Exciting times on Lundy if you like clinging to sheer rock faces, hanging above precarious ledges or laughing in the face of gravity. The climbing season is right around the corner, so I decided to head up to Devils slide and give it a go.
Devils slide is widely regarded as the most popular route on Lundy; it remains open for climbing all year as it’s not suitable for birds nesting. It’s essentially a sheer granite slab on a “generous” angle that allows climbing that’s not too strenuous on the arms. It’s also one of the original climbing routes on the island; I wasn’t going alone though and a whole team of climbers from Southampton climbing club joined me out on the rock.
Southampton Climbing Club
The first thing to note about climbing on Lundy is that you’re normally starting with an abseil, I’ve climbed a fair amount from my time up in North Wales, but it was good to be around experienced climbers who helped refresh my very rusty knot tying abilities.
The whole experience took around 4 hours from abseiling, to taking time on belaying other climbers up and with three separate pitches to overcome. Overall, it was a success, I did unfortunately drop my Belay device though... One of those slow-motion moments where you just watch it disappear. Fortunately, another climber managed to find it and bring it up to me, saving me a little embarrassment.
Southampton Climbing Club
At the top I was ready for a break, it was hot and humid on the slope and luckily, we’d all brought snacks and drinks. At this point I did thank my former self for haribo purchasing and bagging an extra flapjack.
After that, it was time for a catchup online with the Seal Research Trust, we’re working closely with them to get ready for the upcoming seal pupping season. The pups will soon be arriving on the beaches and we'll be monitoring their success rate along with naming the new individuals. Seals have unique patterns like our fingerprints, once they loose their fluffy pup fur, we can name them depending on recognisable shapes on their skin. If anyone is interested in Seals or Seal research, I’d highly recommend reaching out to them Seal Research Trust
The day ended with a refreshing swim down in the landing bay where we were checked out by a roaming Fulmar which repeatedly dived us to see what we were up to before heading up the island. Other birds spotted included a juvenile Peregrine, Grey Heron and a Buzzard that's a little lost but still hanging around the interior.
Big thanks to all the members of Southampton Climbing Club!