24th January 2020 Aire Point Night Flight – Severe – Second
On the odd occasion you realise you’ve picked the wrong sport. This was one of those days. We rocked up to Gwenver for a stroll to Aire Point, only to see an amazing left peeling in towards the point. Low tide with the bank almost exposed, I rekon it was about as good as it gets.
Unfortunately there wasnt a board between us and so we had to settle for a chilled day mooching around the point. It was just the wrong side of damp so many of the routes were not in condition for climbing, but our explorations identified a cluster of routes tucked away at the head of the small zawn that cuts through the seawrd face. These are going to be worth a return visit, but maybe when it is warmer and drier. Would suit a nice sunny evening.
Instead we sat around a lot (either side of Daves excellent lead on the cruxy Night Flight) and talked about how luck we were to spend relaxing days, doing very little with good mates. A little bit ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ really 🙂
Not I might add the actor, but the famous explorer Richard Francis Burton, purported to be one of the first Europeans to cross Africa from West to East. I read a story about how they had to cut their way through miles of jungle; so Tregiffian’s not Africa but today’s outing felt like it for a while.
Sophie in the Jungle
It was a pretty harsh introduction for Sophie as a new member of the group. Shame I forgot to mention that we would be hacking our way through 100 metres of dense thorn, stingers and brambles. Still, I managed to forget my trousers as well, so shorts it was and the tingling sensation is still there in my legs 6 hours after leaving. I suppose its a right of passage though. Here’s Rule 4…. live with it!
Me on Acid Test
However despite the pain it was an amazing day. Sunshine, perfect rock and great climbs. And finally a plunge in the freezing briny. Tregiffian is a truly magical place. Remote; a hard slog to get to and requiring commitment to jungle bash your way in, but the climbing is very fine.
De-rigging after Acid Test
Sophie and I started on Thea, a nice Severe with a tricky leftwards move at half height. Th rocks not perfect on this route, but the final slab makes it worthwhile. And then on to Acid Test, one of my favourite VS’s. Joe explained that I was doing it all wrong because I just step into the crack and try to walk up it. Precarious, but fun, but there’s nothing for your hands so its a bit of a trust things using the crack to cam your body on.
No explanation required!!
Our final swim capped off a great day. Still a bit cold, but actually not too bad once you’ve been in for a few minutes. Not a bad turn out for this one. 6 of us with Dave, Piers, Chris, Joe (back from his adventures in Norway), Me and Sophie.
Second Slip – Severe 4a – Lead Gymslip – VS 5a -Lead Foam Follower – HVS 5a – T/R Sea Music – V Diff – Solo
Its been a long time since Joe and I rocked up to Pendeen in the mist and first explored its slightly under-graded routes. Its a strange but slightly enchanting place with surprisingly good quality routes for a small venue.
The seaward Cliffs at Pendeen
Not one that always springs to mind, but after a quick rekki to the South coast Chris and I opted for the more sheltered North, given the Easterly winds. A good choice as it turned out. The obvious place to drop in is next to a cleft on top of the seaward buttress; which of course we did. But this leads to a freaky but fun drop inside the the huge boulder into a sort of cave. OK the first few times but as the tide pushed it made for an exciting challenge, timing when to drop so that you didnt get hit by a wave!
Chris on Second Slip at Pendeen
The two climbs I led on the seaward cliffs were both tough for the grades.With my head still not in full trad mode, I made a bit of a meal of both, but was glad that I persevered to bag both of them. For Second Slip (a repeat) its the step off the boulder which is unprotected but actually straight forward. I dont know why I was so hesitant. Gymslip is a different proposition. Another hard move to get established, but then a decided absence of gear leads to some thought provoking moves. For me I couldnt commit for a long time. Only Chris’ constant reassurance and encouragement got me through. Turns out it was all about one move with little gear. Then everything pans out.
Both routes are really enjoyable and worthwhile, with great moves and absorbing climbing. The same cant be said for either of the other two. While Sea Music was a ladder, it was a decidedly ropy ladder. No point protecting it. You were more likely to kill your belay partner with the falling choss than save yourself. Still it was fun if nervy. Foam Follower is described as ‘poorly protected’ which it isnt. I know I didnt lead it but I checked it out and there are a number of placements. However, the overall quality of the rock has to be considered as well. So maybe it is poorly protected, just in a cliff collapsing sort of way 🙂
Joe on Pork Ordinaire
The coastline here has a timeless air to it. Plenty of old mine workings around and on this day a haze which made it seem surreal. I do love Cornwall… all of it. But places like this make you feel alive when you visit.
