24th October 2013
Hawk’s Tor
Catch It – V Diff – Lead
It’s not often that you can take a V Diff and turn it into an epic, but if you plan carefully you can do it. What you need initially is a slightly optimistic view of the weather conditions. Then add in low cloud which shrouds the Tor you have specifically picked out and covers everything in a layer of dew. Make sure it isnt often climbed so that the climb you’ve picked is out of condition and covered in mould and moss. Add in some wind, cool temperatures and a venue which requires delicate footwork on sloping rock and you’ve got it.
V Diff going on E1. Even the simplest move seemed daunting. Every time Dave and I found a good hold it was full of a pool of water. It made what could have been a dull day into a real adventure and we both loved it. Hawk’s Tor is always moody when the whether closes in. Its hidden away and remote and on this day all we could hear was the cows in the fields below moaning about the soggy ground. There’s something about being away from it all that is quite magical. One V Diff later and Dave and I left, two very happy individuals at one with our world.
17th October 2014
Low Man/HayTor
Raven Gulley – Severe 4a – Alt Lead
Outward Bound – HVS 4C – Lead (P1 Only)
We left Newquay with great ambition for the day ahead. Chris and I had targeted a series of HVS and E1’s at Haytor and Low Man which we intended to bag. Unfortunately mother nature had very different ideas about what we were going to accomplish and it wasnt going to be 100%.
It all started so well. Raven Gulley was a really cool climb to start on and get warmed up, but unfortunately by time we had finished it the wind was up and storm clouds gathering. Outward Bound was an obvious choice for number two. Well protected but grunty. On this day though it gave Chris a good hiding. The main factor is the that once commited into the overhang there is no let up. Its all power. On this occasion Chris didnt find the thank god jug and he’ll have to wait for next time to get it. I spent a while trying to free and awkward nut, but having done this felt I should have a crack. It would be churlish not to….
Maybe I should have checked what I’d been doing with the ropes because having lauched cavalier into the overhang I was stopped dead by twisted ropes so it was back down and start agian from the bottom. This time I managed it just in time for the heavens to open and kill the day.
170 mile round trip for a Severe. It was worth it!
Why it never rains on a Friday!
