Muchalls DWS fun Chapter I

While we were developing the boudering around Muchalls a few years back, we contemplated the possibilities of some DWS in the Grim Hole. All you can see of the left wall is apotentially blank looking face to an arete, whereafter lurks the unknown a blank section on the map emblazoned with the words "Here be Dragons" . In my mind it was a scary place, greasy, blank, seeping, with loose rock and lurking boulders below the surface of the sea, mines placed defensively against fragile bodies plunging into the unknown.

One rare hot summer afternoon, I got hold of neighbour Scott Muir, and asked if he fancied heading down the cliffs for a swim. My shoulder was still in recovery, so I figured a bit of swimming would do it some good. Scott, ever keen, was up for it, so we headed down and donned full wetsuits, hoods, gloves and fins. The Grim Hole seemed a logical starting point, so we took the plunge at the entrance. A few days of calm hot weather had allowed the water to clear, revealing very little in the way of hazards, and as we swam into the arch I gazed upwards at the walls. The rock looked excellent, but greasy. Not a lot of holds, but what was there whispered suggestions in my ear, possibilities luring like a siren's song. At the end of the "blank" wall and just around the arete was a nice comfy ledge above sea level. A liferaft floating in a sea of verticality. After that there were a few easy ledges, then a low exit arch to the safety and security of the light on the seaward side. And, more importantly, deep boulderless water throughout. At the seaward side is a natural divingboard, and we couldn't resist launching off it into the deep, enjoying the spa bath sensation of bubbles all around when we surfaced. On the opposite wall are high ledges, and we both committed to launching off these, each higher one giving confidence, and the chance to disengage the brain for a second before launching. After a swim to the seastack and back, I had to have a go at traversing the wall and seeing If I could unlock the secrets. In wet wetsuit, chalkless and in toeless old rockshoes I set off. A row of good handholds carried me most of the way across the wall, desperately wanting chalk on the rough but greasy rock. Small waterworn but frictiony edges offering some relief from arms not used to hanging on so hard. The row of holds continued across the wall, but seemed to fade to sloping greasiness above a roof. Here there is a temping looking footledge lower down, so a couple of balancy downclimbing moves, overgriping annd scratching with toes brought temporary relief. At this point there is a small jutting roof, with good holds if you can find them. Here i realised the folly of the wet fulllength wetsuit. Now nicely saturated with water, gravity was taking it's toll, and the water was seeping out the legs, down the ankles, and soaking the shoes from heel to toe, as well as the holds I was resting on. Time to move on, to success or disaster. It didn't take long. A step down and across onto a smear with wet rockshoes was too much for tis dicy gamble with the laws of phsics, so time for the plunge! The security of the liferaft would have to wait for now.