{"id":28,"date":"2026-07-26T10:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T10:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mikecaine.im\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2026-07-31T11:53:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T11:53:25","slug":"climbing-introduction","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mikecaine.im\/index.php\/climbing-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Climbing Introduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Manx Fell & Rock Club \u00b7 Guide<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Rock Climbing in\n the Isle of Man<\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sea-cliff climbing on Manx slate \u2014 an introduction to the background, the history, the geology and the practicalities of getting on and off the rock.<\/p><\/div><\/header>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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01<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Background<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Isle of Man is not normally associated with rock climbing, and indeed developments on the island have consistently lagged behind those in Britain. To some extent the poor quality of some of the rock is to blame, but the main reason is the infrequency and irregularity with which strong climbing teams have operated here. These factors have led to stop\u2013start development and a bias towards traditional climbing values. Most routes have been led on sight with no preparation, though a few have required gardening in advance.<\/p>

In recent years a number of higher grade climbs have been recorded, though still nothing above E3. There is potential for harder lines, but invariably these will need extensive cleaning before the first ascent. In some areas there is a quantity of unsound rock. Pegs and bolts have been used infrequently, but a place still exists for their use, especially bolts on certain main belays. Many areas offer scope for eliminate and semi-eliminate lines between existing routes.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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02<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Historical notes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The author would like to acknowledge the contribution of previous guide book writers, whose notes are included below.<\/p>

  1. 1955 guide<\/span><\/h3>

    Edited by J W Caine<\/p>

    Rock climbing for the utilitarian purpose of collecting eggs has long been known on the Isle of Man. Rock climbing as a sport may be said to date from Dr A W Kelly’s ascent of the Sugarloaf, solo, in 1933. The next climbs on record came in 1949, some 16 years later, when K R R Wilson made four short climbs on Langness. These first enthusiasts seemed easily discouraged by the scarcity of climbing rock, for after their first brief explorations their interest waned.<\/p>

    The great wave of discovery began in early 1953 with F Sharples’ ascent of Cluggid Original. Later that year W J H West and J W Caine formed a climbing partnership, added the Cluggid Groove and Bulgham Slabs to their list, and paved the way for the Manx Fell and Rock Club to come into being. This club, led by W J H West, opened up the Chasms Face, making six new climbs there, including the spectacular, severe West’s Route. This was the chimney and gully era of Manx climbing.<\/p>

    The summer of 1954 saw the second ascent of the Sugarloaf by messrs West, Kelly and Byrne, and the addition of four climbs at the Sloc.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

  2. 1972 guide<\/span><\/h3>

    Edited by G Gartrell<\/p>

    Climbing survived until 1960 when West left for North America and the Manx Fell and Rock Club went into hibernation. Activity recommenced when Geof Gartrell moved to the island in 1970 and visitors began bringing climbing gear on the chance that someone knew where to climb. New routes were established at the rate of over thirty in eighteen months, mostly carrying on the tradition of short climbs. G Gartrell opened up two new major areas with Maughold Head and Pistol Castle.<\/p>

    R B Evans came over in early 1972 to sketch the crags and was impressed with the potential for VS climbing, which resulted in an Easter visit by a strong Liverpool team: S M Thomas, W Cheverst and J Watson. Despite atrocious weather they ascended Mylrea and most of Xanadu at the Chasms, two routes destined to become classics.<\/p><\/div><\/li>

  3. 1983 guide<\/span><\/h3>

    Edited by Ron Yuen and Miles Peters<\/p>

    Following Geof’s departure another short period of inactivity was broken by the arrival of Ron Yuen in 1977. Assisted by Keith Sutcliffe and Chris Bennett, this trio set about developing the island’s potential. Many new crags were discovered, new lines filled in on existing crags, and the number of worthwhile routes multiplied tenfold. The crags at Peel, Aldrick, Blackhead, the Chasms (West) and Staiden were all discovered in the period 1977\u20131982.<\/p>

    Since the last guide book there has been a steady increase of new routes, many of which are in the HVS and E grades, complementing the overall increased standard of the climbers.<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    03<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Geological notes<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Practically all the sea-cliff climbing is on rock of the Manx Slate series. These are not true slates, but a mixture of slate, flags and grits, with numerous quartzite veins and mineral intrusions. The original sedimentary rocks have been subjected to several periods of tectonic activity from at least three different directions, with the result that the existing rocks are very highly contorted, fractured and faulted.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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    04<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Tidal access\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Although almost all the climbing in the Isle of Man is on sea-cliffs, there are surprisingly few tidal access problems. Of the most important areas the worst affected are Fenella Beach at Peel, Port Erin bay, and odd routes at Dhoon, Kione-ny-Ghoggan and Maughold. Most sea-level traverses are possible even at high tide provided there is no sea running.<\/p>

    (T)<\/span><\/strong>Route affected by the tide<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/span>(TL)<\/span>Possible at low tide only<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    05<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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    Accidents and rescue<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    There are very few climbers about and the coastal crags are relatively deserted and inaccessible. It is strongly recommended that before all outings a third party is advised of the proposed climbing area and return time. Should an accident occur it could be a long time before you are found unless someone knows that you are missing and where to start looking.<\/p>

    1. 01<\/span>Dial 999<\/span><\/li>
    2. 02<\/span>Tell the operator you want cliff rescue<\/span><\/li>
    3. 03<\/span>Give the telephone number shown on the phone<\/span><\/li>
    4. 04<\/span>Wait for the emergency service to answer<\/span><\/li>
    5. 05<\/span>Give the location where help is needed<\/span><\/li><\/ol>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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      A word of caution<\/span><\/h2>

      Rock climbing can be a dangerous sport and this guide is not intended to take the place of climbing lessons and experience, much less common sense. If you are not experienced then go with an experienced partner. If you are experienced then do not surrender your judgment to anything contained in this guide.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Manx Fell & Rock Club \u00b7 Guide Rock Climbing in the Isle of Man Sea-cliff climbing on Manx slate \u2014 an introduction to the background, the history, the geology and the practicalities of getting on and off the rock. 01 Background The Isle of Man is not normally associated with rock climbing, and indeed developments […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nClimbing Introduction - Mike's Test Page<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mikecaine.im\/index.php\/climbing-introduction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Climbing Introduction - 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