild Surf F6b+***
A fine long slab climb with intricate technical climbing – don’t be put off by the seepage often present in the mid-section as this does little to affect the quality or the grade of the climbing.
F.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok, Nia Cooper, Jeremy Lau, Rocky Lok, CH Chung, Adon Law (09/10/2011)

24 – Voices F6c+
The bolted line at the far right side of the slab.
F.A. Francis Haden

A small number of short routes have also been climbed on the buttress next to the approach path, facing the main climbing areas described above.

1 – Mao Jue – F5*
F.L.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (09/10/2011)

2 – Collinson Corner – F4*
Enjoyable climbing up the obvious corner.
F.L.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (09/10/2011)

3 – The Garden Path – F5
Stay right of the bolts.
F.L.A. Francis Haden, Donna Kwok (23/10/2011)

4 – Was it You? – F6a*
Long sling required on the first bolt or unclip once the second bolt is clipped. Don’t continue up the easy groove but swing right at the bolt on the slab!
F.A. Francis Haden (02/10/2011)

5 – Depth Charge – F6b+*
Powerful climbing through the lower bulge leads onto the pleasant slab to finish. Careful belaying required at the first bolt.
F.A. Francis Haden (02/10/2011)

6 – Was it the Fisherman? – F4*
Climb up the obvious groove.
F.A. Francis Haden (02/10/2011)

7 – The Thief and the Fisherman – F5*
Climbing directly on the face, rather than using holds on the arête is F6a+
F.A. Francis Haden, Nia Cooper, Donna Kwok (09/10/2011)