UKC

Had to leave Lawrencefield when there were some things going on that we really wanted to see the end of and would like to know how people got on.

There was a guy half way up Suspense who was making a really interesting watch, climbing up and down to the crux, and also a group that dropped a hex into the pool and were about to go fishing for it!

In reply to Jack93:

the drama's played out quite entertaining for the dropped hex in the pool.

the students were thinking about fishing the hex using a nut key.... that was until some barefooted older guy turned up and lowered his young (grand)daughter down with a harness made from the rope to fish the gear out... was quite exciting watching her lean upside down on a rope without a harness... she fished it out and was hauled up the to the ledge.

As for suspense...... Don't do a climb while your wife using some of your rack on her SPA. On the plus side she passed on the downside. I backed off in the end will return with the right kit.....very soon.

In reply to Lukem6:

Haha I wish we could have seen the hex rescue! That's a pity about the route, it's supposed to be bloody hard and I guess not having the right gear doesn't lend itself to trying hard!

In reply to Lukem6:

It's a great route, but you want to place quite a few bits of micro-gear before committing. I did, fell off, and some of it came out. Been back on it without falling off, but I still placed a good few bits of gear!

In reply to Jack93:


When I did Pool Wall I thought the move on Suspense was the crux. Psychologically it is very hard to leave that big, safe ledge.

In reply to Lukem6:

Years ago I was climbing at Trevallen cliff in Pembroke with Henry Folkard. He was seconding The Hole when he dropped a wire which landed in a murky pool at the foot of the route. When we abseiled back down Henry plunged his hand into the pool and groped around, found something resembling a wire... and to his horror pulled out a dead sea gull by one of its legs! After that I think we abandoned the wire.

In reply to jon:

I once dropped one of Geraldine's wires into a rock pool below Stennis Head. It was quite a deep pool, and eventually I retired to a safe distance while Geraldine took all her clothes off and went in after it.

In reply to Jack93:

Isn't there something in the history for the crag in the guide book about someone had dropped a bunch of wires into the pool, came back with snorkel gear etc, when he went to go in, it was only a foot deep..............

Good move that on Suspense/Pool Wall, I must have started to go at it about 6 times before I did it and I was seconding it!

In reply to Shani:


It certainly feels like the psychological crux of Pool Wall.

Mick

In reply to John2:

>... I retired to a safe distance while Geraldine took all her clothes off...

'And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks...'

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

I was there years ago when Gill Lawrence (I think) dropped a bunch of RPs in and then went in after them. She didn't have any luck so .. being old school on the crag swag ethics my dad and i got a big magnet from his school physics lab, and abbed down with it on the end of a fishing rod ! We didn't get the bunch of RPs but did pull out numerous wires pegs and crabs attached to stuff. I climbed on one RP3 for the following 15 years.

In reply to Billg:

Jill would've been straight in for 'em...

But, flamin' heck, a magnet - why oh why didn't I think of stuff like that!?

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

Just out of interest, does anyone know how deep the pool is at Lawrencefield?

In reply to moac:
I have never plucked up the courage to go in, but it is not very deep now. Back in the day it was about 2m deeper. The level has dropped considerably over the years. It used to be up to the bottom of Once Pegged Wall and Limpopo groove, and access to the large ledge at the back was up one of the easier routes and down climb to it. It also was extremely smelly and foetid on a hot summers day!
I also have spent time fishing with a magnet, mostly under the back wall, with some good recoveries!

In reply to johncook:

It was thigh deep when I went in, but it tends to change depth through the year

In reply to johncook:


As you say, it is a stinking mess.

Its only a ( man made ) quarry, but very popular.

Why don't the locals look at the options for draining or filling it in?

In reply to Rick Graham:


The BMC oppose this on the grounds that we'd have to rename 'Pool Wall'.

In reply to Rick Graham:


If you look closely Rick, you'll see that strenuous efforts have been made to fill it for many years!