[Bonjoy]

Non of the above quite match the gothic grandeur of the Limekiln do they (with the posible exception of dense on a monday morning). The feel and the position of place is amazing, well worth a little fear. If you climb carefully and don't give in to the panic monkies, the objective danger is minimal anyway.

[Fiend]

I'm with the Joy on this one, I'd love to do the occasional "quality" horrorshow like that, particularly in such a setting - preferably with a good friend/partner you wouldn't mind dying with.

I'd bring me own stake though!

[SA Chris]

Some mates came out of doing that route in the Limekiln looking suitably glazed of eye and not saying much, and they normally like that kind of thing. Put me right off.

[Johnny Brown]

After that first pic loaded I was well psyched, then the second appeared and it all looked distinctly like normal climbing. I was hoping for some back-and-footing up exfoliating mud chimneys type malarkey. Ah well, I can see a 'most boiling route' competition beginning...

people are strange

when you're a stranger, Dense, when you're a stranger.

[Bonjoy]

The rock on pitch one is one is truly rotten (will post pic), like gravel held together with green muck, pitch two is more solid, but various holds did fall off underfoot, if that makes it any more appealing Johnny :wink:. Or you could opt for McCaffies E65c to the right, which presumable tackles the hanging lawn somehow!

[cofe]

which presumable tackles the hanging lawn somehow!

he's a flymo-fo ain't he?

i thank you.

[Fiend]

* Fiend hands cofe his coat...

Is it in the spirit of things to have the beefiest ab rope you can find, backed up with multiple stakes and maybe tied off to the Marisco, so at least if P1 disintegrates to the point of airbourne retreat, you've at least got a solid belay and presumably a fair amount of airspace beneath you??

[Paz]

I'd say yes, and you can trail the ab rope(s) if possible, but belaying off them is cheating if that's not in the route description.  It's an entry point (and escape line if you fail) not an aid point.  I thought the Lime Kiln looked absolutely awesome, I'd be well up for approaching the route by tunnel from the sea, you know just because you can, to get the most from such an amazing feature, if I thought I could cope with the full on commitment.  When me and Dave went to Lundy, Liegh McGinley and his mate were in kind of a strange stunned silence in the Marisco, after they'd done the Exorcist, just quietly saying it was a bit loose.  Given what they were like on the other nights in the pub that told me all I neded to know about what it was like for them.  Leigh's the man who put up Rubble in Wen Zawn.  Effort Bonjoy.

Anyway a lot of these routes I build up in my head, and they don't often turn out to be as bad as I thought in retrospect, moreover they're often brilliant line of weaknesses which leave you looking at the next one with a new pair of eyes.  The style of climbing is different too, they're more E2/3 versions of scrambling up your local pit tip or sheep paths or rabbit tracks than E2/3 versions of Crescent Arete.  I find my rock climbing skill set is still invaluable but there's always room for improvisation as fantastically there usuallly isn't a route four feet to the left to avoid.  Anyway, there's a lot of different types of loosenes, a lot of what bumblies moan about is just dirt or small stones on the holds.  There's brittleness, powdery stuff, shaleyness, friability, and cobwebs too.  My mate says loose stuff is fun as long as he's got gear in.  I'm often more paranoid about systems of overhanging death blocks (at Pembroke you tell yourself "you're at Pembroke you're supposed to pull on anything it's fine", at the inexplicably popular Wintour's Leap you tell yourself "you're at Wintour's leap you're supposed to pull on it even though it moves it was fine (for everyone before you)" at Swanage you tell yourself how apart from once it only falls down during Winter Storms (except during a winter big stormy sea day when you think of how the hell you'll get out) but I've since avoided one small sector of Boulder Ruckle).  A lot of these mid grade routes (stuff at Avon and Gogarth, maybe even Carn Gowla now I've recovered from that experience) are really trade routes and have really cleaned up a lot, and overall where they are on dubious rock they're slabby and fairly easy or at least there's always some reason why the route goes where it does at it's grade.  So you might find yourself wondering what routes like that are like when you're not obviously following in the foot steps of 30 years of climbers, or climbing someone's comfortised manicured version of the outdoors, and moreoever wondering if you could cope, so start looking at things such as the Exorcist.  

And if you just want to experience the place, the situation and the deal you can always get someone else to lead them (even back roping traverses).  

P.S.  JB - I think there are some `HVS' expanding Chimney things in the back of the Limekiln, but although I've heard of a (small) number of ascents of the Exorcist I've never heard of people doing them.

[Fiend]

but belaying off them is cheating if that's not in the route description

Ah, so you're advocating the "possible death for both members of the party" approach...

[Bonjoy]

There is an old bong peg with one eye rusted through to back up the ab rope belay (pitch one starts some way off the bottom of the hole, in the rubble shute on the left)

[Paz]

The thought doesn't rock my boat but if that's what it's graded for and you want the grade then that's what you might have to do.  In which case I'd advocate equalising off as much gear as possible for the belay.  Belaying in a different place with a good stance.  Or taking very long ropes and belaying at the top of the route.  

Oh right yeah didn't know what I was talking about.  Noone's found a way of approaching from the bottom then?

I've got a dog cork screw I carry for dodgy ab points like this (you can tell who's got no experience about this sort of thing if they take the piss out of it), and I've seen people backing up belay stakes in Pembroke with tent pegs which you'd probably have with you on Lundy.
Personally if the grade takes into account really bad abseil anchors then fuck the grade.  

Anyway, I feel like a bit of a div after seeing the miraculous previous figure of 2 dead rise to 30+ after I posted that.

[dave]

I've seen people backing up belay stakes in Pembroke with tent pegs which you'd probably have with you on Lundy.

be amazing to get 10m down a necky ab just to see your tent whip off over the atlantic.

[hongkongstuey]

back in the days when i was young and brave......

[a dense loner]

surprised they didn't ban climbin there with all that cave art

[Bonjoy]

back in the days when i was young and brave......

Snap

The red top guy was out that day too.

[Fiend]

Old skool - rucsac bouldering mat for the authentic experience...

[Bonjoy]

Some dirty lime and a few winter grist. Should have stuck the last two in the bouldering pics thread, but hey what the heck, I'm a rebel and i'll play by my own rules damn it.

[a dense loner]

the infamous mullet. pat probably thinks you've stolen his soul now bonjoy

[fatboySlimfast]

Return of the pat KING

[Carnage]

Couple of good ones:

[tobym]

saw that last one on rockclimbing.com, nice pic

[Bonjoy]

Better version of the Auctioneer picture

[dave]

some topless chick at stanage:



and one o my favourite photos, its well jackson:

[Bonjoy]

Looks like Gordon got a bit over-excited  with the shadow/highlight tool on that first one.

[Control freak]

Is it just me or is that chick going bald?