UKC

Not very good pics, not many opportunities to put effort into photography on this trip, but thought I might as well put some up to make a change from endless gear discussions on this forum

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-straggler/sets/72157633140414098/with/860...

In reply to Blue Straggler: Did you go to Cala Goloritze? The sea there was the most amazing colour, and the views from the top of the pinnacle must be incredible. We only got half way up the second pitch of Sole Incantatore and the views were still great. I'll upload some of my photos.

Also our guide book wasn't that great and we spent a while trying to decide which line of bolts to follow, then these 3 Germans came and told us we were looking for another route. We were fairly suspicious and followed them up the first pitch, which was Sole Incantatore, I reckon they were just saying that so they could get on the route first! Was pretty pissed off, if they'd have asked we probably would have let them on first but sending us up the wrong multi pitch route is not cool.

In reply to RBonney:

We did not. Is that the Aguglia? TBH we got hit quite hard by the grades, not done all that much proper Euro limestone sport (my highpoints being some 6a+/6b single pitch routes in France two years ago) so we kept things conservative.

In reply to Blue Straggler: Yer thats the one, really wanted to give it a go despite it being a bit beyond our grade, and the first pitch (only a 5+) was terrifying, it was pretty hard in parts and there were some run outs of ~ 6m with what would have been nasty falls. It was a scary but good day out.
We found the grading quite inconsistent, one "6c" was very easy (a 40m super slab" but there was a 4+, (to the left of this route http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-straggler/8609616284/in/set-7215763314041... which was nails, only two of our group got to the top, only one lead it, and both dogged it a lot. Both onsighted that "6c" and a couple of other 6b's!

In reply to Blue Straggler: Here are a few photos from hundreds of our trip

http://www.flickr.com/photos/95193218@N03/sets/72157633311559083/

In reply to RBonney:

Nice pics! You had better weather than us!

In reply to Blue Straggler: Guessed from the pics the weather wasn't great. The first year we went, 4/5 days climbing, it was perfect climbing weather, with strong cold winds in the evening. Knowing we could cope with that we went back for the wettest fortnight in Sardinian records!

Well it felt like that anyway.

It is not guaranteed of good weather at Easter (esp. this year when it was so early). The supermarkets are not even ready for the Italian hordes which must arrive later in the season -hence the reasonable accommodation available to us climbers.

I'm glad you found the bay along from Cala, we decided to walk to see it as climbing was definitely out for another day. Even my wife was bored in the apartment and decided to join us on a drizzly walk - "it's not far, it won't be that bad" etc.

It decided to piss it down from Fusilli bay onwards, and we must have missed a path somewhere, because the wife and I turned back after an hour and my mate, determined to see it and therefore never have an excuse to go back there carried on for another 1/2 hour.

I think that was the one night we got really drunk as there was no hope of climbing the next day!

Still, I would go back, loved the slabs! One of your pics is looking down the line towards a tree at the upper crag to the right of the big cliff. Anyway, it was like the best of Shorn cliff, without the loose bits!

Was 3 stars in anyone's books.

Mark

In reply to Blue Straggler: we went in the second half of June which is probably why it didn't rain, if I wanted to complain I could say it was too hot but we just chose to climb the right hand slabs at la poltrona at night, which was loads of fun.

In reply to Blue Straggler: Cracking pictures