Tag Archives: Severe

Climbing

It’s the Cake that wins it

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31st July 2026

The Rumps

Bulls on Parade – Severe 4a – Lead
Goofy – Severe 4b – T/R

First time for Rauf who joined Mike and me on one of our climbing outings. I needed somewhere reasonably close and with acceptable routes and The Rumps did it. You do need to lead to get up to the large ledge, but once there it’s possible to set up a bottom rope for all the climbs. Coming down does involve some back and fronting down a narrow v gulley, but it’s not too bad

The climbs here are all a bit harder than they look. From below they look like a waltz, but you need to treat them with respect. For Rauf it was an eye opener back to his youth which I think was the last time he climbed. He did really well and more importantly loved it, so I can see a few more little ventures out coming our way in the near future.

I think the thing that most amazed him is that feeling of remoteness you get when you get on the sea cliffs here. Once you move down to the crag you rarely see anybody. This is one of the elements of climbing in Cornwall I love. I fell out of love with surfing to a certain extent because I lost the solitude of being able to surf with just your mate. This was when you could find a peak to yourselves if you timed the tide and venue right. Now it is next to impossible to do, especially with surfline feeding everyone with hourly forecasts and pointing people to the best spots.

Climbing fortunately still hasnt reached that point (I hope it never does). I realise it’s getting more popular, but for the most part there are enough crags to give you lots of space. Otherwise I’m going to have to find another f~*king sport haha.

My favorite bit of the evening was when Rauf suddenly announced we had cake. Cant beat cake to finish of a great outing.

Climbing

More is better?

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13th March 2025

Vessacks West

North End CrackVDLead O/S
Neptune’s KingdomVDLead O/S
Chilli DogS 4aLead O/S
Flared NostrilsHS 4b2nd O/S
Sausage RollVD2nd O/S
Little White JugVD2nd O/S
High FlyerDSolo O/S
The LiftMSolo

So Vessacks West is a good place for grabbing a load of ticks (albeit in mainly lower grades). But despite their apparent straightforwardness, these felt like good routes. Excellent positive granite and a great setting made for a really enjoyable day.

Sometimes I feel we get sucked into the harder is better scenarios. I would agree that completing a hard route comes with a lot of satisfaction and a great sense of achievement. But you can get lost in this, to the point where you ignore the amazing feeling of just climbing with no fear and the ability to take in your surroundings fully.

Chris on High Flyer

Chris and I had so much fun this day. I want more occasions like this, where lunch is just as important as the climbs. The crag is quite short, so you can literally be up and down in no time at all. Then its on to the neighbour. The photos speak for themselves.

Climbing

What Euromillions can do for you

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18th September 2024

Boswednack Cliff
No Justice – V Diff – Second
Groovy Justice – Severe 4a – Second

Having your own private beach would be amazing. Having two private beaches would be next level. If I win the Euromillions I might just have this. Or at least I’ll know where I can get it.

Boswednack is a little bit more remote than many venues we visit. Takes about 35-40 mins to walk in. Requires an abseil to remove the ball-ache of a slippery downclimb and is pretty intimidating as a crag. It also doesnt get the sun until much later in the day, so if shady climbing is your thing, fill your boots.

I really like it here. The climbs feel different from those of many crags. Greenstone cliffs do that. The rock as a whole is ok, but you have to be prepared for loose stuff and alter your climbing to suit this.

Chris eyeing up the start of Groovy Justice

Chris’s opener on Groovy Justice was quite a challenge. The bomber gear placement is just out of reach, so you need to commit before you can place it. A good one for Chris to get his head back in the right place for leading. The climb is also a little off kilter, but it is a fun adventure up the right side of the crag.

Dave about to start the final headwall of No Justice

Dave went for the obvious ramp of No Justice. Again a tough opening which needs commitment. Seems to be a theme here. Once on the main arete/ramp the climbing is steady, although it has a sting in its tail which includes large chunks of loose rock. Again a good lead by Dave and another step up. The team is excelling!

The Main Face area

I had to make an alteration to my log book. I had originally added Rough Justice HVS 5b from my only previous visit. Turns out I had actually climbed Last Minute Reprieve E1 5c. So a bonus to the grade. It does though mean I have to go back an do Rough Justice properly. Does look good though.

