Forest Rock Routes |
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Forest Rock Grace Dieu Viaduct and
Craglets |
THE CLIMBS Routes
are described from left to right. 1
Forest WaII 10m (Forest Rock) Go
straight up just to the left of the middle of the left-hand slab. 2
Definitely Not 15m E2 5b (Forest Rock) Start in
the middle of the left hand slab. Climb the wall direct for 3m then traverse
up and rightwards on small flakes. Finally traverse above the lip of the
cave. A bold and serious route (No. 1 Friend required) Dick
Wrottesley, Ken Vickers 1962. Alternative
start: 5a. From the overhanging left side of the cut away, rock-over onto the
slabby side of the arête. Go up direct to join ihe traverse. To the
right is the first weakness in the overhanging wall of the cave: 3
Senseless 10m E3 6b Climb
straight up the short wall beneath the left end of the overlap to where it
forms an inverted V. Make hard moves out from under this leftwards to a jug
on the headwall. Finish direct. 1982. 4
Sorcerer 9m E1 5b *** (Forest Rock) Also
called White Dust (or Powder) Opera. Climb the steep fingery wall left of the
undercut inverted V groove, moving right to the obvious block above the
groove. Continue rightwards until an excellent jamming crack leads to the
wall above and the top. Ken
Vickers and Dave Draper, 1959 (aid). FFA Simon Pollard May 1978. 5
Saucy 11 m E3 5c ** (Forest Rock) Climb the
undercut inverted V groove and stretch over the overlap directly above for an
incut hold on the left in the wall above. Follow more incuts to finish. J.
Codling, T. Johnson and S. Allen, 1982. 6
Sorcerer's Apprentice 11 m E4 6b (Forest Rock) Also
called Wishbone Crash. An extremely gymnastic problem which climbs the downward
pointing flake directly below the finger crack of Sorcerer up which the route
finishes. FFA S.
Allen and J. Codling, 1982. 7
Sorceress 12m E6 6b *** (Forest Rock) Also called
Crypt Trip and Pataphysics. Further into the gloom of the cave an obvious
peg-scarred groove leads out to the lip of the overhang. Climb the groove via
the crack (two bolts) to the lip. Then easily up the wall above. Ken
Vickers and Dave Draper, 1959 (Aid). John Codling 1987/8; Greg Lucas 1988;
John Codling and Steve Allen 24 Aug. 1990. 8 Top
Slice 14m A2 The only
remaining aid route. From the back of the cave a series of ancient bolts and
pegs lead out leftwards to some loose blocks. Either peg over these or, with
a long reach, join the groove of Sorceress (no pegs please). A finger was
badly cut on the first ascent. D. Jump (solo), May 1976. There are some ivy-covered slabs opposite the main crag which might give some very easy routes (they did once). |