[fatneck]

Should be on everyones hit list. Went for the first time the other day and whilst it is a bit grotty (there aren't many crags around where the majority of footholds are filled in with paint!) there are some excellent problems on Granny's Rock and worth the trip on their own.

Granny's at sunset


 
Me on the V4 Traverse (was the right way round before I posted it!)



Not to mention the host of excellent traverses on the other sections of the quarry and (I'm led to believe) an 8a sport route!

[BenF]

Get a grip Si.  You should know better than listen to and believe the hype from that tall Welsh fella.

All this positive comment about the place might encourage someone to travel there or summat.  

(Actually there are a few enjoyable problems there but don't tell Stig of the Jump that I said that.  And a bit of traffic may end up restoring the place to it's eighties heyday, not that I was there then)

[tc]

Ah, the Breck -- the ultimate urban adventure. Used condoms and needles, the most comprehensive collection of dog shit in the NW and snotty-nosed urchins twatted on skunk and White Lightning -- a brilliant postmodern scenario. Also brilliant are: The Bluebell Traverse (old school V6), all the 'up' problems on the Bluebell Wall, the super-low traverse of the Granny Rock (V7)...etc. etc. And Steve Haston's legendary V11 (?) top rope problem on the Overhanging Wall
Go there in numbers, the place needs a facelift from what I've heard

[Jim]

Its a shit venue with some very good problems. Looking forward to going back. Where do you park these days? in the pub carpark still?

[fatneck]

I go past the pub and right at the roundabout followed by a sharp right into a housing estate. Follow the road round to the left and park conscientiously by an obvious opening that leads into the quarry on the right. Or you can park at the pub, which is fine as far as I'm aware.

Whilst the topic is up and running. Can anyone shed any light on the naming/history of Brundlefly? As far as I'm aware, it was named as a project (by the author?) in the sandstone guide, but climbed later my Mick Adams. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has any other info (especially with a new guide planned)?

[fatneck]

Another photo of Granny's (sorry about O getting in the way as usual).

Have just noticed that I think someone has written BIG PRAWN C**T in silver spray paint, how nice  :shock:

[tc]

Can anyone shed any light on the naming/history of Brundlefly? As far as I'm aware, it was named as a project (by the author?) in the sandstone guide, but climbed later my Mick Adams. I'd be interested to know if anyone else has any other info (especially with a new guide planned)?

I would suggest you take that guide as a 'guide' only and not as definitive info.

[tc]

Just an idle thought...
If you really are serious about giving this hallowed ground a serious wash and brush up you should maybe contact a couple of the local climbing clubs (the Vags, the Wayfarers and the Gwydwr all have historical connections with the place). Also, call the Parks Dept at Wallasey Town Hall. If they know that climbers are keen on preserving the place for recreational purposes they may even help out with a much-needed bin or three! A note to them from the BMC wouldn't hurt, either.

[fatneck]

The footpath from the flats at the back of the quarry has recently been freshly tarmacked (sp?). Is this the start of refurbishments? As TC said I think some research is in order for a proper job to be done.....

Will report back.

[tc]

Any news then?

[Monolith]

been some serious interest circulating on this issue. I've just got back from a month in font and am now keen to get moving on a cleanup session. I'm happy to supply an email address for anyone who wants to contact me on this, perhaps then a few of us could meet at a convenient time and sort a list of what needs doing/what takes priority.
Quit my job to go to france, so I'm now suitably endowed with some free time to help with this, if any other local boulderers have too much time on their hands!:

thomascmills@gmail.com

cheers.

[tc]

Bump 

[Monolith]

hmmmmmmmmm.
went yesterday as was bored. I forget just how much shite is on the ground at that place and that a cleanup would be close to pointless given the number of kids who continually gain satisfaction from throwing glass bottles at the back of the granny rock. Yesterday, the latest additions were a few girders at the bottom of Nirvana buttress, more glass and some condom wrappers. Shame really, as some of the problems are good on decent rock.

[Monolith]

latest breck press release: perhaps more of a miracle than the holy shroud of turin, a large amount of grass has started to grow around the base of the granny rock. Also there seems to be hardly any glass there, has somebody been cleaning? Either way, it makes the whole prospect of going there to do some circuits on it much more enticing.

[Richie Crouch]

I decided to have a rest day yesterday after Wednesday nights exersions down the wall and my new pad didn't arrive till this morning either  (So sorry for missing pex if you went down Tom & Paul!)

I'd love to do a session down the Breck sometime next week if your going down there again. Not doing many hours next week - I'm pretty sure Tuesday--->Thurs is all freed up for climbing 

[Monolith]

cant get hold of you richie via pm or phone, give me a bell dude.

[Houdini]

Your mission Millso17 - should you decide to accept it - is to locate, clean, and climb Hastons' Legendary V11, and tell us all if a) it really exists,  b) is as legendary as some might say.

By the sound of it, The Breck is more historically significant than Parasite Sellers.

[Pantontino]

Stevie suggested it might be V10. It's an eliminate dyno apparently. I think it was done around 1980.

tc knows more on this.

[Monolith]

Mission accepted Houdini 

I'm off for a session when it cools down a bit this evening. To be honest, I have heard differing rumours as to the line of the problem.
The main back wall (where I think it is) has a large chunk blown out of the base of it. By utter chance, a local young lad came up to me a few months ago when I was there and told me the story of how a lad from his year put some sort of oil drum in the 'fireplace' (said feature at the bottom of the wall)
and blew it up much to the amusement of his mates. This would seem to explain the charcoal gradient that now resides where the fireplace was.

It's an eliminate dyno apparently.

Hmm.. as for an eliminate dyno, I'm a bit lost. Obviously at V11, it's not going to jump right out at you.
Tell you what, I'll get some snaps tonight and post them here. Perhaps then tc or anyone else who may know could mark the holds out in photoshop or such like and repost.

[tc]

Your mission Millso17 - should you decide to accept it - is to locate, clean, and climb Hastons' Legendary V11, and tell us all if a) it really exists,  b) is as legendary as some might say.

By the sound of it, The Breck is more historically significant than Parasite Sellers.

The Breck is more historically significant than Napes Needle.

[Pantontino]

 

Have a wad point.

[tc]

What the fuck is one of those?

[BenF]

What the fuck is one of those?

A very important and scientifically accurate measure of social standing. 

[tc]

If you all promise to go and reclaim that hallowed ground in the name of all that is true and just and very historically significant, I will tell you the True Tale of the Legendary Dyno. Oh, yes.

[tc]

Right, I've checked with The Oracle. The legendary dyno in question is not an eliminate. It starts at the alcove ("fireplace") in the centre of the overhanging wall and moves up to two obvious flat holds in the diagonal break before flying direct from these to the similarly obvious housebrick-shaped rectangular slot. This was first done as a top rope problem by Haston in 1979 or 1980 in a single session and repeated shortly afterwards by Keith Jones. Mike Collins also made some progress on the problem using an intermediate hold for the left hand but I don't know if he ever completed it using this method. Mike Collins made several hard additions to the Breck, with the “Mid-Level Traverse” of Bluebell Wall, V8+, 6c most notable amongst them.
An older top rope problem also exists on the Overhanging Wall, done by Alan Rouse in 1968/9 (the same summer he pieced together the full traverse of Bluebell Wall) but the dyno remained the obvious direct challenge and was "harder than V10s at Hueco" according to Haston.
“The Breck was especially interesting for the brilliant Bluebell Traverse which when I first did it was probably hard V5. Davidson did a problem on the Granny Rock which was V7 at least. That Overhanging Wall problem of mine was British 7a for sure and V10ish.” (Haston)