Not Woody Buttress
Location: On the south side of Wood Buttress, taking off from the contour path and ending just north of Wood Ravine.
OSM map (the map shows Wood Buttress. The route itself is not mapped.)
Overview: A pleasant shady alternative to Wood Buttress. Generally easier scrambling than Wood Buttress. Uses parts of Ken Cameron's 1908 Wood Gully and 1910 South Ridge routes.
Route Description:
The route goes from the pipe track up past the exit gate for the Woodhead tunnel to a sandstone overhang on the corner of Wood buttress. NB This original access to the new tunnel exit is now very overgrown (Sep 2022) and therefore use the usual start to Wood Buttress off the pipetrack.
From the sandstone cave on the corner of the buttress exit to the right around the corner by clambering over a big block, then traverse a narrow exposed ledge to the right where another awkward "Dassie" corner is negotiated and continue up steps on the South side of the buttress. After a zig zag along ledges ending in a rocky corner, the crest of the buttress is gained at the 'B' grade undercut recess on the Woody route.
Move round right and down into Woody Gully and underneath the huge chockstone. Exit right onto a tea ledge. Continue until it ends in a slope and move back diagonally left and up a friction ridge into a grassy twin gully. Ascend the left side to a slope which is climbed up to a vegetated cliff. Do NOT traverse off into Wood ravine, but follow beacons diagonally up left until reaching the usual Wood buttress path. Cross this and go up around the left corner of the buttress which comes out on top below the little elephant rock.
