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First Club meet of Summer Season, March 31st 2002 - Report Al Millar

It was a wile looking morning looking from my bedroom and not promising at all so much that it was tempting just to blag the whole thing but two cars left Derry anyway with Frazer, Donna, Stuart, Dave (My brother) and myself.

As we looked down from the hill top above Redcastle a massive shower was watering the soft green plains of Culdaff but on we continued to sit looking at Dunmore Head dolefully thinking about going home and not another climber in sight. Wise men.  Instead we called round to the Tees cottage to find everyone busy with  their boiled eggs. Alan, Margaret, Marty and an elderly relative who climbed a few harder routes later on. I haven’t had one of those in an eggcup for at least a decade.  They needed them after the hard mornings route cleaning they had had, not the late night of drunkenness I had at first suspected. 

Recollecting the grim state of Culdaff we late arrivals were taken on a tour of Bunagee and ended up at Brazil rock where dry rock and some young Tees-ses and friend were flying up things everywhere and so the older crowd too got down to business.  Bunratti Pillar, Broadbinns Emporium, Apex, The Hustler and Expertise, all received at least one ascent if not three or four and the sea breeze didn’t bring in any rain or even look as if it was going to in spite of the orchestra of cloud activity going on all around. There were belayers talking with each other at the top and resters lying on rucksacks at the bottom and ropes running inbetween. Tim had a great time following Apex and went bungy jumping several times while Donna puffed up Expertise and didn’t fall of when she might have. Alan was taking people up climbs all over the place and Marty relaxed at the bottom, decided which route he would go up next while Frazer and Dave climbed solidly all day. It was just good to be out of winter hibernation and on the cliffs properly again.

Towards evening the routing energy was sated and what better to finish the day than a quick run down to the new venue of Rubonid point. An excellent place to go and work of that last bit of energy bouldering or even just looking around at the potential for new climbs. As we walked down along the main cliff where there are only two climbs, put up by myself and Niall Grimes about ten years ago. I was reminded of that epic day when Grimer decided to try a steep cracked wall rising out of the sea and I belayed him from a ledge on one side. He set of purposefully only to slip a few seconds later, ripped the gear, catapulted past me, hit and skidded from a sloping ledge and landed in the water. Then sudden loud moaning and fearful pawing at the water, not because of the serious injury he sustained but because he is hydrophobic and because he had lost his glasses.  I can still see him taut on the rope lolling sadly in the water, out a certain dignity and an expensive pair of specs. A brave effort it goes without saying. 

 But then to the aspect of climbing not much practised in this part of the world, bouldering. John Doe the boulder problem not ascended in ten years. Marty and Alan left Stuart and Myself, Dave and Andrew to give it a good go but not succeed.