UKC

Ham Hill Quarry guide (Somerset)

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YeovilMCSec 29 Jun 2014

As reported on the UKC Crag page for this crag at: http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=1576 there has been some 'gardening' activity very recently (weekend of 21st June 2014?) which has destabilised the rock & earth above 'The Corner' of Ivy Buttress.
- This is also a prohibited area because of the bats roosting there.

Quite apart from that the rock & earth in that area is NOW unpredictably making it's gravity assisted descent and the routes nearby should be avoided. (Many thanks [NOT] to the person/persons responsible).

The GUIDE to the quarry has been available from the Yeovil MC website for several years now and the new website at http://www.yeovilmc.org.uk/ has it on it's 'Local Climbing' page.

Top-roping should be done as at 'Harrisons' with the top karabiner below the top edge of the rock, a 40m STATIC rope is best for this which enables the use of two trees for each anchor point. A 40m belay rope is sufficient to reach the boulder in the middle of the quarry where it is best to belay from. Occasional falling rocks (more frequent now) don't quite reach that area! Helmets are strongly recommended...

Please do not do any gardening or removal of suspect rock as this breaches the terms of the agreement which gives us climbers access to the quarry. Any gardening is done 'sensitively' by Yeovil MC members on Tuesday evenings.

The quarry is steeper than it looks and the routes are harder than the grades suggest due to the sustained nature of the climbing and the need to use the holds with care.

Soloing is a precarious exercise due to the likelihood of holds breaking and leading is tantamount to soloing because the rock will crumble before it holds any gear (and is anyway prohibited by the terms of the climbing agreement). Top-outs are mostly very difficult so all in all top/bottom-roping is the best method.

Contact the Secretary@YeovilMC.org.uk to arrange to come along to the quarry on a Tuesday evening (during BST) to see how we arrange the top anchors.
Post edited at 18:16
YeovilMCSec 02 Jul 2014
In reply to YeovilMCSec:

We noticed that further clearing of ground vegetation in the quarry has been done this weekend to access the far wall (which has not been climbed on for several years as far as I am aware). Do please be aware that the slope at the top of this wall is very unstable.
- You may have noticed that the slope to the left containing a sizeable tree (which we used to use as a top-rope anchor) is now at the foot of the wall... that happened earlier this year.

If your intention is to continue climbing in this quarry would you please contact me so we may discuss the quarry and perhaps have a pint in the pub.
The Countryside Rangers are aware of your recent activity and would like to be reassured that the agreement they have with climbers will be kept to in future, Thanks (secretary@yeovilmc.org.uk)

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