Further Rockfall at Compass Point Bude., North Devon and Cornwall
There has been a further significant rockfall at Compass Point, affecting the
summit ridge above Caravanserai and Crimtyphon. An earlier rockfall on Caravanserai was responsible for Craig Harwood’s tragic accident. It may well be that final moves on Crimtyphon, one of the most popular routes on the crag, are now in a dangerously unstable condition, but undoubtedly the entire ridge from just beyond the Compass Tower itself as far as the usual descent path is heavily crevassed and unsafe. I hope to go and inspect the area in the next few days. Meanwhile, thanks to local climber Joel Perkin for reporting this and posting these photos. The other routes on the seaward side of the EWD are unaffected.
I visited Compass Point on Sunday and can confirm that most of the ridge from the Compass Tower as far as the descent ramp is in an extremely dangerous condition. In effect it has become an unstable serac, severely undercut on the North (Bude harbour) side resting on horizontal bands of earth and shale. The cracks visible in the photos above extend as far the Crimtyphon slab. I am compiling a report for the forthcoming BMC SW Area meeting in Bristol and recommending that they should advise all climbers about the current dangerous state of this section of the crag and that it should be avoided. All the existing routes have been affected, some have disappeared altogether. Crimtyphon with its 3* was very popular and anyone visiting the crag for the first time might not necessarily be aware of its present condition. Sadly as we well know there has already been one tragic accident due to lack of awareness that the route Caravanserai had suffered a major rock fall.
i have also been informed that the pillar at the base of the routes at Moped Zawn (CC N Devon & Cornwall Guide) near Oldwalls Point has collapsed, affecting the start of two of the routes on the left hand side of the slab. Local climbers are currently cleaning and then reclimbing the lines.