Tag Archives: Trewellard

E one’abies

April 18, 2014 dillwat Leave a comment

18th April 2014

Trewellard – Main Face

Sundog – E1 5b – Second (dogged)
Shambhalla – E1 5b – Lead

It has been a while since Joe and I have climbed together, so it was really good to get back to old ways again. I had forgot Joe’s habit of looking at the hardest route on a crag and then going for it. But this time it paid dividends.

I’ve been on a few of the faces at Trewellard but Joe’s abseil dropped us straight onto the main face and a couple of really top routes. The first, led by Joe was Sundog.

Even from below the crux looked tough, going through a slightly overhanging bulge of rock with little pro and small finger holds. It was a top effort by Joe who pulled through the section after getting in some high gear. Unfortunately I wasnt so fortunate. The small crimps beat me and with only inches to go I peeled off. Its a shame because the rest of the climb was tricky but manageable. Clearly Joe’s efforts on the training walls we have scattered at our various houses has paid off and I think I might be following him up some even harder routes this year.

Meanwhile Bart and Tom were gradually working thier way through the routes on the West Face which was basking in warm sunshine. I always found these to be bold for their grade, but quality climbing. Both Tom and Bart were leading building up their confidence no doubt for Sardinia.

Speaking of which, this was the first occasion the full island crew were together as Dave and Chris were have an exciting time on Return of the Lemming a bold VS on Goldsworthy Buttress. So this is what we can look forward to??

My lead was on Shambhalla, an HVS in the book but an E1 on UKC. I think it was probably somewhere in the middle. A hard HVS or an easy E1. Although I didnt find the crux and mid section easy, struggling again to get my head into gear. I did it though and that is great and a real confidence booster. Definitely not as hard as Joe’s E1.

Bart, Tom and I succumbed to ‘lightweightedness’ a left a bit earlier as the temperature dropped quickly. The sun was still shining on the other three as they grabbed a final Severe on the Main Face. I’m looking forward to climbing with Joe a bit more this year. It pushes my grades and adds a bit of excitment and fun to events.!!!

Climbing

It’s raining frogs and fruitbats

March 8, 2013 dillwat Leave a comment

8th March 2013

Trewellard – Goldsworthy Buttress

Return of the Lemming – VS 4c – Lead
Bright Morning – V Diff – Lead (P2)
Sea Fever – Diff/Severe 4b – Second

Trewellard was looking a little different from the last time Dave and I climbed here. On that day the wind was about 40mph and it was pretty grey. This time, sunshine and good conditions.

Trewellard_Mar13 037 — View towards Bible Wall

That said, it is not the most attractive of venues unless you like industrial backdrops of broken ground, churned earth and arsenic. Yes arsenic, something worth keeping in mind – if it’s green dont touch it, lick it or dip your lunch in it cos it’ll probably kill you!

Trewellard_Mar13 001 — Belay Platform – Wide Ledge

A number of places show the vivid green streaks seeping out of the cliffs, but Goldsworthy isnt one of them. On this day it was relatively dry and we stuck to the buttress climbs and not the zawn which did look damp. One for another day as there are some cracking looking climbs there.

Trewellard_Mar13 010 — Pete styling on ROTL

ROTL looks a bit like a cliff which is rotting in front of your eyes. Similar to Coastguard Cliffs actually. The first pitch looks bold and pro (at least good pro) is difficult to find. I’m not sure I would have wanted to fall on half the gear I placed and there is a run out section in the middle. But, it is laced with small foot placements and little sharp edged holds. They look brittle but I found then solid and none snapped on me.

Trewellard_Mar13 015 — Chris leading P1 ROTL

All the above taken into account, the first pitch is great. Balancy, technical and just good fun. The other two match up well. Pitch two’s overhang is committing but well protected and Pitch 3 has a hard start and a camera friendly finish.

Trewellard_Mar13 044 — Top Pitch of ROTL

It was getting late when we all finished, but we had enough time to get another climb in. Chris and Tom went for Bright Morning, a climb Dave had led earlier. A difficult V Diff is the best way to describe it. Probably more towards Severe actually. Dave took Joe and myself for a wander onto the seaward face of the buttress where booming surf greeted us and a very wet chimney on Double Take.

Trewellard_Mar13 039 — Booming Surf below the belay on Sea Fever/Double Take

Dave wisely left this alone but contrived a new line between the Diff of Sea Fever and Double Take which was probably at around Severe 4b. A tricky mantel into a sparsely protected groove made for a good pitch. Well done to Dave for climbing this blind effectively. Maybe its worth listing as a new route.

I finished on the second pitch of Bright Morning, an excellent pitch in its own right. Meanwhile Joe went off soloing the arete, probably looking for something hard to get stuck into.

Trewellard_Mar13 016 — P2 of Bright Morning

We were greeted by persistent rain as we packed up (perfect timing) which made the journey back interesting with strange animals flying past the van and the road littered with suicidal frogs.

Trewellard_Mar13 035 — View back to Pendeen

Cant wait to get back a do the traverse Chain Link in the zawn. looks scary and classic!

Booming Surf below the belay on Sea Fever/Double Take

Climbing

No sensible shoes…. In fact, no shoes at all!

November 13, 2011 dillwat Leave a comment

Trewellard
13th November 2011

West Face
Solo – Severe 4a – TR
Microcosm – V Diff – TR

A strange day not helped by one of those hangovers which doesnt make you feel ill but reminds you that you’ve drunk a little too much wine the night before.

This also manifested itself in the form of early memory loss, which in turn messed up all our carefully laid plans. Our initial target was to have a look at the Pedn Kei Area, but a howling (and I mean howling) wind put that in jeopardy. Being a North Easterly we new the cliffs would be sheltered low down, but the walk in via Gurnards Head proved to bracing – bracing enough to make me remember that my climbing shoes were nicely tucked away in my garage on the trailer. Doh!

Trewellard_Nov11-002 — View to Robins Rocks

Unfortunately the previous days rain had made the whole area greasy and damp so we decided to have a look at what I though was Sensible Shoes at Robins Rocks but turned out to be Carn Gloose. There were two climbers coming back up from the point and they kindly put me right explaining they had been looking at Astrol Stroll but had backed off because of the wet.

The views all around the headland are pretty primeval, especially in this days conditions. Its a fantastic setting for climbing and we will return, but on a day when I have shoes and the rock feels abit more grippy.

And so started a hunt for a climbing spot. Being a Sunday and with the wind from the East the North Coast was busy… or as busy as Cornwall gets.

So we moved on from Rosemergy and Bosi and ended up at Trewellard. A new venue for me. Trewellard looks like it has been stripped of everything living. A real reflection of the mining activity of this area. The rock is fractured and worked with strange coloured liquid seeping from it. A total contrast to the natural cliffs, but just as dramatic. Getting your bearings is difficult. The guide was fairly precise but given the random nature of the rock formations obvious landmarks seemed hard to find.

Trewellard_Nov11-012 — Brown Buttress and Black Cliff

Trewellard_Nov11-009 — Dave on the Solo Belay

We ended up on the West Face, the most protected from the wind. Given that I only had my walking boots I decided to set up a top rope so that we could play on a couple of climbs. This turned out to be a good call, giving us a few hours of quality climbing. The best climbing looked to be on the main face, but I want to lead these so we saved them for another day.

Trewellard_Nov11-006 — Solo Severe 4a - West Face

Overall a quirky day but really enjoyable. More of an opportunity to explore some areas I’d not been to and yet again an assault on the senses with the combination of breath taking views and raging weather.