Page 28 - 2020 AMA Summer

EXPEDITIONNEWS
miles long, around half a mile wide and at the nearest stretch is twelve miles distant from the mainland. Plateau like along its broad back the highest point rises to 125 metres above the surrounding sea. To borrow a phrase from the rock climbing guide book it ‘lies defiantly across the mouth of the Bristol Channel, where the silt-coloured waters of the Severn Estuary meet the cold, clear Atlantic Ocean’. To further borrow from the guide book ‘The island’s west coast is one of almost unin- terrupted granite cliffs and must be one of the most impressive coastlines in Britain’. Add to that the second highest tidal range in the world plus the island’s exposure to Atlantic swells and despite being on our geographical doorstep there’s a real expedition feel to any climbing trip to Lundy.
Breaking down into pairs or threes for the first afternoon Miles, Chris and Ian went
off with the ‘development team’ to start chipping away at the much prepared Lundy ‘tick lists’ which included that afternoon the Flying Buttress classics of Diamond Solitaire (VS,4c) and Double Diamond (HVS,5a). Meanwhile Gary, Tarquin and myself rounded up the third cohort within our party, those who were to varying extent climbers, but without any formal qualification yet. The not too distant and relatively easily assessable Pilots Quay was our venue of choice where over the course of a still breezy but bright afternoon we refreshed and refined skills on the very pleasant single pitch climbs of Quay Hole Corner (V Diff), Newquay (HS,4a) and Quay West (HS,4a).
there’s a real expedition feel to any climbing trip to Lundy
Despite the sensational headlines regarding the potential devastation caused by the approaching storm the Met Office surface pressure chart always had the second day of the exercise down as a good day. With this in mind we determined to make the most of the opportunity and with plans set around a mid-afternoon low tide off we set under a bright and clear sky. Miles accompanied by Chris Hughes and Harry Leppier went straight for the routes with the big name billing: The Devil’s Slide (HS), Albion (VS,4c) and
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