UKC

Thought I'd call by this place just for a look whilst in the area.
My opinion is that this place would best be removed from the ukc, and other guides for that matter... but someone may want to try revive it, you never know.
I don't know why it says 50 lines in the description, but lists only 7, perhaps it was in some older guides?
I can see potential lines, if your desperate, really desperate, for some climbing.
Yes its the only crag in 20 miles, and sort of local to Taunton, but you know what, 20 miles away it's pretty good! If i lived in the house near the entrance, i would still drive 20 miles away. If i lived in the house over the hedge down on the canal, it's so big i'd knock 2 floors out and build my own indoor one, they 'll be plenty rich enough, and put 3 autobelays for the outside, which looks pretty good quality anyway.
There is so much gardening to do i just wonder why anyone would bother with so much other better climbing not too far away, such as Cheddar.
If it were just outside a big city, perhaps it would get some attention, but still, looks a bit of a pile. The overhangs, a section that probably wasn't previously climbed?, if ivy was removed would leave some possibly solid rock, but i wouldn't chance it, with maybe around 5 short routes in the upper 5 to maybe high 6's, but the tops of these would need a fair bit of serious gardening, and loose rock removal, to enable a safe top out that wouldn't put your belayer at too much risk.
The place is looking like it's getting well back to nature, so to get permission to be there long enough to retrieve what didn't look worthwhile anyway, would seem crazy to me.
The photo of the route you claim as a project, well, you admit it, it's in the police firing range part, so who else is going to hop the gate with its red hand sign that clearly states keep out, do not trespass, police firing range, even if the red flags aren't flying? I mean, do you want to be on that route in the off chance they turn up? Just how do you explain it... The red flags weren't up officer, but we'll come down now. Well i suppose they can't arrest you as trespass is only a civil offence, but there's could be better quarry lines nearby that you could do if you're happy to trespass.
But there's also Cheddar, it's more like an hour by car from here, or the Quay, 40mins.

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

You should email "deepstar" et al as those boys love these places ; )

In reply to petegunn:


I've been there and had a look, it's not that bad.

In reply to deepstar:

Haha excellent, thought that you boys would have been there.

Is there a date for the new guide to all the crags in and around the mendip area? looking forward to getting a copy

Happy new year to all

In reply to deepstar:
Ok, yes, some people will try climb anything for "fun" / kicks / scares!
No its probably not too too bad, but i'm one if those people to whom summut like dry tooling or ice climbing also has absolutely no appeal.
I see the sense of crazy adventure and weird buzz that awful climbing can give you, did it in my teens after school introduced me to climbing but i couldn't afford any gear and had a local loose sandstone Quarry to play with using polypropylene twined rope no Harness and weird self belay that wouldn't probably have saved me.

I think the overhanging crack and arrete look of interest, but probably loose, and sort of stop after about 4 or 5m, then leading into some easier jungle stuff.
the rest of the routes, i couldn't easily figure where they were... None are on the overhang area are they?

Why does ukc say 50 routes?!

Basically no one has logged climbing there for 9.5 yrs! But people may still have been, just not ukc loggers.

It might as well be returned to the wildlife imho.

The isolated place over near Yeovil, Ham Hill, that does look worth a visit, about twice as high too.

Beacon Hill, bypassed by loads of people heading to the Southwest,.... i'm sure many would be very glad they didn't get distracted by the urge to go check out a green blob on a map!
... but some would be glad to find it too

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

Each to his own then, you should probably avoid Gilson's Slab.

In reply to deepstar:

Will check it out one day ... Surprised to see how many smaller crags are dotted about over there too after just seeing the map now, plenty to explore!

In reply to Rock to Fakey:

Nah I wouldn't bother. You may want to try a bit of tooling though.