UKC

I read her book through a long night, totally mesmerised by a story that could have been from a John Masters novel or a Carol Reed movie: an unconventional childhood, Alpine odysseys, close shaves, a French resistance husband, a widowed mother of two.

What a great article. Very thoughtful and informative.

Cheeers Jeff ... a fabulous read.

Nea, my first ever Welsh climb circa 1968 and it was only severe then!

To be fair, to experience compative difficulties of these old  climbs you need to climb them as close to the style of the pioneers as possible. People rightly 'wow' that Iver Berg climbed the first E1 (CAI) when he did but many of the now lower graded wide cracks or slabs at the time with no gear then were just as adjectivally hard. 

With Nea I'm pretty sure stuff fell off it and the line changed slightly. Compared to modern Yorkshire grit or Northumberland or Cornish granite grading it's still arguably a severe

Correct.

Compared to Yorkshire grit, th' County or Cornish granite, an awful lot of routes are arguably Severe!

T'was Severe when I did it, circa 1971 and '74 (before the rock fall).

Nice route. Lovely name.

Mick

I have a question or two for the author. If a Woman's reach was published in 1968 then the oldest Denise could have been for the photograph is 37 if I've got my maths right.

She looks like she's gone grey early then? No wonder you thought it was Nea.

Also could you not get hold of the cover pic for the UKC article? Considering the relevance of the picture it would add a lot for readers. 

I got the impression from the article it was taken in 2016.

I'm in danger of missing a joke but I mean this picture. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=a+woman%27s+reach+nea&client=ms-android...

Ah I see now.. We have the actual book and its a bit clearer she isn't grey (her hair looks mousy to me but does has some reflected shine due to the sunlight) and I'd guestimate she looks to be in her 30s.

Well we had only a couple of slings for runners, Viking hawser and hemp waistline, so not that different to the original ascent. No guidebook either, just a description from a guy in the Vaynol.

Jeez, who'd have thunk that the crag fashionista cops would be on the case a mere 50 years later?

I thought it was a great front cover and I loved the book. The photo (of Nea Morin?) on Ochre Slab(?) at Bosigran was superb.

Mick

Reg : I don't know - Mr. Wentworth just told me to come in here and say that this photo looks wrong that's all - I didn't expect a kind of UKC Inquisition. (JARRING CHORD)

(The door flies open and Cardinal James of UKC  enters, flanked by two junior Cardinals.

James : NOBODY expects the UKC Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our *three* weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to climbing history.... Our *four*...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise.... I'll come in again.

Ah thanks! I've always been terrible at working out people's ages. 

No problem... its quite funny really as I was looking at the photo in the article with the author... thinking: eh?.

Mick's right: the book is well worth reading.

Good on you....including plimsols for delicate footwork?

I have Nea's book, too. I'd love to do a feature using it as a reference. Another one for the list...

Does anyone have a copy of Nea’s book they’d be willing to part with?

Someone does.

https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Womans-Reach-Nea-Morin-Eyre-Spottisw...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Womans-Reach-Nea-Morin/dp/B0006CCHJE

Cheers for the link, had looked online but wondered what else was on offer