A good old fashioned captain around... and a nice surprise!!

Had a day at Bonehill Rocks on Dartmoor today. We got up early and Jeeka kindly drove the two hours from our place in Penzance, through Plymouth and on to the Dartmoor National Park. I hadn't expected much from the park itself but was wrong to doubt it. Its a gorgeous place of thatched cottages, wild ponies and peak after peak of granite tors piercing the skyline. Bonehill is described as the Plantation or Cuvier of Dartmoor but we must have passed half a dozen other venues on the way.

After the very little bouldering I have been doing, I was looking to just get involved with a new venue, a new rock type and just gauge just how fat and weak I have become. Font is not far away now and I am determined to make more of it than I did of Albarracin.

I started with the warm up circuit and quickly got psyched for the rock. A really, really coarse granite with huge sharp crystals embedded in it. Hardly font sandstone but it makes nice rounded, gritstone like features. The Cube boulder is a real gem, a square block with problems on all sides and a flat landing. It reminded me of Widdop. I climbed a number of problems up to V2 but struggled to even pull on to a V3. Gutted, I moved on and resolved myself to a good old fashioned captain around. I climbed another four or five easy problems and started to feel properly warm. I flashed a nice blunt nose type V3 and got a little more psyched. I went straight back to the V3 I couldn't do and did it first go, more psyched. I moved round to try the classic Cube Arete V4 (see picture) and did this in four goes, super psyched.

Feeling a bit better about myself, I went to look at the other classic V4 but was de-psyched by the harsh landing and no spotter. By the time I had done a few more easy problems and Greg's Dyno V3, Jeeka was back from her pregnant bumble and the rain was starting so we packed it up and went to the Eden Project.

So, all in all a good morning at a quality new venue. I was, unfortunately, both fat and weak but did manage a V4 in under six goes which was pleasing considering how little I have been climbing. I have sent plans for my moon board to the joiner and will be expecting a quote soon. Just got to buy a load of holds and set some problems. Pete - psyched for a day problem setting?