[Fultonius]

I think the feedback feature has a been a great addition as I know a few people I climb with have hidden logbooks, but will post useful updates (not usualy beta, more things like specific protection, loose rock, difficulty compared to other routes etc.). I have an open logbook, and through the years have varied the amount of info I log. Sometimes nothing, sometimes half an essay!

Up in Scotland it's very handy to know if a route might be clean, how hard it is etc.

I'm generally for more info as its very easy to not look of you don't want to know. Not bothered about hidden logbooks, but I do encourage those lurkers to add feedback where appropriate.

[duncan]

Great thread title!

I’m also keen on the UKC logbooks for all the reasons described above. If you use them, consider making yours public, especially if you sometimes frequent the off-the-beaten track.

I did a few new routes in my year of living dangerously (1983/4). Two felt worthy of attention, neither got any. One of the two has now fallen down.

The other is a 3 star banger, a safe and onsightable E6 in a spectacular position on a popular crag*. It’s usually dry and required minimal cleaning. It has had one recorded ascent since, in 1995. Ian Parnell may have done it too as he included it in a top 50 UK routes. It's not in recent guidebooks, has seasonal restrictions, and is in a slightly awkward location (despite being, cough, roadside). However, spurred by this thread, I checked again. Hurrah! Some attention in the last couple of years and an enthusiastic review: “Best route I’ve fallen off in cheddar...Get on it. It’s fantastic”. I do hope this encourages more people to try it.

*Our ascent is described as eliminating a rest-point. Since the 'rest' was a belay on a short bolt ladder I’d be surprised if there wasn’t some distance between the start and finish of the rest which just happens to include the hardest climbing!

[Neil F]

Wow, I hadn't realised you had liberated West Route Duncan.  Chapeau.

Any background on your success?  Did it require much preparation?  What's the kit like?  I'm always interested in the back story to signficant ascents, and your logbook gives little away... 

I always thought it looked like a bazzing route, though I've yet to set foot on High Rock.  In fact done very little in the Gorge, though Paradise Lost was memorable.
 

[kingholmesy]

I’ve yet to set foot on High Rock.

I’m not a massive fan of Cheddar, but that is surely a glaring omission in the CV.

[Hydraulic Man]

Wow, I hadn't realised you had liberated West Route Duncan.  Chapeau.

Any background on your success?  Did it require much preparation?  What's the kit like?  I'm always interested in the back story to signficant ascents, and your logbook gives little away... 

I always thought it looked like a bazzing route, though I've yet to set foot on High Rock.  In fact done very little in the Gorge, though Paradise Lost was memorable.

Remember the picture Crocker took that was in Mountain looking down the top pitch that looked incredible. Gordon Jenkin seconding...

[Neil F]

I’m not a massive fan of Cheddar, but that is surely a glaring omission in the CV.

Yep 

[duncan]

Thank you Neil, and since you ask...

I thought it was a great route. At the time it seemed the obvious plum, the High Rock direttissima, straight up the most impressive bit of rock* at my local crag.

I got back from an extended trip in August 1984 and couldn't believe it was still waiting to be done so ab’ed it as soon as the winter season opened. It needed minimal clearing, wasn’t practised, and had no fixed gear other than some old aid bolts linking the two cracks. I recruited Paul Smith who was always keen, especially if it meant getting one over on the older Bristol crew (His route Tricky Dicky was named for Dick Broomhead who had also had his eye on it).

We got to work the next day on a typically cold and slightly damp Cheddar in October. I fell off at the bolts on my first try, it all went smoothly on the second go. Paul flashed it on my gear. It was very sustained but this was the end of seven months of near full-time climbing and I’ve never been fitter. It’s well-protected with natural gear other than at the bolts. These must be ancient as it’s not one of the “restored” routes. It would be exciting but not dangerous if they fail, unless my memory is completely rubbish.

Edit: Matt Ward cleaned it last year, he emailed me the following:

"West route is a stunning piece of climbing in an amazing position.  I’m also surprised it hasn’t had more interest except for the obvious that cleaning it is an arduous labour of love and the window for climbing it is extremely short.  As to the gear, the bolts are pretty dire – we didn’t bother clipping them when trying it so it’s a bit of a hard move above gear and then pumpy to place the next piece.  I’d say solid e6 6b (for me very hard for 6a but then I’m about a foot shorter than Martin 😊). With gear in place – most likely scenario for me, we reckon it’d be 7b+. . "

 
I was developing a taste for new routing in ‘83/84 but took a 10 year climbing career break, moved to London, and got a proper job. When I got back into things in '94 most the lines I had had in mind had been done and I was, in relative terms, a much weaker climber. I never rekindled the habit. I still have some potential good ones to do in Pembroke and, now I’m less busy, I should pull my finger out.

*along with Sunset Buttress. I still have't finished Paradise Lost...

[Steve Crowe]

Karin and I have climbed quite a few insignificant repeats this year, her lead of High Octane at Kilnsey was perhaps the most impressive of our obscure ascents. Dry Rock E1 on Lewis was another, excellent climbing and the central line of the crag but no one had logged it on UKC until we ticked it one showery day in June and yet it is one of the most accessible climbs in the area with a very short walk in and no abseil required.

Our most insignificant though was due to an error in the new North Wales Rockfax. From my log book “We set out to climb Goldcrest and followed the line on the topo in the 2023 Rockfax. It turns out that is Quasimdo. Brilliant climbing but surprisingly vegetated. I made it up the hardest climbing onsight but backed off at a cornice or greenery. We returned the next day and cleaned the finish on abseil, then led it again.”

