UKC

Hi guys,

I'm thinking of heading somewhere new the Saturday and thought I might venture down to Cligga Head. Does anyone have any information on the climbing there like what it's like? Is it multipitch? Are the climbs accessed via abseil? Also which guidebooks is it in? Any information would be much appreciated, I'm tempted to go there and just climb with what looks good using judgement, but any info would be good.

Cheers.

In reply to Joel Perkin:

Honestly? Not great. Couple of OK-ish routes, but mainly scruffy and with some unweathered / soft rock. Certainly not worth the trek down the Atlantic Highway. You'd be better off meandering a bit further down to Penwith, or if you're looking for adventure, there's always Gowla.

In reply to maisie:

Cligga Head is in the Climbers' Club guide to North Devon and Cornwall.

"A popular cliff which, uniquely for this coast, is composed mainly of granite. Cligga also provides a good selection of shorter routes in the lower grades."

In reply to maisie:



To the OP: Don't listen! Cligga is my local spot and I have to say one of my all time favorite climbing areas. I've been climbing there for over 10 years and have climbed pretty much every route there (not meaning to boast, this is just how well I know the area; I've not climbed the hard ones anyway!)
It's true that the top sections can be a little crumbly and don't trust any of the abseil stakes (as I discovered almost to my cost...) but there's some excellent climbing on Kilas slate on the North Face side (see The Mastodon and surrounding routes) with much of it being so solid and straightforward that I often solo it with no trouble.

Unfortunately I'm moving house this Saturday, but if you are able to come down at any other time I'd be more than happy to head out for the day and introduce you to the area.

In reply to Philo22:

Yeah, you really sold it there

In reply to maisie:

Ha ha yeh you're right... I guess its an 'acquired' taste!

In reply to Joel Perkin:

One of the worst crags I've ever been to, and I've been to a fair few. The 2 star Diff there - Queen Mary or something? - is genuinely one of the worst things I've ever climbed. Minus 2 stars would be overselling it.

Go to Gowla and have an adventure instead

In reply to Joel Perkin:

Hi Joel,

It's in the North Devon and Cornwall CC guide. The Central Face area is accessible via a small path (no abseil required). The North face area can be accessed by a down climb or abseil. The Cleft area requires an abseil. New stakes have been placed recently. There are both single and multipitch climbs.

I may be up for joining you, weather permitting.

In reply to Skip:

Nice one for replacing the stakes Mike.

Joel. As Maisie says, Cligga is mainly a bit rubbish, particularly in the lower grades, where the routes are a bit meandering and formless. The rock is also largely poor quality. Queen Jane is probably worth doing though and Dreamboat Annie was okay, although the footholds all disappear as you climb it. Andy Steinberg has done some new E3s there recently, which look good and there is allegedly some good DWS there (existing E3s in the guide), along with a lifetime's worth of new routing (for the brave). It is a fascinating area though, historically and geologically and has a nice open outlook and easy access, so is probably worth a visit, if just the once.

In reply to Tom Last:

Hi Tom.

It wasn't me that replaced the stakes.

In reply to Tom Last:


+1 for that, particularly if you take the walk out from Perran, past the youth hostel. The very best view, though, is from a kayak - a lot of the old workings become visible, and there are a bunch of small inlets to explore.

Didn't know the stakes had been replaced - to be fair, I've not checked out their status for quite a while. With that in mind, if skip is up for showing you round, I'd definitely take him up on it. It won't be the best day if climbing ever, but Tom makes an excellent case for the local interest and heritage.

Martin