Day out - Swanage

Yesterday we made the 2.5 hour trip to Swanage, on the Dorset coast to do some sight-seeing and climbing on the sea cliffs. This largely trad-climbing area, ie no fixed bolts, and with access only by abseiling down to just above sea-level.

This means that taking kids is a little more complicated as it is far better to have children running around below the cliffs than above them.

This is above the cliffs

I wasn't able to get many pictures of the actual climbing as the logistics of getting Emily tied in on the cliff edge was to much of challenge.

This is what is over the edge

I dropped an ATC device over here - fortunately it didn't hit Annalise below and Emily could give me her one.

Now she is happy - although a few minutes previously she was shouting from the bottom trying to make herself heard over the crashing waves.

After we had climbed enough we explored Swanage and took an impromptu boat trip to examine the cliffs from below.

This is a view from the sea. This is not that same cliffs we were on as these have nesting birds using them and thus they have climbing restrictions during summer months. Note the lines on the cliff run horizontal and then vertical - a result of plate techtonics.

The rest of the pictures from the day are here