25th May 2012

Pen Olver

Blind Pew – V Diff – Second
Great Slanting – V Diff – Second
Bilsons Foul Play – V Diff – Second
Mule – HVS 5a – Lead

Probably the trickiest part of climbing at Pen Olver is finding your way there and down to the base of the crag. If you approach past the Housel Bay Hotel its not obvious where the climbing is. The best bet is to head for the end of the headland and when you are about 100yards away head down to the edge on what is a small rocky outcrop.

This soon turns into a more substantial piece of rock and unlikely as it seems at the time if you keep heading down you eventually reach the top of a narrow and exposed descent ramp. Good luck in finding it, but ultimately it is worth it.

The weather being what it is in Cornwall decided to go from cool to baking overnight which meant we were scratching our heads thinking of a venue which wasnt going to overheat. Pen Olver matched up nicely.

Its a great venue and we spent the day on the main ledge giving access to the Pen Olver Slab and the climbs on the Western sector. With Tom and Dave eager to get some more leading in we started on Great Slanting, a tremendous climb with a really open finish. Described as steady, this is a good description requiring Dave to work hard for pro. Probably the most technical of the V Diffs we climbed this day.

Tom moved onto Blind Pew which carves a way straight up the middle of the slab. This one saves its crux for the last third with some exposed climbing on a vertical niche. The pro too gets harder to place the higher you get. Its a great line and deserves stars.

I had been eyeing up ‘Mule’ an HVS between the two. This turned out to have a well protected, but pumpy start and a poorly protected but technical finish. A bit of everything really which made it really enjoyable. I was quite suprised at how good it was, so finished it with a big smile.

Last of all was Bilsons Foul Play. As the tide had swamped the main platform, this was an obvious choice. A good climb, steep and following a distinct chimney, but probably not as good as the two main face climbs.

Still, you cant complain when you’ve had sunshine and fantastics views all day and the climbing has matched up. A brilliant day out in a beautiful part of Cornwall.