Fences – HS 4b – Lead Sloe Slab – V Diff – Solo Porcupine – VS 4c – Semi Solo 🙂 The Hearse – V Diff – Second Toy Story 2 – Severe 4b – Second
Wow what a windy cold day this was! Got things slightly wrong with the weather, as the wind was whipping into the Cove like it was going through a funnel. A few more degrees to the north and we would have been ok, but it was a bit of a trial of endurance.
Bouldering in
Coming in from the bottom of the valley is described as arduous in the guide book because it involves a boulder hop to get to the main face. But contrary to this, we all found the traverse good fun and it involved some nice climbing. For those not comfortable with scrambling about with fairly high steep drops, I would recommend the alternate abseil or walk from the ridge. But this is definitely the fun way in.
Dave enjoying the freezing wind… if only you could see it!
I was also surprised that the main face section was reasonably accessible even at high tide (only a small swell running). For some reason I seem to remember it being a problem on the high tide, but the landward climbs are all available almost through to ‘Iron Bell’. We (Tom, Dave and I) all had a lead. Fences is a textbook corner, as is The Hearse. Dave’s Toy Story 2 was a bit steeper but good holds all the way. All three are worth doing, with strangely Toms lead, The Hearse being the hardest to protect.
The rock here though is second to none. Unpolished, grippy and immaculate granite in a stunning location. What more could you ask for except less wind?? And as is always the case when we’re out, we turned a fairly normal (and normal is not always normal) day into one of adventure by deciding to solo out. Sounded like a good plan to start with but ended with Dave having an epic tussle with lichen and a gnarly arete and me and Tom wondering how we were going to get up a tricky VS with two cams and a nut (and I’m not referring to Tom).
Me and Tom semi soloing Porcupine
The solo up Sloe Slab had been an adrenaline rush. Nothing like squeezing through a tortuous mantle shelf, after a smooth slab with no rope or gear. But Porcupine is a foot grinder. Positive flakes but its a case of jam that foot in and soak up the pain. Seeing as Dave had wandered off with all the gear and the second rope (doh!!) Tom and I jury rigged a few dubious gear placements and alt led the pitch in semi solo stylee. What a buzz. Must do this soloing malarkey more often if you get that kind of adrenaline :-). Mind you we’re no Alex Honnold, but I sort of get where he’s coming from. Free soloing focuses the mind like no other kind of climbing. Easy moves become a challenge when you are trying to influence the percentages of success in your favour. And you get real freedom.
Dave…. On the wrong crag???
And so ended a typically adventurous day with good mates. As we collected Dave for the walk back to the bags I couldn’t help but reflect how lucky we are. Turning a pretty shite day into a good one by seeking out a great location and having a good crack with good friends. Coming back here shortly by the way as its a top place to climb and there’s loads of routes I want to do.
Oh and did I mention that Tom licks his gear as a form of corrosion test for salt air. Well, each to their own ha ha
Dave…. On the wrong crag???
Me and Tom semi soloing Porcupine
Dave enjoying the freezing wind… if only you could see it!
Eagles Nest – Severe 4a – Lead Original Route – Severe 4a -Lead
Sat on the ledge at the top of Eagles Nest, Pete and I reflected on what it means to be able to enjoy the opportunity for a bit of solitude and time away from the usual influences of everyday life. I know that there are people who go to extremes to capture moments like this, but here in our own backyard is a little bit of paradise.
What light!
It’s not good to gloat, but sometimes it’s so nice to realise that you’ve captured a moment in time which only you (and a few close mates) are privy to. Staring out across the canopy of trees towards the dart Pete and I, for a while, were the only people enjoying one of the most beautiful views in Devon (Dave and Tom were battling up an adjacent climb). It was also nice to be able to completely relax. Another thing our culture ensures is in in short supply.
Life Affirming
Enough of the eulogising. The walk in and out of Luckey Tor is nothing short of breathtaking. Moss covered boulders; twisted tree trunks and roots; a rock strewn river and an umbrella of trees accompanies you to a hidden gem of a crag. Tom and I had been here a few times before, but it was Dave and Petes first time. The video clip says it all!
The four of us concentrated on two severe’s for the day, but both were tough for the grade and also very good for the grade. Eagles Nest is all about the final ‘out there’ move through the V cleft, whereas Original Route has a gnarly traverse (poorly protected on the lead). They made for some real entertainment on this day.
