Chudleigh 26th May

On Tuesday the sun was still shining down south so Ellen and I had a days climbing at Chudleigh in Devon. The crag gets some bad press due to polish and the odd bit of vegetation but there are some fantastic technical routes there which are well worth a visit. We climbed Great Western, a VS 5a but it could well deserve HVS. The first pitch encompasses some balancy slab climbing as well as a more strenuous traverse. Then the crux 2nd pitch requires a tricky mantleshelf/rockover move to be performed in some steep teritory. Sadly the last pitch is a little loose and a bit of a jungle. It might have been better, although less ecologically sensitive, to abseil off the tree belay after the crux.

The crux pitch of Great Western VS 5a at Chudleigh