Westcott Wattle, North Devon & Cornwall

Submitted by: Barry Clarke
Crag: Westcott Wattle (p 141)
Date of ascent: 18/12/2017
Climbers: BJ Clarke (solo)

Anywhichway

Length/grade/stars: 14m VD

Start location:

Looking seaward from the in-situ rope at the base of the approach are a group of 5 fins compacted together to form a kind of island (suggested name for this area, The Island?). The main features of the first fin (easily spotted!), are an attractive grey lower slab and yellow headwall divided by a quartz-fringed break. Immediately left and set back slightly is another slab forming fin number 2. Start in the centre of this second fin at a small rock pool in a recess.

Pitch descriptions:

Trend leftwards up the thin cracks, then climb more direct, finishing via a small A-shaped alcove.

Colcis

Length/grade/stars: 15m S

Start location:

Start as for Anywhichway.

Pitch descriptions:

4a Climb leftwards up the thin cracks for 4 metres, step right and meander up the seemingly blanker sections of the slab.

Terabethia

Length/grade/stars: 16m S

Start location:

Start just right of Colcis.

Pitch descriptions:

4a Follow the fine right-trending thin crack in its entirety.

Genki Dene

Length/grade/stars: 16m VS

Start location:

Start 10 metres right of Terabethia below the grey slab on fin number 1. Five metres right of the left edge of the fin and immediately right of a rock pool.

Pitch descriptions:

4b Climb the left-trending cracks, before following the right side of the edge and making a thin move to gain the quartz-fringed break. Follow the broken left edge of the headwall to the top with care.

Additional info:

Particularly on this fin, the summit ridge and rear (north) wall contain large amounts of loose material, be wary when scrambling around!
The name means ‘take care’ (Japanese)! !

Mysterious Island

Length/grade/stars: 17m VS

Start location:

Start as for Genki Dene.

Pitch descriptions:

4b Climb directly up the grey slab to the break, continue up the headwall to finish up a thin, quartz-marked crack.

Maracaibo

Length/grade/stars: 15m HS

Start location:

Immediately behind fin 2 is fin 3; marked by a bald slab and a jagged groove to its left. Just left again is fin 4, with more jagged grooves. Fin 5 is further left again, and is the most seaward fin. It is graced by an attractive, slim, right-facing groove towards its left-hand side. Just left of this groove is a light grey slab marked by lines of quartz. Start 4 metres right of the left edge of fin 5, below the light grey slab marked by lines of quartz.

Pitch descriptions:

4a Meander up the slab using the various cracks to gain a shallow recess near the left edge of the slab, finish up the edge.

Gozo Groove

Length/grade/stars: 15m S

Start location:

Start 4 metres right of Maracaibo below a left-trending ramp-line leading to the slim, right-facing groove.

Pitch descriptions:

4a Follow the ramp-line and continue up the groove. Neat, elegant climbing!

Additional info:

This area may become popular, it’s a kind of jumbled up Vicarage Cliff. The routes are all S-facing on reasonable rock, and the mid-Winter sun reaches them at 11-30am, climbing should be available for 8 hours around low tide given reasonable seas! However, descent will usually be made by abseil or scrambling down the north sides of the fins, there is loose ground here and care must be taken!

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