Page 32 - 2018 AMA Summer

CLIMBINGMEETS
WHY THE WYE?
By Kate Redfern
Last year saw the sixth climbing meet by the AMA held in the Wye Valley. The first meet was held back in 2012 and has been a firm favourite every year since
The “Wye” meets have proven to be well attended and a firm favourite with members; some returning year on year myself included.
The 2017 meet proved just as popular and attracted members from as far afield as Germany and Northern Ireland. On planning the meet, this made me question why the location and time of year proved to be so popular.
This meet, as in other years, was based at Symonds Yat in the Wye Valley, near Ross-on-Wye. Lying close to the Welsh border, the Lower Wye Valley benefits from the shelter of the Welsh Hills and the surrounding high woodland means that the areas around Symonds Yat are often dry. Yet again this year we were blessed with some excellent weather conditions and the waterproofs stayed firmly in the bottom of the bag! At a 2 hour drive from Tidworth it is a convenient location for a vast number of AMA members based around Salisbury Plain. For those travelling from further afield, Bristol airport is just over an hour away.
Symonds Yat is relatively easy to navigate but caution is required! For the uninitiated the village is split into two parts by the River Wye; Symonds Yat East and Symonds Yat West. The most direct route between to the two takes 11 minutes by car. Thankfully no one fell into this trap, however, one of our number was confused by the concentration of public houses in the Symonds Yat West. After an hour and a pint he realised from the messages on the WhatsApp group he
was in fact in the wrong pub on the wrong side of the village!
The Wye Valley is a popular location for tourists, especially in the summer being a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The views I have seen from the top of the routes I have climbed here are spectacular and can be as rewarding as the climbs themselves. Fortunately, during October there are considerably fewer tourists, making the mission of finding a parking spot considerably easier. The 2017 meet, like previous years, attracted a variety of climbers of differing abilities, experience and objectives for the weekend. The Lower Wye Valley offers a great variety of climbing in this area, which the meet took full advantage of.
‘The aptly named Vertigo, which is on a pinnacle called Needle Rock, was a particularly popular route’
Multi-pitch climbing is always a draw for those attending these weekends. This meet was no different, with the majority of attendees climbing multi-pitch routes on either one or both days. One of the popular locations was Symonds Yat East, a stone’s throw away from where we stayed in Symonds Yat West. Five of the six groups headed to the eastside of the river on the Saturday and another three returned the following day. The routes at Symonds Yat were able to satisfy both novices on their first outdoor climbs to those individuals who are preparing for
higher JSAT and NGB qualifications. Although the routes here are mainly single pitch, the groups found enough quality multi-pitch routes to keep them busy and to achieve the aims of all.
The aptly named Vertigo, which is on a pinnacle called Needle Rock, was a particularly popular route. I found myself seconding this climb with Cleo Bishop after making an off-hand comment about a post card of pinnacle at lunch. This was interpreted by Ryan Lang as a request for the location of the next route. For Cleo, this was her third ever outdoor climb, which highlights the opportunities and excellent instruction that we are lucky to receive on these meets. The view down the Wye Valley afforded from the top of the pinnacle is outstanding and it is easy to understand from this perspective why the area is designated an AONB.
As on my first Wye Valley meet, a small group of climbers spent the Saturday climbing at Plump Hill Quarry with Paul Smith, a civilian instructor hired for the meet. This was a good location for the novices to learn basic skills on top and bottom rope, as well as those who want to progress onto leading or just improve their climbing technique. The coaching that I received from Paul helped build my confidence on returning to climbing after a prolonged period away and iron out some of my bad habits! The area is also
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