UKC

Hello all. I want to take my son and a friend of his climbing for the first time. They have climbed on indoor walls for couple of years but I want to take them outdoors now - need to be top roped still. I was thinking of dewerstone as I climbed there when I was younger, both top roped and leading but it has been 15 odd years!

Are there many top ropeable routes there still? What length rope would I need? Any recommended local campsites?

Thanks for any advice.

In reply to jashim25: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=32774

In reply to dale1968:
Agag's Slab is a very popular top rope route, pretty easy access. As it is popular you may not be alone though.

Thank you for the replies - I could not see in the log bock the length of the cmlimb nor easily identfiy those that had top rope access??

In reply to jashim25:

The logbooks are updated by users, so the amount and the quality of the info varies. The guidebook is the definitive source of information bar actually going there, but even that won't tell you if its top rope friendly; providing info like that doesn't really fit in well with the UK climbing ethic.

Organised top roping often requires a recce, informal top roping is more suck it and see when you get there.

In reply to jonny2vests: Thanks - I was hoping to benefit from local/recent knowledge as Dewerstone is some 4 hours from me so a recce is not so simple! Was hoping there were (as I remember) around 10 HVD and lower, top ropeable routes for us to have a go at, and to confirm whether my 50m rope woould be sufficient!

In reply to jashim25: Its been a couple of years, but I usually stay at the Plume of Feathers campsite in Princetown (behind the pub). A quick google/phone call should see if its still in service. Take your ear plugs, there was nearly always a youth group setting off somewhere at the crack of dawn, or so it seemed.

Generally speaking Dewerstone does not offer easy access for setting up top ropes. If I was heading down that way, I'd go for one of the Tors. Check the log book for the one with the best grade range.

In reply to jashim25: Agags and Mambo slab offer loads of HVD and under easily top ropable routes. Vast majority of days outdoor groups are on them though. A few routes on Pinnacle buttress also. You can also easily set up ropes on every route at Sheeps Tor nearby, but again majorly popular with outdoor groups and the army. Vast majority of the tors have easily accessible tops, anchors and routes.

Plume of Feathers campsite still going!

In reply to Cheese Monkey: Thanks Cheese Monkey, and all others - sounds like a good place to start!

In reply to jashim25:

if you're staying near princetown then you're also very close to sheepstor, which has loads of <S top ropable routes. It's not as pretty as the Dewerstone, but definitely keep it in mind as a backup.

In reply to jashim25:
As stated above, there are plenty of routes that can be top-roped at Dewerstone, and also on other nearby tors. Don't be surprised to find instructed groups doing exactly the same though, so to get the most out of it I'd recommend laying your hands on a copy of the South Devon and Dartmoor Guide http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/book.php?id=11

At Dewerstone, climbers are asked to avoid using trees for rigging where possible, but the sign is so faded that I walked past it for years until a friend pointed it out to me.

In reply to jashim25:
I have set up top ropes on both Agag's and Mambo slabs. You can walk around to the top of both quite easlily. However, as suggested before, these are the de fecto places that the outdoor groups seem to head to, so you may nbot be alone. However, if you arrive there before 10am, you should have the place to yourself.

The climbs are about 15 meters in length so your 50m rope will be fine. Here is a link to an on-line guide that I found quite useful:
http://javu.co.uk/Climbing/Guides/Dewerstone/index.shtml



Here is a useful on-line gu

In reply to jashim25:

If you have a guidebook and a decent length of rigging rope (or abseil rope) with you (to extend your pulley point over the edge), you can top rope routes up to 25m.

In reply to jashim25: Thanks all for the advice

In reply to jashim25:

Take them up sheeps tor. easier to get around to the top plus a lot quicker to move between lines. When ive taken beginners out thats where i have been. good selection of grades aswel.

In reply to jashim25: just saying what others say to strengthen it

Plume of Feathers and Sheeps tor best options

In reply to floss_81:
Take them up sheeps tor. easier to get around to the top plus you won't get your lunch stolen by the Dewerstone Squirrel

There, fixed it for you.