[SA Chris]

There are some massive extremes of numbers of ascents in places like Lewis, with some route having tens of ascents logged, but nearby routes of similar grade and stars getting none. I always wonder if it's due to accessibility, or if it has a decent topo! Must admit when we went we only had the SMC Scottish Rock Climbs Guide, and went for something we recognised from a photo (which is actually labelled incorrectly!)

[Steve Crowe]

I agree about Lewis so I added a photo of the route to UKC showing just how close it is to the parking that is near the ariel. 
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/uig_sea_cliffs_central_-_mhangarstaidh-779/dry_rock-611293#photos

and I also added a photo diagram to the SMC website showing lines of the E1 (and adjacent E3 that we didn’t get on because it started raining again!)

[Fultonius]

Karin and I...

Seconded a mate up K&S Special a few years back. Not insignificant! Total Banger! 

[Will Hunt]

Our most insignificant though was due to an error in the new North Wales Rockfax. From my log book “We set out to climb Goldcrest and followed the line on the topo in the 2023 Rockfax. It turns out that is Quasimdo. Brilliant climbing but surprisingly vegetated. I made it up the hardest climbing onsight but backed off at a cornice or greenery. We returned the next day and cleaned the finish on abseil, then led it again.”

Wait a minute. Are you saying you found a significant mistake in a Rockfax guide?

[SA Chris]

I agree about Lewis so I added a photo of the route to UKC showing just how close it is to the parking that is near the ariel. 

I did have a look, and it reminded me how much amazing stuff there is there to do. Need to get back, and focus on climbing, not on the amazing surfing this time.

[Duncan campbell]

Our most insignificant though was due to an error in the new North Wales Rockfax. From my log book “We set out to climb Goldcrest and followed the line on the topo in the 2023 Rockfax. It turns out that is Quasimdo. Brilliant climbing but surprisingly vegetated. I made it up the hardest climbing onsight but backed off at a cornice or greenery. We returned the next day and cleaned the finish on abseil, then led it again.”

Wait a minute. Are you saying you found a significant mistake in a Rockfax guide?

Lol is there any guidebook in the world with no mistakes!?

[Steve Crowe]

“Lol is there any guidebook in the world with no mistakes!?”

It certainly got us to clean up and repeat Quasimodo, a route we probably would never have climbed otherwise.

[Neil F]

Thanks for the West Route backstory, Duncan.  I bet you were well chuffed with that one!

I never rekindled the habit. I still have some potential good ones to do in Pembroke and, now I’m less busy, I should pull my finger out.

Let me know if you need a catch on those Pembroke adventures 

*along with Sunset Buttress. I still have't finished Paradise Lost...

I’ll trade you your West Route tale for my Paradise Lost story, since the experience was really quite odd.

It was at the end of the Cheddar Gorge restoration project, when Martin Crocker cleaned up a load of old routes, replaced fixed kit, and generally got the place ready for climbing to begin again – all in conjunction with the landowner, Cheddar Caves and Gorge.

To celebrate completion of the work, and the start of the autumn season, Martin organised a big opening festival, where the great and the good were invited to enjoy speeches and a buffet, before various routes were ‘demonstrated’ by various local (and not so local) reprobates.

For some reason Martin asked if I would like to be involved, and if so what I’d like to climb.  I’d  hardly done anything in the Gorge, but had always liked the look of Paradise Lost from reading about Livesey and Ron’s efforts there back in the day.

Unaware of just what ‘demonstrating’ a route involved, I naively said yes please, and can I do Paradise Lost?

When me and Ian Parsons arrived in the Gorge, there was big marquee, and lots of folk milling about.  There were various speeches – think Bonington spoke, which seemed appropriate, before everyone tucked into an ace looking buffet.

Of course, we were supposed to perform, so despite being hungry, we postponed our lunch and headed to the crag.

The next thing I remember as we made our way up the route, was the first of a number of open topped buses driving up the gorge, with Martin on a loudhailer commentating on our ascent,  “Up to the right you have the magnificent Sunset Buttress, where you can see X and Y making their way up Z” presumably to a collection of non-climbing dignitaries who were full of a most agreeable lunch.

The whole thing was quite surreal, but it did add a certain pressure to a normal Sunday afternoon on the crag.

When I pulled over the top, there was a note pinned to the belay tree, which read “Hi Neil. Did you flash it?”  Fortunately I had…

Needless to say, by the time we got back down to the marquee, all the food had gone 

[fammer]

Enjoying the cheddar stories. The trad climbing in the gorge has had a bit of a resurgence in the last year or two thanks to the cleaning efforts of a few locals, there's some amazing routes to get done. kephalonia in particular would stand out as a great route anywhere.

[shark]

I’ll be down that way next week if anyone wants to do any trad (or sport) in Cheddar. Don’t know what’s unrestricted.

[Duma]

I'm parenting next week so not around, but it's the summer hols so virtually the whole of the south side of the gorge is off limits

[shark]

I'm parenting next week so not around, but it's the summer hols so virtually the whole of the south side of the gorge is off limits

Guessed that might be the case. Thanks for confirming

[Ally Smith]

...It was at the end of the Cheddar Gorge restoration project, when Martin Crocker cleaned up a load of old routes, replaced fixed kit, and generally got the place ready for climbing to begin again – all in conjunction with the landowner, Cheddar Caves and Gorge.

To celebrate completion of the work, and the start of the autumn season, Martin organised a big opening festival, where the great and the good were invited to enjoy speeches and a buffet, before various routes were ‘demonstrated’ by various local (and not so local) reprobates...

Excellent story - I was also involved and had the amazing opportunity to make a legitimate summer ascent of Coronation Street.

Unlike you, my partner and I heartily tucked into the buffet and took advantage of the open bar, chugging a couple of free ciders.

At the famous "shield" pitch, a photographer appeared, just at the moment my cider filled bladder had to be emptied!