Sharpnose, Lundy, Devon, Gogarth!

After enjoying great hospitality and luxurious food at Farnsworths house in Devon, Steve and I headed over to Sharpnose. We worked our way up the grades starting on a classic E2 on the northern fin and worked our way up the grades to E5, enjoying the extraordinarily good rock! The climbing here feels quite novelty, as you can see from the picture below the fins are only a couple of meters wide and in places lean right over!

To end the day, I decided to try ‘Coronary Country’, which takes a stunning line up the middle fin. When climbing it I was shocked to find out that the rock felt very snappy compared to the earlier climbs. This made it feel much more serious as the placements didn’t feel too solid. :-/  The climbing felt very sustained and strenuous, on top of that it was hard to read in parts. Infact I don’t remember pulling that hard in my life, I was gripped! It didn’t help that it started to drizzle on me as I was pulling through the crux section and by the time I got to a resting point it was raining cats and dogs! I thought I was going to fall off a dozen times. Thankfully, it dried off after ten or so minutes of sun and I continued to the top with a wet chalkbag and a set of arms that looked like they where just about to burst.

Since doing ‘Coronary Country’ I heard it has quite a reputation for spitting people off, and used to get a grade of E7 6b, but is now E6…      Sharpnose

Steve seconding ‘Coronary Country’ after my traumatic experience!

The reason we where down in Deven in the first place was for the Lundy experience. It was Sam Farnsworth’s 21^st Who had kindly booked a luxurious barn where 15 of us stayed 4 nights! We Where treated with the most amazing food (lots of clotted cream). 

 Sorting kit at the start of a great day on lundy

 Steve making a spectacular mess…

While we where in Deven we visited a number of local crags to Sam’s house in Newton Abbot, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the climbing! The most memorable was Sanctuary wall (Torquay), a very impressive steep trad sea cliff! So steep that we could climb in the rain and not even notice it was raining! 

We then headed down Portland, Swanage and Lulworth in the hope of some DWS action , but unfortunately, no one was man enough to brave the rough seas, apart form one day where we managed a good session in Portland where the waves subsided a little.

Since then I have been in Wales for August, I have been working at the Beacon Climbing Centre, Designing Climbing holds and helping out with Taster sessions. Inbetween work Iv managed to get out lots…

I did a new route in the pass, just to the right of Plexus Butt. After cleaning it and top roping it a few times I lead it and gave it the Grade of E7 6b and called it Bananarama. I was amazed by the quality of the climbing on great steep crimpy rock.

Doing this new route has sparked an interest in me to do more new routes! I have already spotted two more really nice lines in Wales, which will hopefully be sent soon! J

Recently discovered Scimitar Ridge! It doesn’t seep and dries almost instantly after rain! So far, iv been working my way up the grades E2, E4, E5, E5 (King Wad) looking forward to having a crack at the E7’s on the crag…

Other recent on-sight achievements:

- Skinhead Moonstomp (E6 6b Gogarth main cliff)

- Wreath of deadly nightshade (E6/7 6b Gogarth North stack)