UKC

Not convinced that this belongs in the winter climbing section, but after looking at climbing venues in Kent I was quite surprised to see there are a fair few climbing routes on the White Cliffs of Dover.

Just a few quick questions:

1.) What is the legal status of this? I would have thought it would have been a big no no

2.) What is it actually like to climb on? In terms of protection the limited information available says that wharthogs are mainly used.

Does the potential damage to an iconic image of England not cause problems? If not I am surprised it is not more popular?

The sea and elements probably cause more errosion to them than the odd climber would. It is hardly a mass climber activity.

In reply to bowls: there a is route called the tube which is right next to the harbour. i know peole climb that. i done all my chalk climbing further down towards brighton where there is gear already in place.

In reply to bowls: If you could chop away as much of this chalk as possible and expose some useful climbing rock you'd be doing everyone a favour

In reply to bowls:

See great white fright on Hard XS. Legal, inform the coast guard so that they don't try and rescue you. Protection varies between rubbish and non existent and the climbing varies between tools and hands dependent on route and height up the route.

The skeleton ridge on the isle of white seem to get climbed pretty regularly and is hands rather than tools.

In reply to bowls:

'Vertical Pleasure' by Mick Fowler has a chapter on chalk climbing. It's a very entertaining book and well worth tracking a copy down.

Aleister Crowley did some stuff at Beachy Head in the 1890's. Not much else was done until the late 1970's and ealry 80's.

Dover gets winter grades...
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=1076

Beachy Head gets rock grades...
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=1073

In reply to bowls:

there you go. aleister crowely started drytooling. proof that its the devils work.