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Bantham Hand - Sea Stack Esoterica and Simu-Abseil Video

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 BALD EAGLE 06 Apr 2014
Good afternoon All

During the recent good weather in mid-March, my partners in crime and I managed a smash and grab raid of the esoteric, but photogenic sea stack called the "Bantham Hand" in Bigbury Bay, near Plymouth in South Devon. Undeniably you would class this as "esoterica" with the obligatory guano, friable rock and a wee bit of vegetation but it is a most excellent adventure and the quality of climbing is pretty good too! And as an added bonus to descend from the stack, you can indulge yourself with your partner of choice in the dark arts of a simultaneous abseil. Just make sure your mate has not had all the pies the night before...

Anyway the entertainment was duly recorded so for anyone interested in viewing a short HD film of this splendid "adventure" climb then please use the following link:
youtube.com/watch?v=r3pRHHWKBsU&
If you wish to sample the full High Def experience and your computer has enough va va voom, you should be able to change the "Quality" icon to at least 720p HD in the bottom right hand corner on the You Tube screen.
All constructive feedback or comments welcome and hopefully it will inspire a few folks to climb the Bantham Hand (before it falls down) and visit this beautiful part of the UK!

Cheers and happy climbing!

Dave
 Choss 06 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Brilliant as usual, very Evocative. Looking forward to doing that one now.

Nice compulsory wildlife shot with big crow flying off the Hand.

Atmospheric Unobtrusive music Choice as usual.

How do you always get such good weather and Light?

Have another gold star for Climbing filming skills :-D
In reply to BALD EAGLE: As amatuer climbing videos go, that was actually pretty good. I liked the intro scenes, very thoughtfully done.

 mark mcgowan01 06 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Nice video Dave.
 zigzag 06 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Thanks BE, I'm sat here at my PC it's streaming down outside and I've just watched your video, I really appreciate you showing us all this little gem of photography and the climbing not bad either, I shall have a look at it when down there later in the year. Keep in touch please I do appreciate what you do mate.
 deepstar 06 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Well done Dave,that looks good fun!
OP BALD EAGLE 06 Apr 2014
In reply to Choss:

> Brilliant as usual, very Evocative. Looking forward to doing that one now.

> Nice compulsory wildlife shot with big crow flying off the Hand.

> Atmospheric Unobtrusive music Choice as usual.

> How do you always get such good weather and Light?

> Have another gold star for Climbing filming skills :-D

Cheers Choss muchly muchly appreciated! Bantham Hand is on your "Sea stacks in the South West" list isn't it?
As regards good weather and light? I sold my soul to the devil years ago...
 trouserburp 06 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

There's a photo of a much quicker descent at the front of my guidebook, imagined there was a bit more water than that!
 Bobling 06 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Teresa said the music was soft porn! Liked the shot after the credits.
 kiwi boy 06 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Great vid mr eagle. Disapointed it wasnt at high tide. I was expecting an historian lauch of hms bell end. Looks like you have the editing well sorted out now. I like the use of cut aways and close cropping in your styling. See you soon Dave. Cheers Andy
 floss_81 07 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Once again a great video.

I always wanted to climb Bantham hand but never got around to it. I've seen it so many times as I lived in Plymouth for years. And its on the front cover of the local Nick White guide book if I remember.

The other option people have done is solo and wait for the tide to come in and then jump for it.

Keep the videos coming.




I've made this point before but, UKC should have more standard videos and not just the superstar climbers on things that have no relevance to the normal climber. Are the videos on UKC for the users enjoyment or just away of squeezing even more advertisement onto the site. I sometime wonder! Ive tried previously myself to post a video of a climbing trip in Spain but as non of us where sponsored climbers it came to no avail.
 Stanners 07 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Nice one Dave, especially like the slow mo of the bird taking flight ! keep cranking
 flaneur 07 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Very good. Next up The Parson?
OP BALD EAGLE 07 Apr 2014
In reply to floss_81 and all:


> Once again a great video.

Cheers floss and all for all your positive feedback! It makes all the hours of video editing etc worthwhile...
OP BALD EAGLE 07 Apr 2014
In reply to trouserburp:

> There's a photo of a much quicker descent at the front of my guidebook, imagined there was a bit more water than that!

Ah yes that classic image on the frontpiece of the "quicker descent"! That actually inspired me to seek out the climb about 5 years ago and to go back and film it just recently... Cheers Dave
Ps The South Devon guidebook is one of my favourite of all time, an absolute classic!
OP BALD EAGLE 07 Apr 2014
In reply to Bobling:

> Teresa said the music was soft porn! Liked the shot after the credits.

Now Bobling I've talked to you and your missus before about your soft porn viewing habits...
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Great video ! We really enjoyed it and look forward to doing the "Hand" one day.
OP BALD EAGLE 07 Apr 2014
In reply to flaneur:

> Very good. Next up The Parson?

Well it has been whispered though I suspect Big Picket may be a more achievable objective!
 Robin Woodward 07 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Great video!

As a local I can't believe it actually looks a decent height in your shots, always seen it and thought it might not be worthwhile, but maybe I need to get up close and give it a try.

OP BALD EAGLE 08 Apr 2014
In reply to Robin UK:

> Great video!

> As a local I can't believe it actually looks a decent height in your shots, always seen it and thought it might not be worthwhile, but maybe I need to get up close and give it a try.

