Tag Archives: 4a

Climbing

When you need that extra bit of oomph!

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9th August 2023

Foxhold Slabs

Silk – Severe 4a – Lead
Satin – HVS 5a – Second
Mozambique – VS 4c – Lead

Its been a while since Joe and I got to climb together, so this was always going to be a good day out. One thing I can guarantee is that I will end up being challenged and this day was no exception.

Foxhole Slabs feels remote and you can only access it a few hours after high tide. The Peregrines we annoyed by being in the area were testament to this. They are astonishing birds, sleek and powerful. Their cries are so distinctive. An adult and juvenile let us know they were around. Such a beautiful spot though, a bit King Kong’ish with all the dark rock spires and sea mist. And of course there was no one around. Only the odd voice drifting across from Welcome Mouth.

Joe had wanted to go to one of the few places on the Culm he’d not been to, so I was more than willing to give it a go. Just up the coast from Welcome Mouth is a series of slabs which offer great, steep climbing, typical of this area.

I got to start on the most amenable climb of the day in Silk. Never desperate, it still gives a great line following cracks and overlaps to a pretty dodgy belay. The bottom 2/3rds is fine. The top part, although not steep, needs some gardening, probably reflecting the little traffic it receives.

Joes lead followed a line to the right, which instantly was more difficult. Poor pro initially and spaced hand holds meant you had to rely a lot on friction with your feet. Easy enough on the second, but it must be intimidating on the lead. Mind you, Joe is like a limpet on these slabs.

Mozambique was a much greater test of my current mental strength. The opening 5a sequence is tricky and without Joe encouraging me to push through I would probably have sat on the ropes or come back down. Having made the initial move, there is another hard section. Strangely I found this easier, but I was still choughed to bits to have led this climb cleanly. It was for me the route of the day. Excellent climbing throughout and worth I think 3 stars in most peoples book.

Reflecting my current climbing fitness, I was knackered by the end of the day, but at the same time buzzing from what was one of the best days climbing I’ve had for a while. And more to come tomorrow with another new venue on the cards.

Climbing

Its not Witchcraft you know!

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(although by definition Wicca is)

18th April 2023
Wicca Pillar

The sloping ledge climb – V Diff – Lead
The Cracks – Severe 4a – Lead
The Little Mermaid – Severe 4b – Lead

Its not often that we go to a completely new venue, Why I’ve overlooked Wicca Pillar in the past I dont know, but its a really beautiful area. Surrounded by ancient bronze age field systems and on a not so travelled part of the coast it has quite a remote feeling. The walk in from Wicca Farm (bargain £2.00 parking) is lovely down lanes and tracks full of spring flowers and birdsong.

Stunning location as usual

It was Tom, Dave and me today. Looking for some relatively easy climbing as Dave continues his rehabilitation and tests his body on what is and is not possible. To be fair it suits me, as I am still very much in ‘post op’ recovery so gradually easing my way back into things.

The Pillar is basically a volcanic plug, sticking out from the base of the cliff. Accessible even at high tide, if there is no swell. Be warned though, any swell and the spray is likely to get you wet. Queue Dave who took another soaking. Seems to be a habit at the moment.

The Pillar. Note the sling on the left which we used as a final abseil

The rock is pretty crystalline and definitely needs care when you pull on it. The higher you go the more fragile it gets. There is also a surprising dearth of protection. For V Diff’s and Severe’s you would expect a lot more. But the climbing itself is straight forward. Getting off again is not as straight forward as the guidebook suggests. We rigged a temp abseil so we could go up and down, but the final climb meant throwing an old sling around a spike and leaving it there. I think we could of done the downclimb of the southern end of the pillar, but sea spray made it a bit slippy so we took the easy option.

Me on The sloping ledge climb

The gully containing The Little Mermaid is a good option when waves are spraying the main pillar. The rock on the flat topped ridge is even more unsound, but its sheltered and makes for a continuation of the day. The latter climb is given 4b purely for the opening moves. Its then all over. Again protected by micro’s which seem a bit extreme for a Severe.

Dave on The Cracks (Severe 4a)

The best of the routes I did was the V Diff in fact. Bold to start, but interesting technical moves. This is a good location for when you just want to rock up and get some easier routes done. Once again, Dave paid for past indiscretions with another soaking. You could say this is Karma. The sound of a raging sea around us definitely added to the atmosphere. Once a again a great day out with good mates.

Climbing

My names Carter…. Tom Carter

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Predennack Head
30th April 2021

Down Under, Up Top – VS 4c – Second
Aoetearoa – HS 4b – Second
Colonial Solidarity – Severe 4a – Lead
Boomerang – HVS 5a – Lead

Three always sounds like a problematic number when your climbing and if it involves multi-pitch routes I’d agree. But we’ve been finding three a good sociable number and todays shared adventure was a pleasure from start to finish.

Looking down Down Under zawn

I,ve spent a fair few weeks exploring Preddanck Head with Dave, but this was the first for Chris and although Tom’s been there a few times this was his first outing in Down Under Zawn. And for me, I had a couple of routes in mind, both of which were new. This early in the year I never quite know where I’m at with stamina and strength, so I knew Boomerang would be a test.

