UKC

My previous questions re: The Long Hope got some great answers but I've some more for you.

1. What's the rock quality like on Big John and Mucklehouse Wall? XS?

2. What's the best route on the Old Man?

Thanks in advance!

In reply to sparkass:

When I did the Old Man twenty odd years ago, it was very sandy! did the original route. doesnt look.like the others get much traffic!

In reply to sparkass:

Crispin Waddy has done a fair bit on TOMOH. You could get in touch via Living Stone climbing walls

In reply to sparkass:

The quality varies with the horizontal bedding in the rock - it can go from bomber to wet talc in a few inches, repeatedly. Not done Big John but I think the rock is worse lower down (or buried under steep grass) and better higher up. Probably still all XS due to the lichen, damp and birds though - Longhope to the right is much cleaner on the last few pitches.

Mucklehouse wall has some sandy sections and some very clean sections, but the top quarter is sandstone as good as you get anywhere.

I doubt very much that if you're up to climbing Big John or Mucklehouse wall, the best route on the Old Man for you will be the original. We did For a few dollars more on the north face, which was great. The South face and bounding aretes looked good too.

In reply to sparkass:

I have an account of climbing the GMB (west face) of the old man at

http://daveeabrown.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/arguably-best-route-on-old-man-of...

and Big John on St Johns Head at

http://daveeabrown.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/big-john.html

They might help give a feel for those routes. I've also been on Mucklehouse Wall which was amazing but much more conventional.

In reply to Adam Long:

The South Face is consistently and pleasantly dire

In reply to Brown:

Great reads.