Loose Living (III), Dover

Today was Kirill's first day climbing chalk so I thought we could try the Great Escape, a grade III climb described as 'straightforward and safe - for chalk' in the CC guide. We walked a long way North from the St Margaret's Bay car park before we located it. It turned out that the bottom of the route appeared to have fallen off.

I think this is the Great Escape. The bottom of the route has collapsed if it is
It was already 5pm and we needed a quick replacement. We opted for another grade III called 'Loose Living' that was close to the car park. The clue was in the title with regards what sort of climbing conditions were to be expected. The few patches of decent chalk near the start of the route quickly turned to choss chalk on the lower half of the climb. Higher up there were small bushes to clamber over and the top half of the route largely involved climbing loose turf and dirt rather than chalk. We disturbed a fox near the first belay, which gives some indication of the quality of the terrain. There was at least the stunning scenery of the white cliffs to keep us happy although it was dark by the time we did the top pitch.

Loose Living
At the second belay at dusk
Location: St Margarets Bay, Kent CT15, UK

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