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A very successful day at
Auchinstarry!
Went with Dave and we started by abseiling down the Masquerade Buttress,
the most blank piece of rock at Auchinstarry. We belayed one another
over the edge of the cliff, then started variable distances down the
cliff before climbing up. The location of the stakes (anchors)
determined our climb of choice (High Dive, E3) although we only worked
this out later.
Since our safety line didn't go all the way to the bottom of the cliff,
(used to jug up if we got stuck - the belayer wouldn't be able to help)
we didn't go all the way down to the water. The climb wasn't as
difficult as I'd have thought, although I'm usually good at crimpy
technical stuff. For all I know the crux is at the bottom, but I'm yet
to see!
The safety line was also good because it helped me from feeling
completely freaked out. It took a while to get comfortable with the
other person lowering you off, I think for both of us. But once
confident in our safety, it was fantastic to be out on a cliff I'd
looked at in astonishment previously.
High Dive (E3, Masquerade Buttress)
After a long session on High Dive, we
walked around to what seems to be the Right Hand Amphitheatre. I don't
have a guidebook so I'm not completely sure, only going by what
UKClimbing says. The path around the loch starts out good then
degenerates until I was trying to walk through brambles in shorts -
ouch! Our anchor was the fence some 4-5 metres from the cliff edge and
again, we lowered each other over the edge.
The route we climbed started from the blue 'Stef' graffiti and climbed a
crackline vertically upwards to the top. The rock was generally sound
although I dislodged one piece. I got that funny moment where a fist
sized chunk is balanced in place by your hand and it's got to go. In the
end I stabilised then knocked it off the wall on the way up, as a kind
of 'accident' just to avoid the embarrassment of a huge clatter! There
was none...
A fairly hard route although not desperate, I'd imagine it in the
Severe-HVS range. Dink had gone first and rated it highly, as well as
being long. It's pretty good if you don't count the massive spider in
the crack right where you want to put your hands, though a bit chossy -
not bad though. These walls are worth a revisit, even if the so called
quick way down was through ferns taller than us with signs warning of
cliff edges.
Right Hand Amphitheatre
We headed to Craigmore next, via.
Lennoxtown to get some grub, although I don't think we did much and I've
no photos (unusual for me). Probably worked on Tom and Jerry Wall or
Rampage more, I'd imagine. |