UKC

Bouldering on burial chambers. What do people think

In reply to griffithpatrick:

It's dead wrong.
Bridges, however are fair game

In reply to griffithpatrick:

With my archaeology head on I'd like to bellow 'NO' at you.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

you heartless man!!!!

anyhow has anybody considered climbing a war memorials, there is a dead good one near where i live!

In reply to cuppatea:

Never was too stressed climbing on Kenilworth Castle, either. But Burial Chambers? Terminal.

In reply to griffithpatrick:


So long as you use an Egyptian.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

youtube.com/watch?v=N70DLM8Az_8&

In reply to griffithpatrick:

Those polished granite columns in the shape of Cleopatra's needle that you find in some churchyards are quite good fun. I'd only give them a V1 once you've got the knack, but it's getting that knack where the challenge lies if you're used to more conventional boulder problems. I find the onlookers are a tad different from the ones you get at places like the Roaches though - they don't seem to want to volunteer to spot you. But that's Christians for you; their talk of charity and good deeds is largely hypocrisy in my experience.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

Haven't you seen The Shining? Or Poltergeist? Rather you than me

In reply to HeMa:


Nice legs!

In reply to griffithpatrick:

They are mostly just mounds aren't they? That's just (very small) hill walking.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

I know that it seems that anything goes on UKC, but this thread has become tasteless, and the comment about climbing war memorials is disrespectful, insensitive and low, bearing in mind that there are thousands of relatives of the war dead still living.

As for climbing ancient monuments I think Bouldery Bits summed it up nicely - see above.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

Wouldn't do it but every time I see Stonehenge I find my hands dipping into the imaginary chalk bag.

In reply to Toccata:

Every time I see Stonehenge I find myself wondering why this time I didn't set off at the crack of dawn.

In reply to Toccata:


There was a time when you could wander around right amongst the stones and it was a lot less closely supervised. That's all I'm saying.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

That's awesome.

In reply to Rob Exile Ward:


Another Kenilworth climber? There seems to be quite a club here on UKC. The traverse on the nail heads on the wooden gate was a particular favourite of mine.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

Can't imagine visiting a big stone dolmen and not wanting to scrabble up on top of it, or at least watch your kids climb on it. That's why they're there, surely?

In reply to Dave Garnett:


Been there, done that, Happy days long, long ago. Not sure it counts as a burial chamber though.

In reply to Dave Garnett:

Have you seen the jamming cracks in the wailing wall in Jerusalem? They look very climbable but I've managed to resist.

I'm sure there are many other places in the world where climbable rock is similarly unadvisable

In reply to Michael Hood:



I never been to Jerusalem but I've seen the pictures of all those guys psyching themselves for the onsight. Or maybe shaking their heads in disbelief that they blew it.

I was tempted by a nice bit of crimpy limestone in the Forbidden City in Beijing - but there was a multilingual no climbing sign.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

Climbed one of the great pyramids many years ago, absolutely awesome Wouldn't do it now though with the risk of being shot or a 3 year prison sentence!

In reply to griffithpatrick:

Had an enjoyable morning's bouldering on Saqsaywaman (no chalk) 20 years ago. I got up for sunrise and enjoyed some really nice problems (I still have photos). I can also say that bouldering during an earthquake is a bit unnerving.

In reply to felt:

When I was younger, I went to several Stonehenge festivals. I've climbed on the stones, in so much as sitting on them was more comfortable than sitting on the ground. My advice would be to go for the winter solstice. They let you into the circle (or used to), along with the druids and pagans.

In reply to dread-i:

felt was prob too young/mellow to tut at you when he saw you up there violating the sacred stones..

my experiences with stonehenge include being arrested when they had the exclusion zone and they were flying people off in helicopters (i just got a bus) and a solo mid-winter trip when i was spotted in the stones and promptly escorted away..

In reply to griffithpatrick:

The partially-demolished granite dolmen in our junior school playground was used as a slide by children for over 100 years, so much so that it was well-polished by the time one of the capstones moved in the early 2000's and it got fenced off.
It's amazing that no kids died given the 'curse' on it:-
http://www.megalithicguernsey.co.uk/le_rocque_qui_sonne/

In reply to malk:

My funniest Henge experience was in 83 when we rocked up to the festival late in the night quite the worse for wear and someone in the car said, 'it's the filth, swallow your dope.' My mate necked a quarter of leb. It was a false alarm.

In reply to malk:

>felt was prob too young/mellow to tut at you when he saw you up there violating the sacred stones..

I wasn't violating, I was channeling the power of Avalon <cough>

I went there a few time in the summer for the solstice, and it was like entering a war zone. One year, we drove down some B road and there were 50+ riot vans all full of bored police with riot gear. We ended up going cross country, wading rivers, hugging hedge rows and avoiding helicopters with search lights. It was awesome. We got as far as Wood Henge before being spotted and turned back.

At the winter solstice, the police officers (both of them), sit in their car drinking tea, as it's so cold. No trouble and a really good vibe.

In reply to Dave Garnett:


That's a very negative way of looking at it. It's the Bonsai of mountaineering.

In reply to Trangia:


Climbing onto tall horses can be a good challenge as well....

In reply to Andy Morley:


You're right, I was missing the smaller picture. There should be a tick list of man-made mountaineering, Classic Tumuli or something, including mottes and barrows. Dolmens, cromlechs, quoits and similar are mere bouldering.

In reply to griffithpatrick:

Don't do it, it's disrespectful to the dead and also destroys evidence of their culture. You might think there's nothing to damage but a recent laser scan of Stonehenge found numerous ancient carvings of axes and daggers that were previously unknown because they were not visible to the naked eye.