Merlin Slab (D)
first multi pitch in a good while, so picked something easy- 2** diff on a quiet crag sounded like it should fit the bill. And it did- varied pitches, excellent situations, mostly clean rock and on the whole easy climbing.
which was just as well, as there wasn't much in the way of placements for runners... lots of hopeful looking cracks that were too shallow or flaring to take gear. I ended up running the first two pitches together and got 2 useful pieces of gear in 30 odd metres. similar tale on the top pitch- no real prospect of a fall as the climbing was easy, but being 15 metres out from the last runner with the drop to the floor of the valley between my feet was good fun....
how does this compare to the other nearby crags eg gimmer and Harrison stickle? while I didn't mind that on a fairly soft diff, I would have found that level of boldness a little alarming if it was on a severe, of which there are some I've got an eye on at these other two crags? Is there more in the way of reliable gear placements to reassure the timid leader, or should only the bold apply...?
cheers
gregor