Southern Sandstone is a local name for the Ardingly Sandstone of southeast England, a soft sandstone of Cretaceous age separating the

Tunbridge Wells Sands The Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation is a geological unit which forms part of the Wealden Group and the uppermost and youngest part of the unofficial Hastings Beds. These geological units make up the core of the geology of the Weald in the English ...

from the overlying Grinstead Clay. The outcrops in the Weald of Kent are the

rock climbing 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 and ...

crags closest to London and are probably the most heavily climbed in the UK.

Geology

The horizon of thick, cross-bedded, fine-to-medium grained quartz sandstone separating the

from the overlying Grinstead Clay is known as Ardingly Sandstone. It is particularly well exposed throughout the region between

East Grinstead East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...

, West Sussex, and Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Climbing

Stone Farm and Harrisons Rocks are managed by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC). The rock is particularly soft and care needs to be taken to prevent erosion. It is climbed either solo or on a

top-rope Top rope climbing (or top roping) is a style in climbing in which the climber is securely attached to a rope which then passes up, through an anchor system at the top of the climb, and down to a belayer at the foot of the climb. The belayer takes ...

. Many bolts have been placed at the top of the crags. Soloing requires no more equipment than bouldering.

Locations

Southern Sandstone is outcrops of sandstone situated in the Weald of Kent, on the borders of Kent and

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 Su ...

.Southern Sandstone Climbs - Climbing Areas
/ref>

Major Outcrops

* Bowles Rocks,

Harrisons Rocks Harrison's Rocks is a series of sandstone crags approximately south of the village of Groombridge in the county of East Sussex. The site is a notable example of a periglacial tor landform developed in rocks of the Ardingly Sandstone Member of t ...

, High Rocks, High Rocks Continuation Wall and High Rocks Annexe near

Crowborough Crowborough is a town and civil parish in East Sussex, England, in the Weald at the edge of Ashdown Forest in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, 7 miles (11 km) south-west of Royal Tunbridge Wells and 33 miles (53 ...

* Bull's Hollow Rocks west of Tunbridge Wells * Chiddinglye Rocks near West Hoathly *

Eridge Green Rocks Rotherfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark Cross and Eridge. The River Rother, which ...

in Eridge Green, four miles south of Tunbridge Well *

Stone Farm Rocks Stone Farm Rocks or Stone Hill Rocks is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest south of East Grinstead in West Sussex. It is a Geological Conservation Review site. This is typical of many sandstone crags in mid-Sussex which expose the ...

south of

Minor Outcrops

*Basset's Farm Rocks, near

Cowden Cowden () is a small village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, south-west of Tonbridge. The old High Street has Grade II listed cottages and village houses, ...

*Chiddinglye Wood Rocks near West Hoathly *Happy Valley Rocks west of Tunbridge Wells *Ramslye Farm Rocks, south of High Rocks *Jockey's Wood Rocks, Penn's House Rocks, and Rocks Wood are in

Penn's Rocks Penn's Rocks is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest north of Crowborough in East Sussex. This site is a steep sided valley on sandstone with many mosses and liverworts, which is a nationally rare habitat. Uncommon species include ' ...

near Eridge. This is a SSI and climbing is not allowed. *Under Rockes, south of

Rotherfield Rotherfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark Cross and Eridge. The River Rother, which ...

References

External links

Code of Practice for climbing on southern sandstoneHarrisons Rocks Management GroupSandstone Volunteers GroupBowles Outdoor CentreSouthern Sandstone ClimbsYe Olde Southern Sandstone & UKCrags
archived sites from 2007
Tunbridge Wells Mountaineering ClubSouthern Sandstone Climbing Crags
on Google Maps