Baggy point from the air!
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Baggy point is a great little area, just 15 minutes easy walking along an easy track from a national trust car park.
Phill, Steve, James, Rich and Trevor walked in not making it further than the cafe 1 minutes from the car park overlooking Croyde beach. The weather was, as you would expect in August…………………poor!! The wind was up, the mizzle in and hopes for the day not great. The only solution that could be seen was TEA!
The cafe has a great view over Croyde beach and serves up some great ice creams with a dollop of Cornish cream. The floor of the cafe is covered in sand and serves up a great cream tea! After our fill of tea and coffee we were back off the sun was still hidden and the showers were drifting past.
climbing in two teams we went to work on Baggy, Steve Phill and Myslef with Trevor and Rich climbing together. The team of three started in good style……. with a cup of tea. Rich and Trevor warming up on one of the delightful routes on the seaward end of the promontory (main cliff). After a cuppa myself Steve and Phill climbed a lovely little route called In Marion’s eyes a VS5a. After another cupa Phill swanned his way up Marion a great little HS4b.
Rich and Trevor meanwhile were on their third route of the morning and looking slightly perplexed at my groups style of climbing, well the lack of climbing and amount of tea drinking!! However whilst Rich and Trevor stopped for a bit of lunch our team headed off for the classic Kinkyboots VS4c.
Steve was to say the least a little nervous, the descent not being the most straightforward and on seeing the start i think the term “O F*#ck”. Phill set of on pitch one in good form, he climbed the overlaps with ease and after a potter around the crag looking for the belay he finally found it (with a little direction from Trev). Steve and I followed across without the same amount of grace! Pitch two was down to myself, back in my comfort zone on a nice slab I made my way up.
The climbing was delightful with some great rock features on huge hollow flakes only a few cm thick. Not helped by the crowd which had gathered above me, the flock of black sheep had started to throw rocks down upon me! Upon nearing the top the attitude of the crag changes from almost solid rock to almost falling apart… Care is required although the climbing is straight forward the gear is 20ft below! I proceeded with care and 4ft from the top set a rock about the size of a bag of sugar down.
“BELOW” I watched as the rock bounced towards Seve and Phill. heading straight for their heads the rock deflected only feet from the pair tied into a small ledge. Unknown to myself however were three individuals coasteering below. A frantic shout from Phill and Steve and the block fell only feet away from a young lady stood below the crumbling cliff with no helmet on!
The belay is a typical north coast 2 stake wonder but the climb ended without further incident.
Whilst I was busy making Baggy point lower, Rich and Trevor were knocking routes out on a little climbed slab directly in font of the main face. The small slab is only accessible for a short amount of time either side of a low tide. the slab is steeper than its big brother but sports a delight of short pumpy routes. the belays on top are well…… interesting and require some thought, investigation and luck!
After a
