Honey Buttress was for many years the only sport climbing venue in Wied il-Għasel, or Mosta Valley as it is more commonly known. Things of course changed around 2014 with the development of Cat’s Arches and many other sectors in the valley for sport climbing, and the valley now boasts over 60 routes in the low to mid grades. Honey Buttress has caught up with the Titanium trend thanks to the joint efforts of the MCC and MRCC bolting teams using funds generously donated by the Malta Tourism Authority for the purchase of titanium bolts.

All routes on this buttress are now almost exclusively bolted with Titanium bolts – some anchors and 12mm 316L Stainless steel bolts have been left in place in order to minimise impact.
The buttress now hosts 8 routes – two traditional climbs at the far left of the crag, and 6 sport routes with grades ranging from 5c to 7b/+.

The Bees Knees: the route originally started with the climber standing on a boulder way out to the left of the main body of the climb. The traversing start is recorded here for historical purposes using a dotted line, however in a modern sport climbing context the route would create far too much rope drag unless climbed with half ropes. A harder direct variant was bolted at a later stage, and it is this direct variation that has been restored. A line going straight up from the original start may be developed in future – stay tuned!

Access: To reach Honey Buttress you can approach either from Triq Dawret il-Wied or from the Ballut Blocks area. From Dawret il-Wied, follow the trail down into the valley and past Cat’s Arches climbing area. Cross the scree slope and pass the undercut slab to get to the buttress. If you’re approaching from downstream, park near the entrance to Ballut Blocks quarry. Take the trail that leads down into the valley, and at the collapsed bridge (three arches) strike up on your left on the scree slope just past the fortification wall.