Rockfall on Lundy - Classic Hard Routes Affected

16th September, 2010

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Lundy Rockfall © Paul Harrison — Lundy Rockfall
© Paul Harrison

Lundy, the small granite encrusted island off the North Coast of Devon is home to hundreds of classic sea cliff climbs.

Paul Harrison is the author of the well received Climbers' Club guide to the island, and has got in touch with a report of a substantial rockfall:

"Sometime over the winter of 2009 a major rockfall occurred in Starship Zawn, Lundy Island. A number of huge blocks would appear to have 'dropped' out from the heart of the wall severely affecting some of the areas finest routes.

A big section of the second pitch of Solaris has disappeared although Apes in Space would appear to be unaffected.

Dave Pickford's Millennium Falcon has vanished into a black hole, whilst Nick White's visionary masterpiece Araucaria has lost most of its crucial initial traverse and is no longer possible. But all is not lost, Nic Sellers' amazing Amygdala would still appear to be still climbable!"

Check out the UKC Logbook details for Lundy Island.

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Comments

Chris Craggs

16 Sep, 2010

The jammed 'sheild' with a huge block sat on it looks a little suspect too! Chris

Neil Foster

16 Sep, 2010

I can't say I'm surprised. That initial traverse on Araucaria - so called because it goes (or more accurately, went) across and down, for any Grauniad readers out there! - was quite terrifying. You were hand traversing the top of a massive beam of granite which appeared to be completely detached, apart from the pressure holding it in place at either end. The sections of that beam now form a not-so-neat pile on the floor of the zawn (and Araucaria joins the ever-growing list of routes I have done which subsequently fell down!). As for Amygdala still being climbable, whilst the leaning wall which forms that substance of the route appears unaffected, the demise of the Araucaria beam means you will no longer be able to get to it... ...or at least that is how it looks to me.... (Paul?, Nic?) Neil

jon

16 Sep, 2010

... and that have fallen down BEFORE you could get your hands on them... Equilibrium St Govans...!

sutty

16 Sep, 2010

Didn't the big block on Crucible on Cwm Sillin fall down as well years ago, altering the route?