The walk out included a swim in the now flooded beach, but was still great and finally capped off with a pint at the Gurnards Head. All in all a very good day.

Climbing

The case of the mysteriously re-appearing nuts….

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29th August 2024

The Rumps – Pentire Head
Regular – Severe 4b – Lead
Pass the Duchy – HS 4b – Lead

So The Rumps is fast becoming a favourite of mine for a quick, no frills outing. Easy to get to from the National Trust car park and short, but challenging climbs.

Sunflowers on Pentire Head

Both the Severe’s I’ve done here have been on the tough side. Leaning out a lot and making you work. The rock, while grippy, feels a little unreliable, but so far it has held up fine, so maybe this is unjustified.

The Lower Tier

Its nice to find a relatively local crag which isnt all E+’s. There are a couple of HVS’s so the challenge is still there for the future.

Ian on Pass the Duchy (Upper Tier)

Ian and Dave were all smiles as well. The view helps too, with breathtaking vista’s back towards Doyden and across ‘The Mools’, the small island off the coast. I’m starting to get the ‘proper’ buzz again. All the wall work is paying dividends, and I rekon soon it’ll be time to take on a few E’s (they’re good dont you know 🙂 )

Climbing

You’re a s#!t climber, but you’re great at hanging on…

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19th April 2024

Carn Barra
Illustrated Man – E2 – T/R
Twin Cracks – Severe – Lead

Words you should never utter to a fellow climber, “I havnt really experienced a hard climb”. It is likely to end up messy, as this day did. The choice of Carn Barra was really to give Barry a taste of what hard routes feel like. Its notoriously tough so what better place to get on some routes.

Oh its all happy faces and fun up until you try to climb out!

The central ledge has a number of good E numbers so we thought we’d try that. In hindsight maybe an inescapable ledge with only tough routes to get out on was not the best choice. But we got what we paid for. Illustrious Man is just a joy to climb, but is properly hard. For Barry it was a lesson in how to deploy everything at your disposal just to get upit. He did brilliantly, especially considering the experience he’s had so far. Failing at what I consider to be the crux (the move out of the middle crack system.

Illustrated Man

I made it just. Taught me a lesson in that I’m not where I have been in terms of fitness, as I climbed this clean and fairly well when I was last here with Chris. I did however remember to hang on, something that my old friend Bart (RIP) said I was particularly good at, even if he didnt rate my climbing abilities… haha

In the end Barry climbed out on Dialectic, no mean feat on its own and so the beasting ended and we retired to have a go at Twin Cracks on the upper buttress. I’s only ever climbed pitch 1. Turns out Pitch 2 is the difficult one. Steep and with few rests. PLace gear and keep climbing. Its also brilliantly exposed as you move out above the whole of Carn Barra.

Looking down Twin Cracks

What a day. We had it all. And to top it all off Barry spotted dolphins. And so to the long slog out past the wolfpack which continues to make me smile.

Climbing

I am a washing machine repair god!

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18th April 2024

Pordenack Point

Helmet Ridge Direct – HS 4b – Second

Little Cracker – Severe 4a – Lead

With my confidence overflowing due to a miraculous washing machine repair job, this was a day to check out Sea Fury, a tough HVS or E1 depending on who’s climbing it. I’d not really looked at it properly before and unfortunately the intimidation factor got me on this occasion, but it looks so good from below it will be one for a little later in the year.

Sea Fury

Chris picked out Helmet Ridge Direct for his route. From below it does what many a route does. It looked straight forward. But reality led him into a route with a number of mini crux’s, each of which was awkward and challenging. Maybe worth a little more than HS imo. The adjacent climbs look equally as tough

Dave on Helmet Ridge Direct

Little Cracker was exactly that. A little cracker. A surprising find. After all the times I’ve been here I was really surprised I’d not done this before. It wasnt Sea Fury but it was a good consolation.

Climbing

Getting cold feet

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21st March 2024

Bosigran
Shorl Slant/Black Vein North – Severe – Alt Lead

Well it was unexpectedly cold. I thought the wind would be coming over our heads but it swung to the west. Much of Bosi is understandably still wet, so we abandoned the idea of Zig Zag and headed for the Ochre slab area.

Weirdly we have somehow missed Shorl Slant in our many ventures to this area. Following the black vein its a rough, crystalline route which is a lot steeper than it looks. The Black Vein alternative finish seemed a better choice as well. But it was sooo cold.

