Gola Island Camping Trip

Well, if no-one else is going to do it then I suppose I'd better provide a report! Unfortunate that I don't have a guide book so can't provide the names of the climbs - you could check with Andy (McInroy), since he has a guide.

Undaunted by forecasts of gales and high seas we arrived at Bunbeg harbour, and set sail for Gola in a flotilla of two. The sea, as it turned out, was flat calm, apart from the odd tidal wave created by Wild Bill's sea-going Ferrari.

While Pete and Bill took on the childminding duties at the beach, the rest of us (Frankie, Duncan, Andy, Anthony, Ben, Psyclone and myself) headed like lemmings to the cliffs. The rain held off just long enough to ensure maximal soaking, as the routes turned into miniature waterfalls. We spent a while shivering until the weather cleared and we managed another route or two - including a Hard Severe in the Hidden Zawn (can someone provide a name for this route please??) with an unsettling start about 25 feet up on a ledge. Frankie had said it was spectacular - I should have known better. Basically it scared the crap out of me, but it was a nice climb and an even nicer feeling to get off the ledge in an upward direction. Just to prove what a lily-livered lot the rest of us were, Frankie, Duncan and Andy finished the day dangling in an intimate threesome from a hanging belay before cruising up the VS with their usual style. The evening celebrations were marked by the customary dancing naked round the campfire (ha ha you missed that bit didn't you!) and we passed a peaceful night until a bunch of drunken huers returned from the disco at 4 am.

All in all, a good trip, and a challenging introduction to climbing for Ben. And thanks again to Captain McCloskey for seeing us safely back to dry land.