Crag of the month - January 2003
Crag of the month - January 2003 |
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St Margaret’s Bay, Dover |
Crag of the Month Index | |
OK, not quite your regular crag, but it does provide an excellent, all be it, esoteric venue for climbing all year round, especially when you want to get a bit of practice in before the winter conditions hit Scotland.
These are large chalk cliffs ranging from 40 to 70m in height. Routes range from a couple of grade IIIs through to some fairly gripping grade Vs and VIs.
St Margaret's Bay, looking east. (Ross Jones)
Some of the routes can be found in the Southern Sandstone, published by the Climbers Club. More recent information can be found on the web and some routes haven’t yet made it into the guide, whilst others have fallen down before they were written up!
Climbs can be reached from the car park at St Margaret’s Bay (TR369445) and are between a 5 and 30 minute walk along the cliffs at low tide. The state of the tide is important here as you will be cut off at high tide and will need to be off the ground before it reaches the bottom of the cliff.
The access situation will always be a sensitive issue here and the National Trust do not encourage climbing, so a low profile and a considerate approach is essential.
Dover is too far away I hear you protest! Well a weekend trip is very easy - check the tides and book a cheap flight to Luton or Stansted well in advance and confirm the hire car a couple of days beforehand when you are certain the weather will be good and you are away.
You will need a rack of 8 to 10 warthogs and a couple of ice screws. Make sure the bolts on your axes are tightened before you set off as your axes do take a fair pounding. Mono-points also make foot placements easier. You should also carry a lump hammer, as this is easier for placing warthogs and reduces the battering that your axe receives. Stakes are useful for some belays at the top.
In the summer don’t forget to take some water - it can get really quite hot up there! Ice creams are also available from the café at the car park!
It is customary to phone the Coast Guard and advise them that you will be climbing and where before you climb and when you will be off. You should phone them again when you are safely up to prevent starting a full scale rescue. They do appreciate being kept informed, even if they are a little bemused by the desire to climb here.
It is useful to take a mobile phone with international access, so that in the event that the climbing takes a little longer than expected - the Coast Guard don’t send in the cavalry. You will only get French reception due to the cliffs. A head torch in winter months is also useful!!
When climbing here watch out for people on the beach below you, there is sometimes a complete lack of comprehension from members of the public that they are in danger from chalk falling on them!
There are occasional comments about the destructive nature of ice-style climbing, however, the number of ascents remains low and the impact is small compared to the action of the sea on an unstable rock.
I have climbed all the routes included here. They are listed from Kingsdown southwards to the St Margaret’s Bay area.
The Great Escape 40m III
A fine route on good chalk, although a positive approach is required to surmount the slightly undercut base of the route. Once you’ve pulled through this it becomes a grand rightwards rising traverse to the belay. A good route to start out on and one that doesn’t take too long.
Photos
Rampant Erosion 55m V, 4
A well named route that requires a solid constitution to reach the top. The route climbs a leftward slanting ramp, which looks quite straightforward from below, however much of the ramp consists of large plates of poorly attached chalk making protection and climbing difficult. The second pitch is 48m and the second should belay well out of the way of the ramp.
The Real White Cliffs Experience 120m IV, 3
A classic route that trends rightwards up the cliff to a man-made tube at the top. The top pitch has frequently been top roped.
The Real White Cliffs Experience - Oliver Dewhirst on the second
pitch (RJ)
In To The Groove 75m V
Another big day out - the top pitch feels quite exposed despite being in a left facing groove due to the vertical nature of the climbing and less than solid feel to the climbing.
More Neck Than Simon Ballentine 70m IV, 5
An excellent outing to the right of an arête visible from the car park. The final moves proving the steepest climbing. The direct start to the route fell down a couple of years ago, only a year after it was put up, but this has not impacted the original route that comes in from the right.
Photos
View of the a section of the cliffs north of St Margaret's Bay
- More Neck Than Simon Ballentine takes the central face (RJ)
Loose Living 70m III
This route is not technically hard, but consists to a mixture of unconsolidated chalk and greenery which is difficult to protect and has seen some damage from a slip at the bottom. Walk on by.
Global Warning 70m V, 5
A stunning first pitch up an almost vertical wall of chewy chalk just north of the buildings and before the first groyne. A second vegetated pitch follows up easier ground to a third pitch with good moves onto a ramp and slight chimney with hard chalk for the final 10 m. Unrepeated to date and unfortunately the first pitch has seen some tide damage.
Dry Ice 55m V/VI
This used to be graded III, but the bottom of the route has been ripped out by the tide, pushing the grade up to nearer V/VI. Above the initial overhang the route becomes a fine walk up bucket steps from the traffic over the years. When Fowler, Watts and Myers first climbed this they attracted the unwanted attention of the coastguard and television camera crews! They were also wearing flares!
Photo