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.