15th June, Evening On Limestone

Ben from Kilvrough Manor (modern apprentice)

Ben is seconding a Gower classic, Scavenger (VS) on 3 Cliffs - the best route (prob) at 3 Cliffs

Enjoying the immaculate limestone climbing

High up now, beginning on the semi layaway moves - awesome climb

Hold on, the tide is coming in ...... I'm belaying Ben on Scavenger now, and I reckon I've got minutes before getting wet, at least I've got great scenery to enjoy ..

At high tide this 3 Cliffs arch will be nearly full of water. At a high spring tide the sea is up to the roof !! Scavenger starts on the other side of the arch on the left..

Okay here we go. Ben is off and running. The tide did come in whilst I was belaying. I did manage to stand on the ledge 1m above the sand, but still the tide came up to my knees !!! - in the end with climb boots full of water, I started climbing before Ben had me on belay, I'd rather be high on a climb, than swimming with the fishes lol. Well done Ben on leading Scavenger :)

Okay, another climb. The rubber on the outside of my boots had dried. This is Ben seconding Arch Slab (VS). The climb goes over the lip of the arch, then up the upper wall. You can see that the sea has come in now and there are several metres of depth of water where we were standing on sand earlier - but I'm not in it now :)

There's one thin move over the lip of the arch - Ben has passed it now

Awesome limestone - Small uber positive holds

Ben was free for a little climbing after work - so I wanted to go to 3 Cliffs to visit a couple of old favs. Started with Scavenger. Ben had a good night of climbing the night before so he was up for a possible lead of Scavenger -but he wanted to 'see an old pro climb it first' - Cheeky b****r.

When it was his turn to lead - I suddenly realised I was going to get wet wet - and yes I did. So with slippery rubber, soaking rope, hands, trousers etc, it made the smooth limestone - exciting !

We then moved on to Arch Slab (with dry rubber by now) and a full sea below us - I'd rescued my approach shoes :)

A good evening , thank you Ben.