Wintours Leap

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 Tom Gregory 22 May 2019

We are looking to do some easy multi pitch climbing at Wintours Leap on over the first weekend of June.  We are new to the area. There doesnt appear to be a guide book for the area, I was wondering if there is any way of getting some topos of and other access information. 

 Misha 22 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

The comprehensive is the Climbers Club guide book called Lower Wye Valley. There’s also select coverage in the Climbers Club South West Climbs volume 1. Should be able to get these from any decent gear shop  or online.

Depends what you mean by easy - there isn’t much below VS. The gear can be pretty spaced as well. Great place though. 

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 Rick Sewards 22 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

Hi Tom

There is a guidebook - Lower Wye Valley (Climbers' Club) which is still in print - it's on sale in the Chepstow Bookshop as well as outdoor shops.  There is a supplement as well (it's often sold together) but if it's the easier multipitch stuff at Wintour's you're after then they haven't changed since the LWV guide was written.

Cheers

Rick

 PaulJepson 22 May 2019
In reply to Misha:

> Depends what you mean by easy - there isn’t much below VS. The gear can be pretty spaced as well. Great place though. 

There's plenty multi-pitch for the sub-VS climber to get stuck in to.

Corner Buttress routes at VD, Bottle Buttress at VD, Central Rib Routes at VD or S, Zelda or Left Hand Route at HS...

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 Pay Attention 22 May 2019
In reply to PaulJepson:

You perhaps need to be climbing at VS standard to deal with the polish on the middle bit of Central Rib (vd) - or else have completed your apprenticeship at Chudleigh in Devon

😎

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 Chris Sansum 23 May 2019
In reply to Pay Attention:

Really? The polish is nothing compared to some of the routes at Avon (eg Morpheus, Piton Route). There is only a small polished section on the slab of Central Rib Route. Nothing to worry about.

 fred99 23 May 2019
In reply to Pay Attention:

> You perhaps need to be climbing at VS standard to deal with the polish on the middle bit of Central Rib (vd) - or else have completed your apprenticeship at Chudleigh in Devon

> 😎


I've taken numerous beginners up this - including a niece on her first ever rock climb. All you need to do is be a bit more precise ( or maybe just "pay attention" ) with your footwork and not be as slapdash as far too many people are nowadays when they expect grit-like friction. The main reason that this bit is polished is that it is common with all 3 Central Rib routes (VD, S & VS) - plus of course all the beginners.

 Chris Sansum 23 May 2019
In reply to PaulJepson:

Agreed - there is plenty of good stuff below VS at Wintour's Leap.

I would suggest buying South West Climbs if you're not likely to be visiting the Wye Valley regularly, as it covers many areas, or buy the Wye Valley guidebook if you are likely to visit regularly. Topos are the wrong kind of medium for multi-pitch routes which start in a tree canopy. Route descriptions are far more useful.

Bottle Buttress feels more like a severe than a VD in my opinion. Original Route is a good one if you want to avoid the crowds, despite a bit of a scrappy start (follow the route description carefully though!). Or if you want a route that is like a series of single pitch routes stacked on top of one another, try the Corner Buttress Routes (any combination - you can chop and change between them if they are busy). The Central Rib Routes are good, although they should probably be renamed the Central Rib Queuing Routes.

Rigid Raider 23 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

Wear a helmet - we climbed there when I was a kid and some idiots stood on the top and threw rocks and bottles over.

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 Pero 23 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

Wintour's is a not a crag to everyone's taste. Especially at the easier grades. To me the polish is terrifying. But, as you can see, others are quite happy on it.

The gear is also not to my liking. But, again, that might be a matter of taste. 

Finally, if you don't know the crag it can be very hard to find your route.

So, if you find yourself not feeling much love for the place, you'll not be alone.

Post edited at 16:21
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 Dogwatch 23 May 2019
In reply to Pero:

> Finally, if you don't know the crag it can be very hard to find your route.

Numerous route descriptions in the CC guide "start by a tree". It's a forest!

