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“We really must do Blue Sky - the 3 star, 2 pitch classic VS at Saddle Head”, says I.
So, we turned up in the morning on an incoming neap tide with high water due around 13:40hrs – clearly not the time to abseil into Blue Sky, but we knew that. Plenty of time to tick off a few warm up routes off the non-tidal ledge – beautiful!
Now, picture the scene. Come mid-afternoon the tide was very much on the ebb, so nothing for it but to get that ab line down and do the business. We knew it was a neap tide so the platform from where the first pitch truly starts was never going to be exposed, but if you read the guide books, they all say you can ab down to a ledge about 5m above the high tide line and not take anything away from the whole experience – there, what could possibly go wrong!
The first pitch is described in the guide book as following the corner from the platform (or 5m ledge in this case) then moving right on to a wall to a cave and ledge stance – VS4a. Having spoken to some lads earlier in the day after they topped out on Blue Sky, I followed their beta and threw the ab rope down the left hand side (looking out to sea) of the buttress, as they said you abseil past the first stance. Well, I don’t know if we were just too far left or what, and I did ab past a small cave and ledge stance to what could, I guess, be euphemistically described as a ledge above high water line, but the first pitch that followed was not as described nor was it anywhere near VS4a!
Having got down to the aforementioned un-ledge (I did manage to place one No.3 nut to attach the belayer) – not before noticing, as I was abseiling, that the end of the rope was drifting a good 15m out to sea. So I dragged it out of the water before it could get itself wrapped around any submerged rocks and continued to abseil with one hand whilst holding and paying out soggy coils of rope with the other! I radioed to Christina that the ab line was free. Walkie-talkies on sea cliffs – an absolute flippin’ god send I tell ya. Christina started abbing down and as she did so the ebbing neap tide decided it wanted to have some fun with us and push the waves just that little bit higher up the cliff - resulting in the inevitable salt water rinse – 3 times!! You look like King Canute – or at least that’s what it sounded like Christina was saying to me, but with all the noise from the seas crashing around and below us it was difficult to be certain!
Christina got half way between the espied cave and ledge stance and a slightly damp around the edges Ian before making the decision that further descent was inadvisable. Trouble is, the foot ledge she was dangling near was not suitable as a belay - a sloping ledge and bulging wall coupled with only one piece of protection. So, I decided to climb up to Christina without placing gear but using a sling prusik round the ab rope as my leader placed protection.* Fortunately the climbing was pretty straightforward so I was soon standing next to Christina, whereupon, as Fagin would say, we reviewed the situation. Having reviewed, it was decided that this really wasn’t a good place to set up a dodgy belay! So, Christina stayed where she was connected to a No.6 nut and the abseil rope whilst I transferred my prusik to the ab rope above her and carried on climbing using the ab rope as pro. I carried on climbing, that is until prevented by an absolutely desperate move out of a lovely secure corner onto a wall to the right – gotta be British 5b/5c in anyone’s money! I know that because I was unable to make the move without pulling the prusik really tight and hand over handing up the ab rope for a few feet – horrible! Not to mention the admiring audience from their nice dry, flat, non-tidal ledge round the corner – no round of applause though ☹. Anyway, I had got to the cave and ledge area we passed on the abseil down, which now seemed very small for 2 people and 2 ropes. But, this is where we would have to stay as Christina would have to follow the line of the abseil rope, due to the fact that I would be belaying her on said rope - yes, we still hadn’t flaked out the climbing ropes at this stage. I managed to find two OK gear placements to anchor myself, flake out the rope I was carrying (what a relief to finally get that weight off my back) and tie myself onto the climbing end. All went well until Christina reached the horrible move right. Bear in mind that not only was Christina climbing with 50m of 8.6mm rope tied to her back, she was also tied in along the ab rope as the loose end was soaking wet, so she had the added weight of several metres of 10.5mm sports rope hanging off her waist loop! Not only was it a horrible, difficult move, but I couldn’t take her on a tight rope as it would pull her away from the corner. Eventually, after much investigation of alternatives, Christina stepped out of the corner on to as tight a rope as I could reasonably give her and by a process of combined tactics (including huffing and swearing) she arrived at the ‘stance’ – and was able to sit in the small cave to regain some composure!
After a little breather we flaked out the second rope, much to Christina’s relief, tied on, and I set off to find the second pitch. I was not sure that the stance we were at was the correct one, so I moved up and left of our stance to a much larger, and I have to say more people friendly, cave and ledge stance – damn! The route went up the corner from this stance then right across a short wall under some overhangs. Looking up at the rightwards traverse from the stance, the angle of viewing makes it look desperate, but once there, it is an absolute gem. A flake running at hand height with positive holds all the way along it’s length, coupled with a fantastic break at foot height (suitable for the tall or the vertically challenged) made this one of the most pleasant traverses I have ever come across – the only trouble being that it was over all too quickly. On exiting the traverse, you are right out there on the arête enjoying the most stunning climbing position with easy, protectable climbing to finish. A pitch that deserves all of the 3 stars it is rightly given. If the second pitch is as good as this what must the correct first pitch be like?
The belay was easy – just use the ab rope anchors! So I made safe and radioed down to Christina to start climbing.
“ Shall I pull the ab rope up to this stance?” asked Christina
“ No, there are a couple of girls wanting to use it while we finish climbing.” Replied Ian
“Ooh, hang on, where does this go?” said Girl 1
“Down to Blue Sky.” I replied
“ Oh, no, I don’t want to do Blue Sky” said Girl 2 running away!
By which time Christina had begun climbing, so the ab rope was left hanging and coiled in a nice neat pile (we hoped!) way down at the first un-ledge I was at about 2.5 hours ago! Christina made short work of the fabulous pitch - for those that know Christina prepare to be shocked – she enjoyed the traverse!! – and appeared on the arête wearing that smile that only a happy climber can wear.
As Christina started sorting out the climbing ropes, I stayed anchored in and began tentatively pulling up the abseil rope. I knew I had untied the stopper figure of eight so that wouldn’t catch on any rock. All was going to plan until ………. uh-oh resistance, the rope is stuck! If only those girls had got their bearings upon arrival and I hadn’t stopped Christina from pulling it up to the first stance. Luckily, letting out a bit of slack and gently teasing it back up, the rat’s nest responsible for the scare appeared, swiftly followed by the end of the rope and the end of our Pembroke adventure.
Fun and adventurous as it was, half a route is not the full tick, so we’ll be back! Not so much sayonara Aozora (goodbye Blue Sky) as Ciel à bientôt Bleu (until we meet again Blue Sky!)
* Editor’s note: Ian is well aware that a prusik isn’t safe in the case of a fall onto it. So, if you didn’t know that, please don’t get the idea that it’s a recommended method of self-protection. If, on the other hand, you did, then you’ll know that it’s up to you to weigh-up the pros and cons according to the particular case.
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