In reply to ad111:
> I feel that it would be sensible to maintain routes to the same level of safety the first ascensionist experienced.
Why? This makes no sense. Should the routes at Millstone all be repegged, wooden wedges back in the cracks, or what? Or everywhere there was a wooden wedge on the FA, shall we put a bold in? So no cams to be used on routes put up prior to 1978 then...
> The idea that pegs in sea cliffs have been maintained or replaced to a reasonable degree is laughable.
They've been "maintained" well enough for me to love climbing on UK sea cliffs - in fact, I think it's probably the best climbing in the world! What's laghable to me is the idea that it would be an improvement if it was "maintained". This may seem perverse to you, but I honestly like the fact that when I got to crux of
Flytrap (E3 5c), not only was it absolutely sopping wet, but there was no peg as mentioned in the guide, just a pathetic little rusty stump. I didn't like it at the time, obviously, but the whole experience - the abject terror, frankly, of the route - was enhanced by having to deal with a difficult situation. There is no gear at the crux. You're not going to die if you fall off, but it's going to be exciting. I chose to do a wild, adventurous route in a Gogarth sea cave. I had to deal with what it threw at me - that's why I went there in the first place instead of Castle Inn Quarry.
> I would in fact be happy to just get rid of the pegs and change the grades.
Well if you want to go ripping them out, just consult with others first. Personally I think
Fay (E4 5c) could do with all the pegs being ripped out (although it would be much more sporting for someone who's a bit tubby to take a fall from after the crux and remove them that way!). Other routes are better with the pegs in
The Moon (E3 5c) - they keep your ropes running nicely rather than just looping scarily from the belay up you! One on
Zeppelin (E3 5c) got replaced just before I did it as one of my first E3s - it was a thank god clip!
There's nothing wrong with the routes as they are, with bits of old gear in them here and there. Often they're a useful landmark to show the way, even if they won't hold a fall - on old peg is something to aim for on a blank wall.
You seem to be searching for a blanket policy that can be applied to all routes to reduce the unknown and the reliance on one's own skill and judgment. No such policy will work: we should just continue to take each route as it comes, upgrading routes when they're substantially changed by the loss of gear (e.g.
Eroica (E4 6a) - now a mega classic E4 and a very different proposition to "the safety experienced by the FA") or replacing gear if necessary to keep a classic route from total neglect (or whatever criteria satisfy a discussion of interested parties).