UKC

I can't see anything in the forum less than 12 months old on this. Can anyone tell me what the access route to Blacknor Beach (ie Triple/Diamond slabs) is like at the moment? I understand it's been damaged somewhat, but I haven't been there for two years.

Cheers
Jamie

In reply to Jamie Wakeham:

When I went this year it was the same route down the ropes/steel ladder.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

Steel ladder? The route I have in my head is down a gully that has a huge rope to hand-over-hand your way down, and then along the base of the cliff for a little way until you drop down to the triple slabs - are we talking about the same thing?

Cheers
Jamie

In reply to Jamie Wakeham:

The via ferrata style steel rungs are an alternative to the rope in the gully - just a few metres away down the face at the end of the Sacred Angel area (below Sharbutt's quarry). I've not ventured down to the slabs since the landslips, but I've seen climbers down there whilst climbing on the Blacknor cliffs, so I'm guessing access is not too difficult.

In reply to The Ivanator:

Oh, OK. I've never noticed the steel rungs before! But it sounds like it's all still possible, so I'll give it a try. Just wanted to confirm before I took some novices down there.

Thanks, both.

In reply to Jamie Wakeham:

Would be interested Jamie, if you could post the outcome.

In reply to mark_wellin:
It was all fine in August. Cant imagine it's changed since then without being reported here

In reply to mark_wellin:

Getting down to the cliff base path from the quarry is indeed the same as ever; either the rope in the gully or the rungs - which, now I've seen them, I can't believe that I'd not spotted before!

Dropping down from the main cliff to the beach climbs is perhaps a little more difficult - the steep muddy slopes down to triple slab seemed just a little more slippery and unstable than I remembered, and the way back up from Diamond slab was pretty overgrown and brambly (in fact, so was the cliff base path back from there to the quarry). Nothing was impossible, but it was all a bit unpleasant, and a couple of the novices I was with found it pretty intimidating.

In reply to Jamie Wakeham:

I've always found it a massive pain in the ass, getting down to the shore. I had thorns in my hand for a week after trying to help a friend up the very steep brambly incline and my feet spontaneously disappeared beneath me - nothing to grab but thorns!

I think the best way down really is to walk down to Fallen Slab and just swim naked to your climb of choice.