Devon Trip - 4/5 August

Trips & Meets
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I’m not aware of much good and easy in Devon. Whilst Berry Head Quarry has some bolted routes and whilst I’ve not climbed there I have been in there and would not want to do anything on that back wall, from my recollections.

Torbryan and Ansteys are excellent if you can make the grades. From Torquay, in holiday traffic, Portland is not likely to be a quick or pleasant drive. And the easy polished stuff on the left hand end of the Cuttings is horrific and best avoided!

I’d suggest either seconding or toproping (Dartmoor has plenty of venues with easy crag top access and low grades) in preference to easy Devonian sport…

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@mhobby1979 please could you add me to the campsite booking? one tiny tent, coming in Paul’s van.

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P.S. Torbryan quarry looks great! but i suppose it’s better to make the most of Devon’t trad?

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@ajmorris228 Thanks for the info, makes sense about the traffic and those two if you can make the grades. Might be for another time :joy:

@ducle That sounds great if you are OK for some people to tag along? I have the Dartmoor guidebook for trad stuff and a basic rack if you need to fill in any gaps for your leading. Also have a 40m single in case it’s easier for shorter direct routes.

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Hi Everyone

Some folks have booked in to a campsite at Lower Terawhiti Farm. It’s super cheap and works out at £10 per night per tent. Be warned, it only has 2 composting toilets and 1 cold shower though …

If folks would prefer a little more comfort, I also have a provisional booking at Wall Park campsite. It works out at £10 per night per person - so a little more expensive. I need to confirm numbers by Monday lunchtime.

Both sites are happy with folks arriving around midnight

Please go to the Google sheet here and on the sheet entitled camping, please complete the column labelled ‘Book a place in Wall Park?’ with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ before Monday and I will book you a spot. (if you could also fill in the column labelled ‘Sharing Tent with …’, that will help me guess the number of tents …) Even if you have already asked me to book you a spot please complete the spreadsheet, so I know you want the slightly more expensive option - thanks!

On the cars front, it seems we now have more cars than we need. Please see spreadsheet where I have written down who is in what car, as confirmed on this thread.

Its going to be awesome :slight_smile:

Cheers
Matt

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I think we’ll stay at “titty-witty” campsite, as @bullopolis insisted it was called last night.

Will update spreadsheet when I get to my computer.

P.

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ps I think me and @tutu may do some hard Devon sport on one of the days, but I’d be totally game for setting up top ropes/helping people second or do easy leads on the other day.

There is also excellent bouldering to be considered in the evenings - although as we all know, bouldering is the worst kind of climbing (except perhaps maybe DWS).

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I’d stay at Terawhiti, I’m assuming I can put up a tent but sleep in my van if we can pitch next to vehicles. So, potentially someone could bring their tent, have it to themselves and we could split the costs.
Will bring firepit, big kettle and some firewood, may bring kayak for sea stacks…

I’ll be up for doing some easier trad, I used to climb up to HVS but haven’t been out much this year apart from some long mountain routes so a bit unsure of what I’m capable of… happy to show someone the ropes at one of the less committing venues one day

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Yay…go camp tittywhitty! :hugs:

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Vague thoughts for people wanting to do easier/beginner trad on one of the days: a good shout might be the Dewerstone in south Dartmoor. Very close to the campsite and has a bunch of low grade but classic routes (at least according to the Climber’s Club guide; when I was there in January it was far too wet to climb anything). I’d certainly be happy to chill there for e.g. most of Sunday and take it easy after a coupe of days doing harder sport.

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There’s another one up that way, Sheep’s Tor I think it is, that’s always been considered a useful crag for getting going. The disadvantage (or advantage, depending on experience level) of the Dewerstone is that a lot of the better routes are multipitch…

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I know Dartmoor lower grade crags and bouldering pretty well and very happy to show people round, possibly both days. Would suit me although would love to finally do Moonraker…

Paul and Andy mentioned a couple of spots: as Andy says, Sheepstor is a good little venue, very compact area, and is near Dewerstone. It’s not big enough for of people, so if there’s already a group there (it does get used by top roping groups) its often best to move on or it gets like The Castle… it’s grit-esque in length and a bit similar feel, can be a bit fierce but is all good, gear is ok, think you can set up top ropes, but better to second. Mushroom Wall is a good VS…Wind Wall is good HVS

Dewerstone is very good, and shadier in the woods, nice and long for the Moor, multipitch, but fairly friendly ones, bigger venue. Colonel’s Arete, Central Groove, Leviathan, Climbers Club Direct… Beware the squirrels, they chew through rucksacks to get food. Definitely worth it, but bit of a maze and hard to find your way around (may be better topos nowadays), alot of stuff be overgrown, haven’t been there in years!

A touch further up towards Bovey is the idyllic ‘Golden Triangle’ which hosts the cream (tea) of moorland climbing, it’s probably not that much further once on the A38 from Titty McVitty camping… Hound Tor is excellent, some great climbs, Liars’ Dice (S) is good, Suspension Flake is a classic and very ‘doable’ (VS) although maybe overhyped. Harder stuff abounds, Aerobic Wall is nails, Anaerobic Wall is nailser, Sharks Fin is fun if the crystal hasn’t snapped off yet… lots of bouldery climbs, often very short but technical, or straight up bouldering, a maze of a place. Excellent burger van: The Hound of the Basketmeals

Hay Tor is also very good, excellent venue and a popular tourist spot (as is Hound Tor) quite a lot there, beautiful setting overlooking the moor and vale. Lots of proper climbing split between Hay Tor, mostly single pitch (Vandal and Ann is good, Letterbox Wall is tricksy), and Low Man (longer, mostly multipitch), Outward Bound, Aviation (not done that).

And scattered around the area are lots of bouldering/highball venues, Bonehill being maybe the best, but lots of scattered, well documented boulders all over, great for a wander.

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Just to follow up on Chiz’s post - I’ve got the CC Dartmoor guide and happy to pass that around for people to get a feel of what’s on offer.

Hounds Tor and Bonehill both also very good shouts

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Wow @chizharward… .moonraker looks awesome. :+1:

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best guide in my opinion is still probably the Cordee South Devon and Dartmoor, at least for its sense of humour, if not its topos. I’ve not got the new CC guide but Dave Henderson’s jaVu.co.uk is the best thing online, and well worth a surf through (god, that sounds dated) with photo topos and plans and proper pdf downloads of various crags and DWS.

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There seems to be some confusion re campsites. I thought Titty Witty was being proposed solely because it allowed after 10pm arrivals and Wall Thingy didn’t. But apparently both do? Wouldn’t it be much nicer if we were all at the same campsite?

Wall Thingy seems more popular - @guyarnold @bullopolis ?

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@khalidqasrawi - can we have a presidential decree?

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@PaulSagar chill, it’ll be cool.

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I will join the Devon Trip. I expect to have the car, but will confirm that. When I get a chance I will add my details to the shared doc.

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@L_Pio and I are going and would like a space for our tent in the campsite. We can probably offer a lift there, but then are going on to Pembroke on Monday, so cannot offer a lift back.