The Deep South

Alright my luvver? Drink up thee cider, and other colloquialisms from Somerset. That's right, I'm down here for one more day, then back up to the Highlands to start my new RSPB contract. It's been a good wee trip thus far.

The Mendip Morris Men

You may recall a T.V. programme from almost a year ago in which Tim Emmett took Julia Bradbury up some classic rock routes, Commando Ridge in England, Crackstone Rib in Wales and Ordinary Route on The Old Man of Stoer in Scotland. It was during a period in which the BBC seemed to be paying a lot of attention to climbing because there was also the 'Great Climb' thing which led to Macleod's To Hell and Back on Hells Lum. Anyway, my brother, not an 'outdoorsy' type at all, contacted me after the Emmett programme, asking me to take him climbing sometime. Go on BBC! Well, time passed, Christmas came and went, snow fell and melted and eventually we were both in the same place at the same time, so we headed up to Overshoot Wall in Cheddar Gorge. I climbed a couple of easy sport routes and illustrated belaying and all that jazz, and and he got top-roping and really enjoyed it. Once happy that he wasn't going to kill me if I took a whipper, he kindly offered a belay on something harder. I'd eyed up a little 10 metre 7a called Whose Line is it Anyway? a few times in the past, but never been on it, so decided to see if I could get the redpoint (lead it cleanly after rehearsing the moves, for those not in the know). Well, bugger me, I got t! It's a 70's boulder problem that they used to jump off, but has recently been bolted to the top of the crag. The technical crux is pretty low down, but it's certainly not a path from then on. After putting the rope up it bolt-to-bolt style I played around on the top-rope to become familiar with it. Within half an hour I was pretty confident that it would go, so pulled the rope, chilled, and went for it. My first F7a, and back on home turf, where this daft love affair all began. Cheers for the belay bro!

On Monday I hooked up with Em, a buddy from the Edinburgh Uni Mountaineering Club who's from Bristol, and we headed south to the mighty Dartmoor. Beginning at Hound Tor, I got spooked off the short, sharp Aerobic Wall (E2 5c), so went for a look at the micro-route Anaerobic Wall (E1 5c). Described as scary, dangerous and 'not fall-off-able' in the guide, all illustrated with a tale of some local boy smashing his leg up, I opted to see if there was any gear. Having hung around for a while to find the crucial wire and place it, I pumped out going through the crux and took the fall, splendid! Second time round it went fine, which is fortunate, as a fall from any higher would definitely be on to the rocks. Tasty. Em then climbed Liar's Dice, a great little Severe, before we had a picnic and headed round to Haytor and Lowman.

Em dancing up Liar's Dice, Hound Tor

Down on Lowman I got embroiled in Tom Patey's classic HVS Outward Bound. It climbs through a sizable roof on HUGE holds, pulling onto a very accommodating belay ledge, before weaving it's merry way to the top of the crag. Immense. To use guidebook language: very impressive situations for the grade. Up on Haytor, we then did the fun Letterbox Wall (VS 5b, 4b). The first pitch is a 5b boulder problem, with nay gear until it's all over. Not the average VS then.

Moving onto the roof on Outward Bound, Lowman.

It's funny, these short routes, where the adjective grade basically boils down to the likelihood of hitting the ground. It may be technically nails, but it's not going to kill you to fall off the crux, so it's HVS! It may be a 5b move with no gear, but it's only 4 metres up, so it's VS! I guess it's the same as lots of grit and sandstone crags, short routes have to pack a punch to earn the grade. Anyway, we all know that these little crags aren't proper climbing! Bring on the mountains.

Em and I met up later in the week and went for a look at a little bolted wall in Trym Valley Gorge, North Bristol. The easiest line there is F7a, so armed with my recent success I was looking forward to another fight. Sadly, as seems to be the way with crags round here, part of the wall was covered in ivy, so we opted for the only clean and accessible line, a F7a+. With a spot of swearing, some aid and general faff I got the rope to the top and we both had a go at working the moves. Blimey Charlie! It was nails! I've very little experience of routes at this grade, but am aware that on top-rope I should at least be able to work some of the moves out. Unless you're very tall, I can't see how it's 7a+. Slightly disgruntled, we gave up and went home.

Musical Pick of the Week

A new feature on Soft Rock, should anyone care. This week I have been mostly listening to Buck 65. Nova Scotia born, world traveled, pretty much the epitome of modern music. Rapper, story-teller, scratch artist. Tells tales of the everyday to a backdrop of hip-hop, folk, tv themes, rock, classical music. Who else manages to make a song about being a shoe-shiner (besides Johnny Cash, of course), being a centaur wanted by the porn industry, or about how small-town gossip ruined the life of Stella. That's not a tear in the corner of my eye.....

Check him out here, and you can listen to a collaborative concert he did with Symphony Nova Scotia here.

Southern Fairies

Home in Somerset for the festive season in a borrowed car. All the usual fun and games: lots of food, Butcombe Bitter, The Plough, Morris Dancing and general tomfoolery.

I had high hopes for getting a route or two in on the local limestone but it's all wet and slimey so I've had to contain myself.

However, I have had a pleasant enough couple of days out and about. Jones and I met Chris at a very soggy Roaches and had to settle for a long walk to the driest rocks at the Very Far Skyline and a wee play at Newstones post Rock Inn refreshments. All a bit of a bummer, but definitely nice to be out.

Jones spotting Chris on a go on Lazy Trout, The Roaches

Grit seems to be a pain in the arse. I've had some really memorable and prolific days climbing and done a handful of great routes and problems, but for every good day there has been at least one day when it was pissing wet, green, dirty and slimey or so hot that you grease off jugs, let alone the famed 'fat sloper'. The jury is still out, but I think the moral is that you need to pick your days wisely if you want to get the most out of it, rather than settle for doing soggy Diffs (something that some find fun).

A low key new year allowed Jones and I to hit the very quiet M5 at a decent hour on new years day and spend a day at some of my favourite crags: the Dartmoor tors. Hound Tor to be precise. These short, very sharp granite tors offer up a variety of routes and problems off all grades and types and on a winters day when it's a bit too nippy to get involved with long or nails hard routes there's not much better than getting involved with the crazy piles, pillars and blocks that the granite creates.

Hound Tor basking in the sun of a new year

Me trying Skin Graft (V2 5c), apparently this has been graded

on the 'Plymouth' scale so is more like 6a. Those crazy devonians.

Still trying....

Off.... Bugger.

Splendid.

Later we met Jen and Luke at Bonehill and spent a nice hour or two on some of the problems on The Cube. One of the things that I had hoped to do was Rippled Wall, a rather highball V3 6a, and I was pleased that it went with (fairly) minimal fuss. A good start to the year. It had been a while since I had had that fluttery feeling at the top of something and as I scrambled back down and the adrenaline surged through me I remembered how amazing it was, and how addictive too.

Jones alluringly modelling Rippled Wall

I'll be back up to Fort William on Friday, looking for a whole lot of wintery fun. So here's to an adventurous 2008!
Happy new year.