The Rucksack Club

The Fall

The Fall   In West Cornwall, the morning of Sunday 4th July 2021 dawned grey, dull and misty, not looking good for the climbing day we had planned. However, the forecast was for ‘improving later’, so we decided to have a look. The drive from my place to the main climbing areas of Penwith takes around 45 minutes, give or take. By the time we got to Penzance things were looking up, so we decided to go and climb on the black stuff at a crag called Trewellard, in the heart of the St Just mining district.   I had been climbing regularly in recent years, although, for various reasons, not as regularly as I would have liked. The previous winter I had trained hard, lost weight, got stronger and fitter and kicked off the climbing year in good style. I should point out that, then and now, I am operating firmly in the lower grades, leading up to Severe and occasionally seconding to VS. My teenage son Dylan, who was with me, had been climbing for about four years. We were feeling good and we were up for it, looking forward to a good season.   The approach to[…]

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The Fall

The Fall In West Cornwall, the morning of Sunday 4th July 2021 dawned grey, dull and misty, not looking good for the climbing day we had planned. However, the forecast was for ‘improving later’, so we decided to have a look. The drive from my place to the main climbing areas of Penwith takes around 45 minutes, give or take. By the time we got to Penzance things were looking up, so we decided to go and climb on the black stuff at a crag called Trewellard, in the heart of the St Just mining district.   I had been climbing regularly in recent years, although, for various reasons, not as regularly as I would have liked. The previous winter I had trained hard, lost weight, got stronger and fitter and kicked off the climbing year in good style. I should point out that, then and now, I am operating firmly in the lower grades, leading up to Severe and occasionally seconding to VS. My teenage son Dylan, who was with me, had been climbing for about four years. We were feeling good and we were up for it, looking forward to a good season.   The approach to the[…]

Read more