45m. Ride My Llama. E7 6a. 45m

To the right of Byzantium Wall is an undercut wall reminiscent (for those with an expansive imagination) of LPT, it’s even tidal!

Ride My Llama starts in the middle of the wall and has two blade pegs to protect the overhanging start. Above, the line follows an overhanging, and moderately terrifying, three-dimensional groove, running right to left, culminating at a wobbly pillar beside a brown overlap. The climb continues, almost direct, passing three small overlaps on the right of the pillar, and up the centre of the headwall, aiming slightly right for a large solid pocket, and a not so solid flake, high up. Overhanging moves from the top of the flake leads to the sanctity of flat ground.

Start, with a stretch, from two good holds beneath the pegs. Swing around and hopefully clip the first peg, (not tied off or pre-clipped on first ascent). A small gritstone-esq band can now be reached. A couple more moves enable the second peg to be clipped before a hard move, followed by difficult to spot, in-cut holds on the shelf, lead to solid bosses above the shelf. A pull left into the first of several overhanging grooves (microcam or small wire in groove) can now be made.

After the first overhanging groove, (peg and good gear a bit higher on the left) another overhang is carefully squirmed, leading into the long system that ends by the wobbly pillar. This section is not enamoured with an abundance of gear, but there is plenty once the top of the groove is reached.

Establish yourself on top of the wobbly pillar, good rest (don’t shuffle too much) before stepping right and bridging from the pillar and a block on the right, (the block looks like it has a limited lifespan, but is actually reasonably solid). Pull the bulge and overlap using brown and grey flatties, (this looks straight forward, but is quite awkward) to reach a good break beneath another small overlap. Pull this overlap, more awkwardness, and establish yourself on the left, (small cams beneath the overlap will be comforting as it’s the last gear for a while). Pull onto the headwall, and climb rightwards in the direction of a big pocket and flake near the top of the wall – this first section is bold, there is some fiddly gear in the middle of the wall, (the traverse line of The Three Dandy Scuttlers) but its pumpy to place. The gear improves and the climbing eases with height. From the pocket/flake, (good rest) climb the flake and a couple of overhanging moves to reach the top.

Nick Bullock, Mick Lovatt 15/Apr/2021.

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