Its all we managed on this day. Worth the trek to Bosi just to get out in what has been the wettest winter I can remember. As a bonus, Dave led his first pitch (P2) for a while. Major progress in getting back to his old form and what must be a massive confidence booster.

Climbing

A Beast when its East

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17th January 2024

Carn Boel (Terrace)
Four Directions – Severe 4b – Lead
Carn Boel Cleft – V Diff – Solo

I really am impressed with how easy the Lands End facility make getting a locals permit for parking. It is a welcome change from those rip off bastards at Porthgwarra who are charging £8.50 a day! Disgraceful really for winter parking.

I know LE’s a tourist attraction, knocked by many, but it has always had its own charm and I have always enjoyed going there. Not least because it is situated on one of the most stunning bits of coast in the UK. The walk in always sets the mood and despite the cold Tom, Chris and me were looking forward to getting on the rock.

I had tried Four Directions with Barry a while back and backed off for a number of reasons. The main one being that it felt quite tough and it was one of Barry’s first outings. Strangely, it was even tougher when your fingers and toes were numb and you are dressed up to the nines.

So it was on with the fannying around getting gear in and trying to sort the ropes out. The crux is about 8 meters up, above a ledge. Its a overhang and to get through it you have to move up left and into a short v groove. The problem is that holds run out as you get into the steeper area, not something you’d expect on a severe. But the cold definitely played a part. If I’m honest I couldnt tell if there were better holds. Once I latched something I had to trust I could hold it because my fingers were so cold. There’s also an interesting wall above the overhang with small foot placements and dubious looking rock. Oh yeh, and the gear goes thin.

Not selling it really am I. Strangely though I did enjoy it. I was also relieved when both Tom and Chris found it hard. It wasnt just me being a pansy.

The cleft was a great ending to the session. Squeezing between trapped boulders and bridging up the narrow cave like recess is so much fun. You emerge back into the light through a narrow opening in the roof. Straight forward as a solo, but dont fall off. You’d rattle on the way down.

Climbing

The rise and fall of the Underbeanie.

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8th January 2024

Carn Barra
Taurus the Second – Severe 4b – Alt Lead

Wow, it was brass monkey’s today. Easterly cold breeze and air temperature of around 4 degrees. A beautiful sunny day though, that delivered on so many fronts except for the wet foot from treading in the lake that blocked the lane leading through to the southern end of Carn Barra.

Chris and I mooched around the Weasle area, checking out the fierce looking offwidths of Criss and Iron Cross. Some good climbing to be had here I think, but maybe on a day when you can feel your hands (or maybe thats a good thing ofr these thrutchy fella’s)

We settled on Taurus the Second on the upper buttress. Strange how I,ve not done this considering how many times we’ve been here. Still it was an ok climb. A hairy V notch with few hand holds gets you working hard. Good gear, but it feels a bit sketchy because of all the vegetation. Good to do something a bit different though and with the sun out I actually got a bit of a sweat on, which was good reason to not wear our beanie’s under our helmets.

I think both Chris and me were just glad to get out for a bit given all the rain recently. One climb was enough and so it was off to Spoons in Penzance. End of a good day.

Climbing

The Tide waits for no man

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24th November 2023

Lighthouse Cliffs – Lizard

Gigging – Severe 4a – Lead
Long Time No Sea – V Diff – Lead

Well it was a good choice of crag for the weather, but a poor one with regard to tide times. Our second look at Lighthouse Cliffs was slightly better than our first when the swell was pumping through. Having said that, me and Dave still managed to get wet. Turns out our belay ledge wasnt high enough above the pushing swell!

We now have a pretty good idea of the layout of the crag. Once you have your bearings it all falls together. Which also describes some of the rock quality. In the lower sections it tends to be a bit sounder, but as you get higher it degrades.

Gigging was definitely in this category. We belayed on a small but higher ledge because of the swell and tide. This meant traversing across onto the main wall which was ok, but the more you progressed the crumblier things got. It gets a star in the guide, but I dont think it really warrants one. Its not particularly memorable. Although watching Dave get hit by a set wave was quite memorable.

We’ve definitely earmarked a number fo routes we want to get on, so I’m certain we’ll be back shortly. Next time at low tide with no swell though.