Page 30 - 2020 AMA Summer

EXPEDITIONNEWS
appears to have slackened since my last visit but those with the temerity to take in their mobile phones still have to sneak away to a shady corner to indulgence in the modern day addiction of instant information.
The much vaunted Strom Lorenzo arrived during the night thundering through the camp site with some tents anchored only by the weight of their occupants come the morning. On peaking over the campsite wall there were at my count four large container ships and a deep sea trawler anchored up and battened down on the leeward side of Lundy. If that was good enough for them it was good enough for us so bending with the wind we went back to the east coast and spread ourselves along Flake Route (Sev) and its very worthwhile companion Bideford Ridge (V Diff). Once again Harry was given the lead and having done Flake Route the previous day we sought a second climb with ‘The Constable’. The Constable is a twenty metre high rock pillar standing on the slope above the northern tip of the island. Its summit being beneath plateau level there was we thought an outside chance that the wind would be reduced to a manageable level. Our estimation with regards to the wind was just about right. We hadn’t however reckoned on the wetness of the rock. The rain, or so we first thought, started as we made our descent down the slope. Foamy, salty rain, we observed, which of course wasn’t rain at all but the spray from the crashing waves lifting hundreds of metres into the air. As with the previous day we’d made the effort to get there so we thought that we might as well climb, Harry gritting his teeth and leading us up via the easiest climb on the pillar, The Original Route (HS,4b).
At the other end of the island Chris and Martin had completed the east coast routes and attempted their own second destination break out. They tried for Kistvaen Buttress but the talk in the pub
later that afternoon had been of how they couldn’t even stand in the wind on the coast path let alone get anywhere near the cliff top.
At some point during the night I was woken by the conspicuous silence. With the whip-crack noise of storm lashed tent fabric or coat hood a near constant back drop to the previous 36 hours it took me a while to work out what was missing. The swell of the sea took a little while longer to subside than the wind but the improved weather did allow for climbing on our last day. Ian and me accompanied by Luke, Jack and Gareth wandered along to Seal Slab beneath which a boiling sea appeared slow to calm down from the agitations of the storm. The route Seal Slab (Diff) takes a rising diagonal line across the crack seamed slab of the same name, easy climbing throughout but lovely and all in a magical setting. Gareth led me across the route while Ian and his pair followed on behind us.
We hadn’t however reckoned on the wetness of the rock
Rain rolling in with a sea mist looked like it would stop play for the last time but having given us a thorough soaking as we coiled our now wet ropes the clouds parted and past almost as quickly as they had arrived. With a few hours left before boarding the Oldenburg Gareth and myself sought out
one last climb down at Kistvaen Buttess. Justine (Sev), Clea (HS,4a) and Bitter Lemons (Sev) all climbed in the sunshine and stripped down to t-shirts was a most pleasant way to conclude our stay on Lundy. For the record the return sailing on a far calmer sea was equally as pleasant and once more for me a journey that could be enjoyed and not endured.
A mixed week of weather then which on reflection added value to our aim of developing the knowledge and experience of the participating climbers. The challenges of tide and weather, the intricacies of finding your way among such a complex coastline and the decisions needing to be made about where to climb let alone how to best mange the climb itself can all be banked as experience and used when moving forward to the next level. That level for 104 Regiment is to run future trips like this using the leaders and instructors that we are developing to give as many of our reservist and regular soldiers as possible the benefit of exciting and challenging Adventurous Training as a way of promoting among other things; self-reliance, robustness, resourceful- ness, courage and a can do attitude to get things done in difficult situations.
As a final note a large amount of thanks must be given to the Royal Artillery Centre for Personal Development (RACPD) and the Army Mountaineering Association (AMA) for their help in funding the exercise.
30 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER