North Devon Trad climbing

Sign up now for some slabby fun in the sun 🙂

Update: We have been advised by the locals to pitch up further down the coast, due to the surf festival in Croyde on this weekend, most of the accomodation near Baggy point is likely to be full.  We have found a campsite near Hartland point which is surrounded by crags that SCC has never visited on a meet before!

The Climbing

The Climbing here is mainly on tidal sea cliffs accessed by abseil,  often with an exposed scramble to reach the cliff top

North Devon Rock is different to other parts of the UK, Culm is often described  as a layercake, and like a good sponge does have a soft filling. Fortunately the layers have been thrust up almost vertical to form breathtaking slabs that offer many three star routes,  that have attracted some of the UK’s best climbers. We recommend you read the guidebook or UKC before signing up to make sure the climbing is within your comfort zone (especially the introduction to the area) As the Rock type and grade range can be quite different to the more popular crags. It’s worth looking up Vicarage Cliff, or the slabs near Hartland Quay as they offer some excellent climbs at more accessible grades than other nearby parts of the coast

Safety Notice:

As with other sea cliff venues, a higher level of skills is recommended than for a walk in  crag,  whilst we don’t want to scare people away, this is not the ideal place to learn new skills. We recommend participants have the following experience, or arrange to climb with an experienced club member if they are not confident leading the routes

– Leading trad routes We suggest that you can climb grade HS and above to get the most out of the area, (slab climbing can feel run out compared to a route  at the same grade on other crags)
– Abseiling and Ascending ropes (essential for access/escape even if you are not leading)
– Climbs with tidal starts (the tidal range is up to 10 metres)

 Please see this BMC article on sea cliff skills, or get in touch with the  committee if you have any questions.

Accommodation

The campsite is walking distance from Hartland quay, and has a small farm shop, a freezer room.  If you fancy glamping, two “pixie huts”  may be available,  Full details can be found on their website http://www.westcountry-camping.uk/

Please book directly with the campsite, and sign up here so that we know who is coming and can keep you up to date as well as invite you to join the facebook event

Food

As with other camping meets, members usually cook their own food individually or in small groups. Local shops, takeaways, and supermarkets are found in Bideford and  Barnstaple.

Travel

The most convenient way to get here is by car sharing , If you don’t have a car fear not; there will be plenty of cars going – lifts will be sorted closer to the time at the wall or over Facebook. 

Guidebooks

There will be a few of these knocking about, and the club has a copies of these, but if you want your own:

N-Devon and Cornwall – Climber’s Club

West Country Climbs – Rockfax

The Environment

Much like the Cornish coast, North Devon is both rugged and delicate at the same time, with many protected species struggling for survival.

Please avoid nesting birds, Seasonal nesting restrictions have changed since some guidebooks where written, please check the BMC regional access database for the latest information. The cliffs are home to many birds, having a Fulmar messing up your living room would not be fun, and we should respect their space too. If you see a nest with a chick you may scare it into jumping off, and just like us it’s unlikely to survive the fall. The local birds are good at finding your lunch, please take care to keep it safe inside your rucksack whilst climbing, and take special care of litter as any item on the cliff top is sure to end up in the sea.

Please take care not to damage the cliff tops, growing numbers of climbers are causing significant damage and this could jeopardize the access agreements that we enjoy. Please place Ab ropes in the spots requested by the guide books to avoid additional damage to cliff tops. 

Other activities

If the Weather conditions are not ideal for climbing, the north Devon/ Cornwall area offers many other attractions, including surfing on the sandy beaches, walking the coast path, cycle hire and of course hot pasties.