Like many routes here concensus is that this is pretty soft touch for the grade (E3 5c) given originally but well worth the 3 stars.

Hi mike - it's been a long time. I think you are right that it is probably fairly soft for E3. But it was probably a bit dirtier then than now. I seem to remember trying to clean something that day (either Veritas Splendour) or India with a handful of Heather as a brush. Oh well- they were fun days. Cheers Steve

Hi Steve- There was a wierd feeling early doors when none of us got the hang of quite how many huge holds there were hidden beneath the green. Beads was on an early ascent (first?) and pointed Frosty & I at it in '94 and thought it had been given E1. We were certainly shocked- fingery move through the overhangs on pitch one is fierce. I got the top pitch, missed all the holds and gear in the greenery on the left side. Laybacked the arete and made a desperate lunge for the top jug as I barn-doored above a lot of air and certainly had no thoughts of it being over graded when we gave Noel our opinions for the last book. Nobody had tested the sandstone with a fall then either which added a degree of intensity. Where's you?