Cosmic County climbing

By Sunday morning the winds had eased, and with the sun out in full force it was time for some climbing! We drove out to Bells Line of Road and threaded our way between some rural houses until we reached a clearing we began our trek to the cliffs. We followed the track through scrub and along an old fire trail until we reach our objective. At some stage we passed over a train tunnel and could hear trains go by now and then.

We stopped at 'Memory Lane' wall where the routes were a mixture of carrot bolts and cracks / pockets for trad gear.

I warmed up on 'Barefoot in the Head' (21) which was a thin and committing climb. It was very fiddly trying to place gear in the tiny pockets and seams but I eventually topped out.

My next climb was 'The 80 Minute Hour' (18) which was an easy climb on the nearby arete. Quite pleasant and protection was easy to find.

The nearby 'Walking Wounded' (23) caught my interest, described in the 2015 Blue Mountains Guide as a climb for aspiring 'Hard Men'. Although consulting thecrag.com database later it stated 'Not what it once was' due to rebolting the original route.

It still gave me a hard time, but I managed to eventually string the moves together to reach the anchors. Back on the ground the adrenaline kept going and I had the shakes for a little while, but I belayed Brendan on the same climb while he gave it his best.

After that the group packed up and we walked out a different way, along the cliff tops which afforded a spectacular view of the surrounding area. More golden sun showering the magnificent rock, a very nice way to end the day and the weekend.

More photos here here