I can't believe this weather! It's been sunny and warm for what seems like months. I managed to get 2 more days of climbing down in West Penwith with various friends. Firstly a day out with fellow Climbers Club member Andy March. Initial plans of climbing in Freedom Zawn near Bottallack had to be abandoned due to quite a strong swell that was swamping the ledges at the bottom of the zawn, even at low tide! We decided to head east and climb on the cliffs at Zennor, which are above the sea. Here the rock is killas, rather than granite and is very angular, producing sharp incut holds. We did several routes, including the classic Rosebud in June, on which we were joined by the first ascentionist, Toni Carver, who had popped down from St Ives for the day. It was nearly 38 years to the day Toni first led the route and to have this local legend on the end of my rope was a great moment for me.
The following day I met up with friends Michele and Vic who were down here on holiday. Michele graciously agreed to let Vic off the leash for the day and we shot off to Carn Barra before she changed her mind! Here the climbs are short and steep, but start well above the sea. Most are of excellent quality and we very quickly got up 3 routes, before deciding that the tide was low enough to venture onto Fox Promontory. Here, the North Face catches the late afternoon/evening sun and is a great venue for the middle grade climber, as there are several quality VS/HVS climbs. The best of the bunch is The Curtain Raiser. Graded VS, its more like HVS as the climbing is sustained, absorbing and protection hard to find. I must admit it was good to see Vic going for it on the routes he led, especially as he doesn't get out much these days.
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