Tom Last makes first ascent of overhanging offwidth crack

Tom Last has continued his campaign of new routing in South East Cornwall with his most recent achievement being the impressive first ascent of an overhanging wide crack on Luxulyan’s rough granite. The Singularity weights in at around E4/5 6a and is located on a natural tor on the rim of Luxulyan Quarry proper – i.e. the massive semi-dormant quarry north of the village.

Tom said: “I first tried this ground up a couple of years ago and got completely shut down after the initial hands section. I came back a few weeks ago and decided to give it a top-rope, not really expecting to get anywhere, but after a couple of tries, I managed to link it. The difficulty of the climb though is in keeping it together for the duration, so I started trying to lead it – climbing it, I think, on my 6th or 7th lead attempt over three sessions.

“The crack goes from hands, through the grim off-width to a wild move that hopefully gets you into the final mad squeeze chimney. The route overhangs for about 25-30 degrees for its full length. It is absolutely brutally hard,” says Tom, “Honestly though, you couldn’t get a better line, or more ridiculous experience.”

The route is well protected with #6 cams and surely must be one of the most challenging wide cracks in Cornwall. The photo below shows Tom’s lower legs and feet struggling with the top-out during the first ascent while belayer Hernan Cardenas Ibanez tries to think of a few excuses not to follow. The picture above is not of the first ascent but gives a better impression of the route.

Full details of this route can be found here on the Cheesewring Climbing New Routes page.

Elsewhere in the Luxulyan area Tom has also contributed Aces High, essentially a highball direct finish to his route Sheela-Na-Gig at Carmears Rocks. There is a video of this route here on Facebook. While on the South Coast he has also discovered a new cliff with climbing potential just west of Dodman Point called Greeb Point. So far the only route here is a fine-looking Diff. From the Delta to the DMZ.

Full details for all Tom’s recent routes can be found on the New Routes page of the Cheesewring Climbing website. Many thanks to Tom for supplying the information and for the use of his photos.

If anyone has new route descriptions or any other news for the area please do send it in.

Penrose Outdoors now stocking Cheesewring and South East Cornwall guide

Amazingly this month marks two years since the publication of the latest edition of Cheesewring & South East Cornwall: A Climbers’ Guide – how time flies! Tempus fugit as they say in Rome, or rather said, but that was a very long time ago indeed, although I’m sure to some also seems like yesterday… anyway I digress…

Only this weekend I received more kind comments about the guide so I’m glad the book is appreciated. It’s now available in even more outlets here in Cornwall, so anyone who has not yet bought their copy need not find it hard to get. Penrose Outdoors now stock it in their shop in Truro, thanks to Jeremy Dyke at Penrose for putting in a good word for us.

The guidebook has also been spotted in Cotswolds in Truro and Nevisports on the A30 at Kingsley Village, Fraddon. It’s always available to buy in the shops in Minions village (by Cheesewring Quarry) and at The Barn Climbing Wall in Milton Abbot, Devon, too.

Local bookshops can order it in if they haven’t got it in stock, just quote ISBN 978-0-948385-57-5, and it can, of course, be obtained direct from the publisher here on-line at www.stivesworldwide.co.uk.

South West Climbs Volume 2 review

The last weekend in May saw the launch of South West Climbs Volume 2 covering selected climbs in Devon, Cornwall and the granite isles (Lundy and Jersey). The book is the latest in the successful series by Pat Littlejohn, but is also a product of a more recent collaboration with publishers The Climbers’ Club.

The first incarnation of Littlejohn’s South West Climbs was published by Diadem in 1979 and proved so popular that it was reprinted in 1989 with a second edition being published in 1991; this second edition itself has been reprinted and revised numerous times, most recently in 2008. When the Climbers’ Club took on the title it was decided to split the coverage over two volumes and Volume 1, covering Gloucester, Somerset and Dorset, duly appeared in 2012.

The involvement of the Climbers’ Club has certainly added a new impetus to South West Climbs and their experience is evident throughout the book’s 412 pages. Authoring duties are shared with outstanding Bristol-based climber Martin Crocker and the artwork for this nicely-designed full-colour tome was done by Mark Davies and Don Sargeant.

Although a selected guide it’s worth noting that the book has the best coverage of the Exmoor Coast climbing currently available in print, while climbers in South East Cornwall might be interested to know that 20 routes from this area – at Cheesewring Quarry as well as Hawk’s, Trewortha, Kilmar and Helman Tors – are detailed in full.

South West Climbs Volume 2 by Pat Littlejohn, ISBN 978-0-901601-98-8, is published by The Climbers’ Club, priced £25.00, and can be purchased through their website, as well as through bookshops and outdoor retailers.