In reply to tonanf:
The stinking, grim guano could well be worse than any wet holds. It took several showers and a bath to divest myself of that Old Redoubt smell.
Given the stepped overhangs, most of it from leaving Moonraker to the second belay of bird-shite grimness should be reasonably dry. When we did it, it was hammering down when we started but we didn't feel a thing. We could only tell what was happening by the noise and looking at the surface of the sea.
PS - if you ab in have more fun by not bouncing in after the final lip and seeing how good your mate is at fishing (thankfully, my was good an expert caster and managed to catch the rope). Alternatively, just an straight into the sea for a quick pre-climb soak.
PPS - have even more fun by moving around at the first belay and seeing which bits of gear move the most. Someone I know is permanently scarred/scared from reaching the first belay exhausted, clipping into one of the belay cams to rest before tying in, which then popped and he plummeted 20ft beyond the apex of the Great Cave into the void. Apparently he didn't enjoy the ensuing prussik for some reason!
When my mate left the first belay he climbed straight over my head
"Don't fart", said I.
"I daren't for fear of the consequences" came his reply.
PPS - have yet even more fun by doing it on the day of a Napoleonic war re-enactment in the fort at the top. When the rifles started we thought we were being shot at by the gesturing eejits in their souped-up Chavskis below. But when the cannon started firing repeatedly, we thought the bleeding cliff was falling down around us! When we reached the top and walked through the first, we didn't know who was more surprised; us by the weirdos in their Napoleonic dress hiding behind walls and bushes pretending to fight some other weirdos in battle dress or them and the huge crowd of grockles by the guano-covered, stinking climbers who appeared from below and sauntered through the fort past the event commentator.
Have fun!