Hey Robin thanks for the feedback and "yes" the Hand is a fair height (about 12 to 15m?) with 3 known routes on with "Bantham Hand" at VS 4b being the "crag classic" with suprisingly good climbing, especially the traverse!
Interestingly there is a steep crack, above and at the start of this left to right traverse line of BH, which looks at least HVS. Does anyone know if it has been climbed and claimed as a FA yet? If so any info and what is it called? Cheers Dave

 The Ivanator 08 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

You should compile your videos of British Classics onto a DVD - I'd love to own high definition copies of quite a few of the climbs you've posted and would be first in the queue. Totally agree that there should be more celebration of regular climbing somewhere.
I guess if you were going commercial music rights would be an issue though - still I'd say there's a market for it, and in the meantime always fun to watch your stuff.
 mrchewy 08 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Really nice intro - impressed with that. It's good to see people getting out on stuff like this.
OP BALD EAGLE 09 Apr 2014
In reply to The Ivanator:

> You should compile your videos of British Classics onto a DVD - I'd love to own high definition copies of quite a few of the climbs you've posted and would be first in the queue. Totally agree that there should be more celebration of regular climbing somewhere.

Cheers for your kind words Ivanator and as inspiring as it is to see film of the elite climbing in the high E's it would be nice to see more quality videos which are attainable for the average climbing punter like me!

> I guess if you were going commercial music rights would be an issue though - still I'd say there's a market for it, and in the meantime always fun to watch your stuff.

Yep music rights is a big issue and I have long since moved to Audio Network and pay a small price per piece. All hypothetical but if I tried something commercial I suspect I would have to pay a lot more...

OP BALD EAGLE 10 Apr 2014
In reply to mrchewy:

> Really nice intro - impressed with that. It's good to see people getting out on stuff like this.

Hey thanks for the feedback mrchewy and esoterica you've got to love it! Character building and all good (un)clean "Type 2" fun in a slightly unnerving way...
 kiwi boy 10 Apr 2014
In reply to floss_81:

Indeed I have to echo floss81 view that more vids like this should be on ukc and not just the last 9a triple plus watch me hanging on by a finger nail on the side of mount doom while having sunday lunch. Yeah of course its great to see but how acheviable by the average joe.
 wilkie14c 10 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Great video Dave, the top does indeed look like its going to snap off but we've been saying Trowbarrow has been falling down for 20 years....
Some nice silhouettes, get any good stills?
 floss_81 11 Apr 2014
In reply to kiwi boy:

Videos like bald eagle have an interest to the general majority. Its something the average climber can go and attack at the w-ends. Im sure there are many more of these home made videos kicking around waiting to see the light of day.

I previously tried to post a video from one of our local club trip to Spain. It was edited by one of the lads and the finished product looked very professional. Not only would this have maybe got viewers interested and maybe thinking about organising there own trip but also promoted our club. Everyone is a winner.

But of course because there is no advertising and not sponsored climbers it wasn't posted. Money is what they are interested in. I asked UKC why it wasn't and they just ignored my message.

Why wont you allow normal videos be posted UKC?
OP BALD EAGLE 11 Apr 2014
In reply to wilkie14c:

> Great video Dave, the top does indeed look like its going to snap off but we've been saying Trowbarrow has been falling down for 20 years....

From a distance the top looks thinner than an anorexic after-eight mint but seems suprisingly solid once sat on it! Not so sure about the rest of the stack though...

> Some nice silhouettes, get any good stills?

Although largely concentrating on the filming I got a few nice stills including the thumbnail of the video!

OP BALD EAGLE 12 Apr 2014
In reply to floss_81 and kiwi boy:

> Videos like bald eagle have an interest to the general majority. Its something the average climber can go and attack at the w-ends. Im sure there are many more of these home made videos kicking around waiting to see the light of day.

> I previously tried to post a video from one of our local club trip to Spain. It was edited by one of the lads and the finished product looked very professional. Not only would this have maybe got viewers interested and maybe thinking about organising there own trip but also promoted our club. Everyone is a winner.

> But of course because there is no advertising and not sponsored climbers it wasn't posted. Money is what they are interested in. I asked UKC why it wasn't and they just ignored my message.

> Why wont you allow normal videos be posted UKC?

Thanks floss and kiwi boy for your kind words. I also submitted this video (possible Fri night video?) early in the week but got no response or acknowledgement which is a little disappointing but hey ho c'est la vie!
 dunnyg 12 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Nice video, got me keen to do this again. Maybe next weekend if the weather plays ball... Whats the gear like, and is the tat on top in situ?

cheers
OP BALD EAGLE 13 Apr 2014
In reply to dunnyg:

> Nice video, got me keen to do this again. Maybe next weekend if the weather plays ball... Whats the gear like, and is the tat on top in situ?

> cheers

Thanks dunny the gear is spaced but adequate on both HS and VS. There was no in situ tat when we did both routes but left a sling + krab on our final descent a month ago. Go for it before it all falls down... Cheers Dave
 WildWeasel 15 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

Great video thanks for sharing!
OP BALD EAGLE 17 Apr 2014
In reply to WildWeasel:

> Great video thanks for sharing!

Cheers glad you enjoyed it!
 Sean Kelly 17 Apr 2014
In reply to BALD EAGLE:

I've seen a pic somewhere of someone actually jumping from the top into the sea. Is it in the guide? On my 'To do' list now!
OP BALD EAGLE 19 Apr 2014
In reply to Sean Kelly:

> I've seen a pic somewhere of someone actually jumping from the top into the sea. Is it in the guide? On my 'To do' list now!

Cheers Sean that classic image of the "quick descent" is on the frontpiece of the out of print South Devon guide with the 2 climbs listed in the esoterica section. Hope you get to do it before it all falls down...

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