April in Cornwall is a special time of the year. The Gorse is in full flower, with its Coconut and Buttery flavour, Pink Campion is all around and everything just feels fresh. New beginnings. Its inspirational, which I’m sure spurs your overall sense of wellbeing along.

Chris on Aoetearoa. On the amazing flake.

So where to begin. I knew both Aoetearoa and Down Under, Up Top would be classics for Chris and Tom and despite having climbed them a few times I never tire of the routes. Chris is on form at the moment and sailed through both. The vid below time captures DUUT and gives an idea of how good the route is.

For me, I found a little gem in Colonial Solidarity. Although Severe it packs a punch. A burly opening move leads into a crack which provides great climbing. Steep and entertaining.

Tom working his way up Colonial Solidarity

But Boomerang was my main target. I had a feeling it might be a bit beefy for me and after a tricky scramble to get to the starting block, I looked up to have my beliefs confirmed. It was going to be beefy. From below you can see the curved line but it is obviously overhanging at the top crack. Gear looked good and with Crack Gloves on, I set off.

Chris psyching up for Boomerang…… or not!

Its one of those climbs where each time you think ‘This is it, I’m off’ another hold appears. Lots of hidden juggy rails and crimps. It was a case of keep moving and hope the stamina stays there. And it did 🙂 In the end it went well. No really desperate moments, and I always felt safe. A really good tick and a climb I can thoroughly recommend.

Cosy belay of Boomerang

The way off is by means of an abb with a rope thrown around a rock bollard. You conveniently arrive back in the zawn just above DUUP. So it would have been churlish for Chris not to have led it.

Toms home made crack gloves

What I can also say is that COVID seems to have had a devastating affect on the local pub population. Looking for somewhere for a pint on the way home proved difficult with pub after pub looking derelict and shut. Lets hope some of these get back going again.

Climbing

Richard Burton eat your heart out!

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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.

  • Belay with a view
  • Me on Acid Test
  • No explanation required!!
  • De-rigging after Acid Test
  • Acid Teast from below
  • Dave trailblazing
  • Emerging from the Jungle
  • Start of Acid Test
  • I claim this Island…
  • ?
Climbing

Must eat more carrots!

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Brandy Slab/Rosemergy Towers

Flash Back – Severe 4a – Second
Monkey Puzzle – VS 5a – Lead
Monkey’s Lunch – Severe 4a – Lead

OK, two weeks in a row we’ve had long days. This one ending in a solo of the top part of Rosemergy Ridge in the dark in an effort to escape the claws of the viscous brambles. We had problems right at the start finding our way down to Brandy’s Slab. Probably should have read the guidebook instead of setting off on the first faint trail we found which lead in roughly the right direction.

Jelly Baby feast to start the day off

Back at the beginning of the day we had arrived at Rosemergy Towers, me with a view to having another go at Hard Times (which I fell off on the final move having gone too far left). However my still not recovered shoulder made a few protests on Flash Back (a good lead by Dave on what is an understated climb at Severe) so I gave this up as a bad idea.

Tom on the upper moves of Flash Back

And so we set our sights on Brandy’s Slab. Of course even though Tom had been there, we had no idea where to go, which resulted in an hour of bramble and Gorse bashing and a very zig zag route down. We had picked Piers up on the way and so a very scratched team arrived at the slab. I was to be honest a bit disappointed. I’d expected more, but the harder routes were just very bold and the easier routes not that inspiring. That said, I enjoyed the climbing, although I tend to agree with a comment on UKC that the detached flake of rock on Monkey Puzzle is just waiting for an opportune time to fall off. Hopefully, not with anyone climbing on it.

Lost in the Brambles

Monkey Puzzle is either a straight forward VS if you go slightly higher before moving into the narrow crack or a very bold VS if you go early. The nicer line is to follow the corner a bit further and then move across. Other wise you’re relying on friction on a very hairy and mossy face. Still it was fun despite the pain of setting up a belay with no anchor points… or at least not obvious ones.

Piers on Monkeys Lunch and having fun 🙂

And so we set off heading out via Rosemergy Ridge, which soon turned into slightly more than a scramble in the dimming light. To give Piers his due, he did brilliantly considering he has only come back to climbing recently.

There were some distinctly nervy mantles and padding going on. Still we’re alive, so that counts as a grade A adventure in my books.

  • Piers on Monkeys Lunch and having fun 🙂
  • Dave on Monkey Puzzle. That slab looks ready to go.
  • Tom on the upper moves of Flash Back
  • Rosemergy Towers looking back towards Pendeen
  • Mid way up Flash Back
  • Dave on Flash Back
  • Jelly Baby feast to start the day off
  • Lost in the Brambles
  • Dave on Monkeys Lunch

Climbing

What do you mean he’s not damaged!!?

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2nd November 2018

Luckey Tor

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 🙂

Climbing

Daves new hands

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30th March 2018

Predannack Head (Lizard Point)

The Dunny – Severe 4a – Second (Tom Lead)

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.

 

Climbing

We’re going to a Bear Hug

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29th April 2017

Pendower Coves

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.

Climbing

I’ve gone all religous

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17th Feb 2017

Vicarage Cliffs

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.

 

 

Climbing

Put your left foot in…left foot out ….

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23rd September 2016

Haytor/Low Man

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.

haytor_sept16-2

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.

haytor_sept16-4

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
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.