10th August 2023

Valley of Rocks

Crack of Doone – HS 4b – Lead
Crack of Noone – HVS 5a – Second (dnf)
Icarus – HS 4a – Lead

There’s nothing like being upstaged by a goat. It was a real surprise to me to see goats wandering casually about on the face of the crag we were about to go climbing on. I falways find it bewildering how goats have such agility on steep ground. They do not look built for it and their hooves are not exactly ‘five-tens’.

Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself because we saw them on Icarus the last climb of the day. I spent the night at Tarka Trail Camping, not cheap (£18) for me and a small tent, but good facilities and a soft flat pitch. It was a late dinner, but sat watching the stars while munching on my pasta and pesto was brilliant.

As a starter we set off for Crack of Doone, a fairly innocuous looking rock pillar which delivered a surprisingly tough Hard Severe. The start of this climb is steep. Good holds and pro, but you have to work hard to get established and it doesn’t let up until you gain the main ledge. I had a little wobble trying to get over the final face. Committed… stopped…tried to reverse… that wasnt happening…. so went for it. And made it thankfully. My head still isnt quite in the right place, but climbing with Joe has certainly helped it in the right direction.

it was Joe’s turn next to pick a beast of a VS. An overhanging jamming crack. Great, a combination of everything I’m shit at. This was going to go well then. Joe, on the lead of course, made it look a lot easier than it was. I however made it look a lot more difficult than it was. Cant jam, puny muscles equals failure. But I will be back when in better condition and give it a good spanking.

For me, the highlight of the trip was Icarus. Some bush bashing was required to get in as you come at the climb from below. I suppose you could ab in, but this was more fun, especially with the goats for company. Icarus starts off fairly straight forward. A couple of awkward moves need to be made to get established on the face. But then the exposure kicks in as well as a couple of spicy moves as you move up a slab on its left edge. Feels proper out there and is so much fun The crux for me was the traverse at the top. You leave your last couple of small wires behind and teeter around the seaward face on a ledge which feels very precarious despite being quite large. It because you are pushed out and the potential for barn dooring off is always there. It also goes on for longer than expected. But what a great finish to a superb climb. A real highlight.

Valley of Rocks is a venue I intend to get back to. Lots of low grade routes and a beautiful area. Would be a good day out with the boys. Or get back up here for another 2 dayer with Joe.