At last! A day out on trad rock. This was my first visit to Gimmer Crag since 1980!! Fantastic climbing in full sun albeit a chilly breeze. Will Hurford and I kicked off with Springbank, a lovely pitch up a cracked slab with a spicy overlap near the end of the difficulties. There is a handy abseil station out to the left (facing outwards) but its a slightly disconcerting mix of chain with rusty maillon and padlock. Works a treat for most routes on the "west" face (south-facing!) though. We followed this with a fantastic groove pitch: Equus. This turned out to be a true classic featured in "Hard Rock" the famous "whats what" of British climbing. I followed my nose up the second half based on a quick skim of the guide - "move up Kipling Groove for a bit and then step left" - so ended up on the equally magnificent top pitch of Gimmer String. An unconventional but enjoyable "mash-up". What a fantastic venue for a sunny autumn day.
The diary of a Mountain Guide and climbing coach
No comments:
Post a Comment