Carreg y Barcud – Kitten Claws E3 5c – climber Tom Priestley
People came from far and wide but the prizes for innovation at getting to Pembroke goes jointly to Barney Crampton who travelled by ferry from his home in Ireland by Dublin to Pembroke Dock and to Demetri Wetzel who sailed his yacht (and home) to Pembroke Dock.
Communal Meal – in May Cottage
Many crags were visited including a visit to Iron Age Fort by Peri Stracchino and Nicola Hawkins with their passes to Range West. The usual mass of classics was climbed and there is a fairly full list in the hut log book of those done.
A couple of warnings to heed are as follows –
- If you go to climb Tertiary Route on Cheese Buttress pre-place a belay rope – the top out is horrendous as discovered by Graham Townsend and Steve Clegg
- If going to do Metamorphosis (HS) at Carred y Barcud don’t get it mixed up with the similar start, with two crackline, of Be Brave (E1) which a young lady did and continued up the direct finish (E3) before falling off and being airlifted out with a broken arm!
Some outstanding routes –
- Space and Rising Damp on Space Buttress – live up to the name of the buttress
- Archology at Iron Age Fort is tremendous
- The “clag-on” on the rock at Becks Bay are amazing with routes like Rusty Slab etc.
- Heart of Darkness, Rock Idol, Wraith, Stargate,, Star Wars, Keelhaul, Pleasure Dome, Cool for Cats, Blue Sky, Kitten Claws, Ethos, Armorican – etc etc.
As alternatives to climbing there were bike rides round the area; walks along the coast and also to the Preseli Hills.
Great week and successful meet.
Ron Kenyon
just to clarify – the lass who broke her arm was not one of ours. not that we dont wish her well, but just to stop people asking!
You’d have to be a bit daft to think that ‘Be Brave’ is HS! I thought it lived up to its name and was pretty tough for e1!
‘Mostly good weather’ eh? The atrocious weather on Sunday and Monday must have seemed better to you folks in a comfy hut – my meet writeup paints a slightly different story… Although to be fair it would have seemed better if I hadn’t had to go home on Tuesday just as it improved.
Ah, but did you have a cockerel crowing at 4am in next door’s garden so you had to get up before you went to bed and have to paddle your thermarest around your tent using a spade while lying in a bivvy bag made from Poundland carrier bags taped together?
Loved the meet. Thanks to Ron for organising. I enjoyed the camaraderie at the hut as well as climbing tons of cracking routes. Well worth the journey!