30th June 2011
Coastguard Cliffs – Tower Buttress
Sirius – HS 4b – Lead

It was one of those days when each decision Chris and I made seemed to go slightly awry. I had been reading through the new Rockfax book on the South West and the climbs listed for the Coastguard Cliffs area looked good. The aim was to do a few climbs but as it happened we ended up doing just one but including a bit of adventure on the way.

Having picked the wrong route down to the coast we tracked back towards the most southerly point admiring the stunning views in what was turning out to be a cracking day. The buttress with Sirius on is not easy to find. The best way is to use the bench above Holywood Walls as a marker which is 100m East of Tower Buttress. Make sure you stay on the East side for the descent unlike Chris and I. We set our abseil on a loose, steep corner above a narrow gulley.

The scariest part of the day was lowering off with stones and bits of cliff breaking off on the way down. On reaching the bottom I scrambled for cover on a narrow outcrop while Chris dropped down. 15 minutes of head scratching later we realised we were on the wrong side of a very steep slippy inlet. The only way across was to climb. Trying 5a moves on rock covered with wet green slime is not easy and we used the ab rope as back up. It didnt help when we had to release and jump for the final edge. The stretch meant we skimmed the surface of the water before making undignified landings in the opposite side.

Finally we found the start of Sirius which proved to be a great climb although easier than the gulley! You traverse across, before pulling up onto a ramp which goes up to a good belay. The rock looks like its going to be brittle and unreliable, but this is not the case. I found it fine and there are some good substantial holds even though the ground is steep.

The guide book makes a comment that pro is not as good as it could be, but again I’m not sure this is right. I found plenty and good placements. The upper pitch is a little sparcer in fact but all in all, a good climb in a great exposed position.

The fact that it was a hot and sunny day helped and once again Cornwall delivered the views. We’ll be back for Holywood walls which looks great and has a good selection of HVS’s.