Pete jammed in approaching the crux on Eagles Nest
Most importantly was the return of Pete, following his retirement. Great to have him along for the day. A real return to a fun day out. Dave and Tom seemed to have things wired as well, with two good leads. Got to love these Dartmoor sandbags 🙂
Life Affirming
A chat on the belay ledge
Pete jammed in approaching the crux on Eagles Nest
S.P.E.C.T.R.E. – eE1 – 5b Lead Little Nellie – Severe – 4b Second Astral Blue – Moderate – Solo
Quite a strange day really. This was a crag Dave and I had been meaning to explore for a while. Tom accompanied us on this trip making for a nice relaxed day at the crag.
Relocating
Little Nellie proved to be a tense start in a way, because the belay ledge (just enough for two as Tom stayed higher in the dry) was in imminent danger of being swamped by the tide. Dave kindly got a shifty on and saved me from a drenching, but only just.
I HOPE NO BIG WAVES COME???
To rewind a bit, the approach to LN is via an abseil off the top of the Octopussy Zawn left hand wall. Climb down to some perched boulders through an airy scramble and rig a belay on a slab resting against a big boulder. The its off into the unknown. Fortunately for us the swell was small because in anything but small conditions this climb would be impossible.
Its really about a series of strenuous opening moves and then its over. A bit lame really but the position of the climb makes it an adventure. Somewhat like S.P.E.C.T.R.E. This involves abseiling down to a sentry box and then climbing back up a crack line. It has its moments, with a few 5 b moves but in general I found it well protected and amenable. The top is strange in that the topo line would send you up the face making it bold. I could see a path through but the holds looked dodgy and unreliable. I ended up finishing up the crack as per the guidebook description, a more natural finish.
Tom, topsout on S.P.E.C.T.R.E
Now Astral Blue is just a jolly with a few spicy moves if done solo. The main event is the transition from the lower quartz crack to the upper groove. We took a highline, discovered by Tom and the more natural route, but exposed you to a pretty horrific fall if you blew it. There’s a delicate traverse across the v groove where the rock is a bit questionable and you need to have your wits about you.
Tom watching Dave on Astral Blue
As usual the team made for an amazing day in amongst the beautiful cornish coastline. It is amazing that we get to live in this fantastic county. How lucky are we! Again….
Sometimes you just have to hope and take a chance. The weather forecast was the same as usual (since we have been trapped in this global warming moisture bubble), sun, cloud, rain…. take your pick. For once this year we lucked a clear, bright sunny day.
Beautiful Predannack
The only issue was the swell. A booming south coaster which ended up putting paid to a lot of climbing at Predannack. But more importantly we got to mooch around and get our bearings which is not easy to do here. The main problem is finding that one feature to define your location. Here its the leaning Pinnacles. Once you find these you’re OK. Somehow we walked straight past them, but to be fair they are much easier to spot from the South than from the walk in from the North.
Sun at last and the remnants of the old Coastguard hut.
We overshot massively, ending up in a complex area of zawns and bluffs. In the end we checked the guide and found that the old Coastguard hut would be a good marker. Turns out that exactly where we were. Walking back everything becomes recognisable. Strange, but that’s the way it works 🙂
The Dunny
We dropped down into Downunder Zawn which has loads of routes, although on this day because of the swell we opted to stay higher up and tackle a Severe. Its disconcerting when large waves crash underneath you as in the Zawn you are stood on top of a boulder field.
Tom led The Dunny, a tricky severe because of the rock quality in places. You can see how the rock is really sticky and good to climb on; but this comes with some looseness and unreliable holds. I think the main climbs further down look a lot more stable. On this route, it is the upper areas which suffer worst. Most importantly though, Dave got to test his grip after his operation on his elbows. It looks like the hands came up trumps as he cleaned the route with no problems.
After this we just spent the day wandering around scouting the various areas. With this info now stored I cant wait to get back and onto some of the really top looking routes.
Happy to be back out
TazmaniaBlock on the left
Dave test his new hands
The Dunny
Beautiful Predannack
Sun at last and the remnants of the old Coastguard hut.
Pendower Grooves – VS 4c – Lead
The Cut – Severe 4a – Second
Pendower Direct – HVS 5a – Lead (dnf)
Time Tavern – VS 4c – Alt Lead
What an amazing location! And a top find on a day when nesting birds killed our initial objective of Excalibur at Carn Les Boel.
I think the reason I picked out Pendower was because there was very little info on it. Seldom (if ever) climbed I wondered weather it would be worth seeking out.
