Wintour's Leap - photos

Chepstow Castle

Ali on the crux of the first pitch of Zelda (HS 4b)

Mike in his element; chillin' (literally with the weather that day) halfway up Zelda

Ali works out the crux, not too bad when you find the holds but horribly exposed and scary until you do!

Picnic time

Mike racing sunset up Fly Wall, The Split VS 5a.

I posted a video of our climbing trip to Wintour's Leap last week, but I promised Mike, Andy and Ali who I was climbing with I'd add some photos when I got chance. British inland limestone is, in my opinion at least, a bit crap in that way that lots of things you love about Britain are actually a bit crap (the weather, the seaside, the cafés, etc). Bits break off in your hands, it is slippy, vegetated and always seems to be covered in bird shit - but the cliff in its entirety is huge and imposing in a brooding way. Sitting above the tidal, lower reaches of the Wye River that forms the border between England and Wales, Wintour's forms a huge wall on the English side of the the river reminding you, like Chepstow Castle just a kilometre downstream, of when this was a very real border with military importance many centuries ago. Like so many places in the UK, it just drips history if you think about it. Anyway, it was a good day with great company; slippy, cold and bird-poo covered rock or not.