Interesting, I am in the area this weekend but having not noticed this thread, I kind of made other plans involving getting very wet and cold by choice. HOWEVER if one day of being cold and wet is enough for me, I may try to join in with some NLMC fun on Sunday. I’m staying in a backpacker hostel in Chepstow Saturday night. I can’t tell from this thread whether anyone I would actually recognise is going! John T are you going along?
I will be short on boot space but I’ll pop a few bits of gear in and maybe just come and belay IF I join for climbing at all. Not sure if I have any guidebooks to the area.
Failing all that I might at least find all y’all in a pub Saturday night
Kenny
I can’t come but keen to join a similar trip in the future.
Helloooo,
sounds great! @bullopolis and myself were at Shorn a few weeks back and really rated it, all the 3* HVS were excellent and motion picture was… engrossing. I’m at the Abergavenny food festival on saturday and driving back to Bath on Sunday so depending on the extra weight I’m carrying and whether I can convince my wife to stop by I may drop in, even just to see the action!
If you can post any plans on here then hopefully I’ll be able to find some of you!
Chris
lots of beta on Shorncliff already offered, lovely little venue, so i’ll pitch in about Wintours. It’s one of England’s biggest inland cliffs -did you know?
The North wall (on the LHS looking in) is compact, hand quarried limestone, particularly the middle tier, so doesn’t run to cracks and good gear. The routes there are a bit lineless and hard to follow as the wall is not that featured, but the climbing can be absorbing and feel bold. On the flanks there are some easier (and harder) well protected routes. The guide is clear on the nature of each route.
Central area/great wall, I remember as a bit meh.
Great overhang - has some mega routes , King Kong, Kangaroo wall, and the traverses which seem a good option for wet weather.
The areas access through the woodcroft quarry are decent, with Fly wall having a good concentration of routes at a reasonable spread of grades. Very polished in the easy grades, but never bothered me too much, good spot to head to initially.
@Max_A I remember doing an HVS at Wintour that involved slinging bushes. Was a bit sketchy. Cool route though!
I think the Woodcroft access is currently meant to be avoided, new fences and all that. Saw something on UKC a while back.
Thanks Andy. There has always been an issue with parking near the old pub and access/ climbing in the quarry. The recent UKC thread here:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/crag_access/fly_wall_access_wintours_leap-691439
And the revised access on this thread / the UKC logbook page.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/crag_access/wintours_leap_-_woodcroft_quarry_access-692808
@Max_A - yes access through/to Woodcroft has never officially been allowed, just wanted to highlight that it looks currently like it’s going through one of its periodic bouts of being a “real” access issue (active attempts to keep people out and so on) rather than its usual “you’re not really allowed to climb there you know” sort of access issue.
Transport
@george_margesson driving from Devon Sat am.
@PaulSagar and @Catrin driving from London Saturday pm.
@Tutu, @johnw1 joining me starting from London early Sat am.
@Kenny_Straggler may join on Sunday if not wanting wet and cold.
@ChrisD may pop by on Sunday, body mass permitting.
@chizharward may do Sunday half day.
Plan
Wintours (avoiding Woodcroft) on Saturday arriving about 10:30am
I will book the campsite for 6 for Saturday night.
The Anchor Inn, Tintern for dinner 7:30pm?
@PaulSagar, @Catrin are you joining us for dinner. I can book you in too.
Shorn Cliff Sunday: walk in from camp site.
Depends on how hungover I am. Will text when we leave.
Sounds good. Thanks for all the organisation Khalid. See you tomorrow morning.
Cheers,
George
Your welcome. We’ll keep in touch on the road.
Thanks all. I’ll put out an email tomorrow evening regarding whether I’ll attempt to join. If I join then I’ll come to Beeches, park up and join the walk-in on Sunday morning. I think Khalid may be the only familiar face to me!
32% chance of me joining.
Cheers
Now 100% keen to join, as my cold and wet option is no longer an option! I’ll come along to the Anchor Inn for 7:30 and look out for you all
Thanks
Kenny
Maybe a daft question given that I don’t know what anyone looks like, but…are you here in The Anchor Inn?
We’re running late.
Just getting in quickly with a combination bad pun and excuse of the day…
We dogged The Bone. Not because it was too hard but because it seemed right to do so
That takes the biscuit. What a wag.
Smartphone autocorrect wants to change “whipper” to “whippet” which seems appropriate too! It’s a shaggy dog story. Quite a tail to tell
(Etc etc , I’ll stop and just get on withbsorting out a few photos )
7 climbers went to the Wye Valley. 5 off them fell off The Bone.
The CC guide describes it as an amenable introduction to the E grades.
Lol.