Pendower Buttress
The guidebooks hammer the point about environmental conservation and protecting the cliff edges so Dave and I made sure we avoided the plant life and did litle to disturb the wildlife. The Choughs were nesting in the square cut cave about 300 metres further West, but nothing appeared to be nesting in this area, although there were signs a Peregrine had been operating in the area with a number of feather piles and carcasses. But no nesting Peregrines in our area that we could see.
Belay on Pendower Grooves
We abbed into an amazing location. A boulder beach, quiet, relote and just stunning. The crag itself is excellent. The rock is crunchy in places, but this is more than made up for by the positive nature. No polish here. Just sharp edges, solid foot placements and holds which are easy to hold (once the loose crystals have fallen off 🙂 ).
Pendower Grooves is a class VS. We did it in one pitch. The bottom groove felt hardest to me, possibly because of the wave wash, but maybe because the first ascensionist was good at grooves. Who knows. Anyway, from then on it was just a joy to climb. Great moves, outrageous exposure and a bit of everything- feet free, traverses, laybacks and jams.
Being chased by the tide
Dave did a variation of this which tackled it straight up from the beach. This way you get to chomney and bridge as well. Who could complain. A quick lunch and we were back down racing the tide to get on the HVS Pendower Direct.
Joe and Tom silouetted
Now in my opinion this seemed a bit of a sandbag, but to be fair the situation we found ourselves in could have been part of the issue. The tide chased us up onto the face so Dave ended up below me when I was making a tough move. Had I fallen it would have been bad for both of us. This coupled with the fact the move was hard and bold, the pro suspect and the remainder of the face looked nails we bailed after I had fallen off a couple of times.
Stunningly beautiful
Instead I went up Time Tavern (we didnt know this at the time), with Dave finishing off in an overhanging flake/groove which was very crunchy and friable. A very good lead for this top section imo. And so ended a great adventure and a minor epic. Its what climbing days are made of and why we do it I think.
What is for certain is that I will be back to do a few more of these class routes.
In Memorium – HS 4a – Lead Tombstone – S 4a – Second
After a long layoff (since October) I finally got back to some proper climbing. The recent rain meant the Culm was the obvious choice to avoid seepage, but as it turned out the day was bright, if a bit windy.
The nice solid descent
My pre Christmas jitters seemed to have settled down as well, as my excursion onto ‘In Memorium’ demonstrated. For HS this packs a bold punch. Climbing on flakes and edges which are not reliable adds some nerves to the route, but unexpectedly for HS there is little reliable gear. To the point where the run outs are actually dangerous.
Joe on belay duty
You follow the arete basically, climbing inside and outside up the line of least resistance. But other than a CAM low down there is no bomber gear until higher up. The best thing for me is that I didnt back off and I didnt have problems with my head game. Sorted…
On the main slab
Dave and I then moved across to Tombstone, a really good severe tackling the overlap on the main cliff. Well worth the effort and well protected as well.
Sunset at Vicarage
As usual Cornwall delivered the breathtaking scenery. And a buttery yellow sunset capped what was a thoroughly good return to climbing ways.
Now I need to return here and bag all the VS/HVS routes which look damn good.
Levitation – VS4c – Lead
Honeymoon Corner- Severe 4a – Second
I think that the routes on Haytor in general are very different to those we normally climb in Cornwall. At first its easy to jump at the fact that they are high in the grade, but maybe this is just because they are different. The holds generally are slopers, rails or flakes meaning you need to approach them differently.
I found this with the first climb. looks straight forward, but is steeper and off balance with holds not being as positive as you might have thought. But once you work the move out, it is straightforward. It’s all about getting your feet up early and then straightening out your body. A good lead by Dave who as with the rest of us got a rude awakening on this one.
Levitation gets stars and probably desrves them, although the whole climb is really all about the traverse/stepover (or undercling for Tom). The climb starts with some good moves and them heads out onto the lip of the overhang. You then have what looks like a blank wall to negotiate, but the crystals and hidden holds are there. It just feels nervy because your gear is behind and above you so you know you’ll get a swing. For the second it is just as bad. Tom went high, using the upper rail/overlap for an undercling. Dave went low and had one of those moments where you cant commit. Mind says go, body says no!
We all did it in the end and Tom and Dave joined me on my very breeezy and bloody freezing perch high on Low Man. Still the view was awesome so I can complain too much. Some people would give their back teeth for a view like that.
Dave on the top moves of Levitation
I think the next time we visit Haytor its going to have to be a very calm day. The wind up there is a killer.