UKC

Longest Sport Climb in Cheddar Open for Ascents

© ukclimbing.com
At Cheddar Gorge Dan Jenkin, Gordon Jenkin and Ed Heslam have climbed what is perhaps the longest sport climb in the UK. Castles Made of Sand is 120m, nearly 400 feet, and ascends one of the impressive towers in the Pinnacle bay/Castle Rocks area. It weighs in at 6c (or 6b with one point of aid) and has four pitches: 6c (6b..1pt), 5, 6b, 6a.

You can read an account of the climb, with a full route description in the latest Climb magazine (issue 19, Sept 06).

Even better news is that you can climb Castles Made of Sand quite soon (don't all rush at once!). After several years of hard work the Cheddar Gorge Climbing Project conceived by Martin Crocker to deal with vegetated cliffs, rotting fixed gear and a summer ban on climbing has now yielded positive results. As of September 11 you can climb on the Main Cliffs (south side) during most of the year except during the peak holiday periods. Much thanks to Martin, the BMC, the Climbers Club, many volunteers and the Longleat Estate for making this possible. See the details at the BMC website.

There is a new supplement to the restored routes which is available for £10 in Cheddar at the Cheddar Caves' office or by sending a £10 cheque payable to Martin Crocker and two first-class stamps to : 23 Ryecroft, Long Ashton. Bristol, BS41 9NQ (do all rush at once as it helps the route restoration project).


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11 Aug, 2006
Plus a topo of the UK's longest sport climb!
11 Aug, 2006
SWEET!!! Am going to Cheddar tomorrow anyway, so will have a look and climb it at a later date! Thanks for info mick!
12 Aug, 2006
It's all great news, but the article here suggests that you can climb at Cheddar now. The BMC states that there is a one year trial starting sept 11. Wouldn't want the whole deal going down the pan because people start there immediately. Can anyone clarify the situation?
12 Aug, 2006
The restored routes on the Main Cliffs (south side) are available most of the year except during the peak holiday periods. These include the Easter, May and Spring Bank holiday weekends and also the July and August holiday period. Climbing on the restored routes is available at the crags listed below for a 1 year trial period starting on Monday 11th September 2006. Over the course of the trial period Martin will be operating as a BMC funded temporary ‘climbing warden’ to impart the necessary safety, access and conservation advice for this complex site. Climbers will need to be able to show that they have public liability insurance (all BMC members and members of BMC affiliated clubs hold such cover). The extension granted is in addition to the current winter-only climbing arrangements. South side (Longleat Estate) The Pigs’ Hole, Ginsberg Wall (part), Yew Tree Wall, Long Wall (part), Warlord Wall, Castle Rocks (lower tier inc. Castles Made of Sand), Spacehunter Wall, Madrugada Wall (part), Horseshoe Bend Buttress (parts), Sunset Buttress (parts), Burmese Wall, High Rock lower left and right wings (parts), Freaky Wall, Acid Rock main face, Sunnyside Terrace. North side (National Trust) All year access is available at Pride Evans Cliff, Heart Leaf Bluff, The Wave, The Narrows, Arch Rock, Stepped Wall, Overshoot Wall. The other crags are limited to winter only access due to the close proximity of the public. Also see individual crag entries on the RAD for the full descriptions and info.
13 Aug, 2006
Corrected Chris. Thanks.
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