Page 38 - Army Mountaineer Winter 2022

CLIMBINGMEETS
LUNDY
ISLAND
MEET
In this article, Freddie Lucas, Matthew Richards and Elanor Bearcroft share their experiences of their first
AMA meet.
FREDDIE LUCAS
On the morning of the 20 September 2022, 12 members from the AMA boarded HMS Oldenburg and set sail for the mythical island of Lundy. Situated in the Bristol Channel, it has a long and turbulent history involving pirates, shipwrecks, and WWII bombers, but is today renowned for its wildlife and sea-cliff climbing.
At just over 5km long and 1km wide, what the island lacks in size it certainly makes
up for in quality, containing several iconic routes, including the UK’s longest slab climb, ‘The Devil’s Slide’ (HS 4a), and ‘Diamond Solitaire’ (VS 4c) and ‘Double Diamond’ (HVS 5b) on the amazingly picturesque Flying Buttress.
During our 4 days on the island the group were treated to fantastic weather, leading to suspicions we had in fact sailed to the Mediterranean! Days were spent exploring remote crags and classic routes, before congregating in the island’s only pub, the
Marisco Tavern, to exchange tales and replenish our energy for the following day. Our campsite was conveniently located a short walk away and provided us with warm showers every evening, providing you were not the last group back!
This was my first AMA meet and my first experience of sea-cliff climbing, which poses some unique challenges for climbers. Locating the crags was the first difficulty, not helped by the local guidebook’s cryptic approach descrip- tions! Most of the climbs required an abseil to get to bottom, and for many routes we had to study the local tides to avoid wet feet.
After a brilliant meet and a slightly bumpy return on HMS Oldenburg, it was time for the group to go our separate ways. However, it was only after arriving on the mainland that one unnamed Officer realised a rope bag containing 2 x Beal Jokers and a No.7 Dragon had been left on the jetty in Lundy. If found, please return to Matthew Richards...
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