Wimberry Rocks

Members present: Bob Anderson, Kevin Anderson, Dave Dillon, Lester Payne, Dave Shotton, Mary Stuart, Jim Symon, Judith Symon, Levi Todd

Guests present: John Eastwood, John Jones, Chris Ivory, Joan Stewart, Caz Stuart

After a slowish start, it was good to see a reasonable number of people at a venue which is not to everyone's taste! The weather was sunny and cloudless, but as is often the case the Wimberry Rocks micro-climate created very windy conditions at the crag itself.

Most of the climbing activity centred on the easier routes up to Hard Severe standard, with Route I and Bertie's Bugbear proving to be the most popular. Bob Anderson soloed the somewhat thin Slab Climb (Severe), which later also succumbed to Jim and Judith. Around the VS/HVS level there were however ascents of Herringbone Slab (slightly serious at HVS 4c) and Route II by Dave Dillon and by Levi, and Kevin and Joan arrived later in the day and climbed the off-width Coffin Crack.

A couple of non-climbing guests also made an appearance at various times - Caz Stuart (no relation) arrived with Mary but went off for a walk, and the two Johns (John Eastwood being a friend of the meet leader from a recent foray into the world of work) stopped by on a walk between the Dove Stone and Chew Reservoirs but declined the offer of a top-rope on Bertie's Bugbear. With the wind rising and the most appealing routes already climbed, many people headed for the tea van before the end of the day, with a few keener types stopping off at the Wimberry Boulders on the way.

I am planning to hold this meet at Wimberry rocks in the Chew Valley - a magnificent gritstone outcrop at the top of a hill overlooking the Dovestones Reservoir, with everything from VDiffs to E7s. There are classic routes of all grades - Route 1 ( a fun-tastic HS), Vs's such as Ornithologist's Corner and Hanging grove, the finger-shredding Freddie's Finale (HVS/E1), and Blasphemy (E2,5c), Charm (E3,5c), Appointment With Fear (E7,6b) ... *. If you can't make it up the hill or it's a bit windy up top, Wimberry Boulders await your bouldering pleasure.

Park at the car-park by the Dovestones Reservoir below Dovestones Dam off the A635 ( the car-park gets busy if hot even though the crag doesn't, so it's best to be reasonably early in this event). Follow the tarmac road past the boat park to the bridge over Chew Brook, walk upstream to the big Sugar Loaf Boulder, then take the path on the right straight up the hill. Meet at the crag from 9:30 onwards. * No I haven't done these last ones.