UKH

Hi Folks

I'm taking my school climbing club to Symonds Yat this weekend and it's looking wet and cold. I know where the good group climbing section is at the very end of the crag and have used it a few times. 

Does anyone know the best places to set up a good (SPA remit) abseil are?

All help appreciated, thanks.

To be honest, I don't think anywhere there is particularly suitable. Muddy/slippery tops, long walk-around etc etc. Not a place I'd chose to take a group abseiling really (not the best for group climbing either).

I agree. The slippery/muddy top is a dreadful place for novices.

I never liked it, and this feeling was reinforced when my climbing partner, Simon, who was an experienced climber, sadly slipped and fell to his death there after completing a climb.

Stony Green (CC Symonds Yat guide page 247) may be worth considering. However, when this was written eight years ago there was talk of a restricted access regime; I do not know whether this has materialized. The main disadvantage is that there is room for only one group at a time. 

I would agree with the sentiment regarding the mud, I was there earlier in the year and access was fairly treacherous even though it was dry. We did consider abseiling into the climbs we fancied rather than walking to the bottom.

D.

Whilst there's nowhere ideal, there is a place on New Orleans Buttress, I think between Mississippi (D) and Baton Rouge (VS 4b) which I've used in the past. It avoids any existing climbs and doesn't have any ledges etc as far as I remember. Worth checking out in advance though. There's a handful of easier routes nearby too.

I personally would say that the Yat is good for groups if you control the risks and choose the right area. For example in some locations you could have your party wait on the safe side of the fence and have them belayed before they step over it.

Locations I recommend; the wall left (as you look up) of needle rock gully, you can set up solid anchors on the trees behind the fence, the cave provides an added excitement for adventurous groups. To the right bannister and arch wall are also good candidates with solid rock, a cave to shelter your group in and easy access to rig ropes by soloing needle rock gully, out of sight of the group.

Nansen corner and crack are if I remember rightly good but check that as I can't remember where the fence is.

Far South Buttress also has a flat top out area and safe and short walk to the top and bottom. I have seen groups there often but yellow grip road was loose if I remember rightly.

Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted maybe abseil it yourself to check for loose rock etc before committing a group.

I would avoid the 'introductory rocks' area as the top outs here are often appalling.

At this time of year the ground surface will be awful at the Yat.

Not only that but the footwear the schoolkids will wear will pick up the mud and make them very unsure  and slide about - particularly bad at the beginning when their boots are at their muddiest, and they are furthest from the ground and at their most scared/worried. They will then leave a chunk of the mud smeared all over the rock as they descend.

Somewhere with a drier top/bottom would be much better.

Castle Rock at Bishops Cleve comes to mind - stakes as belay points at the top, a rock surface at the top, and a reasonable surface at the bottom, along with an easy (and safe !) way to walk around form top to bottom and vice versa.

However I would defer to locals if they disagree with this location as a suggestion.

I wouldn't go to Castle Rock at Cleeve for a group abseil - there's lots of loose rock at the top. Stony Green is probably the best bet for an abseil only venue, but make sure you check it out first.

Andy