26th May 2026

The Dewerstone

Central Groove – HS 4b – Lead
Scorpion – HS 4b – Lead

What do you do on the hottest day of the year so far…. what you dont do is head South to West Penwith and irradiate yourself on the granite. This was a late, but fortunate realisation which resulted in Chris D and myself heading for the trees of Dewerstone in an attempt to find some shade.

As it happened, our first climb, Central Grove was in full sun and we both melted on the route. By time we topped out we were frazzled, but it didnt take away that CG is still an amazing route. Just a very hot one on today.

This was the first time Chris and me had climbed as a duo and I think we picked a cracking venue given the conditions. I hope this is a precursor for many more adventures together as I had a great time. Possibly cooling off in the river was the highlight and certainly provided the motivation to get another route in.

The Scorpion was a completely different proposition. Although in the shade which was a relief, it is punctuated by a series of fairly bold moves, particularly at the grade. Each one involves a tricky move away from your pro. To top it all (the sting in the tail) the hardest move is at the top and I would definitely put that at 4c every day of the week. Strangely it was enjoyable, if a little fraught. Maybe not the right route for a burgeoning HS leader. Not if they dont want anxiety problems.

M and S proved a godsend on the way back. Never has water tasted so good. Unfortunately we could go to a tub of Hagen Daz each, so the ice creams will need to wait for the next adventure.