Post edited at 16:35
 Misha 23 May 2019
In reply to PaulJepson:

Well ok, there are a few easier routes but hardly loads. Bearing in mind there might be other parties on some of those routes, that’s not a lot really. But the main point is the gear can be spaced due to the nature of the rock. 

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 Chris Sansum 24 May 2019
In reply to Misha:

Off the top of my head: 

Left Hand Route, Original Route, Corner Buttress Routes 1, 2 and 3, Bottle Buttress, 2 x Central Rib Routes, Zelda, Greta, Moth, Bacchanalian, Swatter. Most of those are multi pitches - that’s rather a lot of climbing (and there are quite a few routes I haven’t listed).

 PaulJepson 24 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

Not sure I'd recommend Greta given it's recent comments. 

 Chris Sansum 24 May 2019
In reply to PaulJepson:

Thanks for that, nice to know (if I ever get back to climbing!). Greta has always felt a bit bold at the beginning, and I seem to recall the first placement being a little fragile. Maybe the block on it higher up could do with trundling.

 graeme jackson 24 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

if you're new to multi-pitch then original route (already mentioned) and cement groove a little further along both offer nice easy climbing with big stances.

 Pero 24 May 2019
In reply to graeme jackson:

> if you're new to multi-pitch then original route (already mentioned) and cement groove a little further along both offer nice easy climbing with big stances.

If you look at the voting on here for Original Route it averages no stars.

I did it years ago and I would say it has no redeeming features.

 Hooo 24 May 2019

In reply to:

Original route? IIRC, that's the one that involves pulling on grass. Not my idea of fun, I would not recommend it.

 alan moore 24 May 2019
In reply to Hooo:

It used to be good route, as good and as clean as Bottle Buttress at least, until people started moaning on the internet about how grassy it was and diverting the traffic away.

 nikoid 24 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

Hi Tom, 

I think for your first trip it would make sense to start on Fly Wall. It's less complicated than the other areas to locate the routes. As others have said you can waste a lot of time finding your route which can be frustrating until you get a feel for the place especially now the trees are in leaf!  There are routes that can be done as two pitches or run into one on Fly Wall. I have a spare old battered copy of the latest guide, if you pm me I'll send it to you if you like. It'll save you 25 quid.

 Chris Sansum 24 May 2019
In reply to Pero:

I like Original Route! Certainly more of an adventure than some routes, and you can feel you are on a big cliff, unlike eg Corner Buttress routes, which are like a series of individual routes separated by ledges.

 fred99 25 May 2019
In reply to nikoid:

> I think for your first trip it would make sense to start on Fly Wall. 

Except that if you look at Tom's profile you'll see that his best onsite and worked grades are VS. There's not a lot at Fly Wall below VS (to be precise 2 Hard Severes - Moth and Phoenix).

 nikoid 25 May 2019
In reply to fred99:

Aah, I must confess I didn't get as far as checking his logbook, he's still welcome to the guide though!

 GHawksworth 25 May 2019
In reply to Tom Gregory:

So, as expected on a forum, quite a bit of toing and froing on this thread.

Let me add my two cents to the original question;

Check out the climbers club "Lower Wye Valley" guidebook, and learn to read it. Once you get what it means by this rock or that tree, its super simple and hard to go wrong. e.g. Central Rib Route I (S 4a) "Approach from the cubic boulder, follow the path until you reach the wall, a few metres along to the right is a short scramble up to terrace. The start to this route is scratched on the rock." along the bottom of the crag (10-20m away from the wall), there's a flat path and, by an opening (sometimes referred to as the meadow), there's a boulder of roughly cubic shape and... you guessed it, a path to the rock face! A few metres is ~10m, not the enticing thing at 1-2m.

There is plenty to be done at the lower grades, I did exactly that the other day as moving together practice. The central rib routes are great with gear where you need it and not so much where you don't. Corner buttresses are much the same. There's also "the easy way down" which is just a load of big (0.5-1m) steps and could be fun to get up.

As for the polish... nothing major, big steps are shiny yet positive and the smaller holds still grippy.

I personally think this is one of the gems of the wye valley! Single and multi pitch at almost any grade with a nice setting.

PS check access notes on BMC if you want to get in via Woodcroft quarry (the best way in)


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