Britain's Best: A Dream of White Horses

[@ukclimbingofficial]

What's at the top of your Wishlist for 2025?

[@TradDad1]

Double Diamond, Hvs 5b *** Lundy island Amongst a plethora of others 😊

[@ukclimbingofficial]

That is a truly magnificent route. Spectacular to not only climb, but to look at too - it’s a gorgeous feature.

[@robertpeters5278]

As I am in my seventies, anything at all. And most definitely as a second not lead climb.

[@TradDad1]

​@@ukclimbingofficialSeptember can't come quick enough.

[@Grimytherunner]

"what the British Isles has that is arguably most unique and most special" ... a load of old blokes in Sheffield just shed a tear for the grit 💔

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Don't get me wrong, I love the Grit, but sea cliffs are (in my completely biased opinion) something even more special...

[@86sscj86]

I’m one of those old Sheffield blokes!

[@Coolcmsc]

Me to, so is Rab… 😂

[@simplycatsvets]

Magical, place, climb and video. we did this many years ago and in the same period met and talked to Ed Drummond the first ascensionist. A complicated, driven character but what vision in 1968 and to set out in those conditions with lots of white horses, for the first ascent. Carry on the video series showcasing the best of UK Trad. I now have a second bucket list of routes I need to go back and repeat!!

[@mjt4577]

Great video. I did question my life choices as I talked Jesse down the initial scramble to get to the abseil! It'd been on our list for years, finally I plucked up the courage to go and have a bash. Swinging leads, I got to the belay before the last pitch. Looking across, I was hoping for a more obvious line, but it is anything but obvious. Was this a step too far... sending the blind guy first on his least favourite climbing style - traversing...on a line I couldn't pick out, and with holds I couldn't see from the belay. Armed with this info (the fact that I couldn't provide much guidance) and undeterred, he set off. An afternoon I'll never forget, watching him pick his way across by feel alone, move by move so calm and controlled. In my opinion, it's right up there with one of his most impressive non-sights.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

This is amazing Molly and - as always - completely mind blowing. That final pitch is pretty unobvious upon first acquaintance, but becomes more obvious once you’re on it; however, that is assuming you can see it, which Jesse can’t 🤯

[@davemorriss2552]

Brings back great memories of climbing it over 30 years ago, great video.

[@dreamscuba]

Great video. This really brings me back to when I climbed this about 30 years ago. Such a spectacular setting. It was heralded in my climbing club as a must climb. I am so glad I was able to climb it when I did. I think I ended up leading all the pitches, certainly all the difficult ones. Not sure how/why that happened.

[@barrythomas1336]

Climbed it in the 70's and repeated it mentally watching this - very pleasant.

[@nsiepmann]

Please never stop this series! I'm already keen to explore trad, but videos like this that showcase routes that I can realistically aspire to one day are so important to keeping the psyche up!

[@carldowd406]

Great route, climbed it in 1981 during my OAI course whilst based at Llanwrst, awesome entry, fantastic situational climbing... Top route!

[@mdezeeuw6684]

We were there 3 years ago with some Dutch climbers. Because of the weather we went to Holyhead mountain. We will be back to experience our dreams: Dream of White Horses. Thanks for the video

[@shamharoth]

Lovely video. My eldest daughter and I have had the pleasure of climbing with Libby a couple of times. She’s a fantastic coach, but also a lovely human being. My daughter is a much stronger climber than me, but Libby always finds things that we can both enjoy. Spent my favourite ever climbing day doing sea cliffs in Rhoscolyn together over the summer - perfect.

[@andrewgilbertson5356]

A real blast from my past. Loved this climb

[@johnmckenna1091]

Same, brought back a lot of memories climbing it!

[@mickschofield1803]

Got snowed off this at Easter 76 or maybe 77. There were 3 of us on the rope (Tim and Paul - are you reading this?) so we were quite slow and got really cold. Prusiked up a rope dropped by friends (MUMC) after the second pitch. Wonderful route.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Bloody hell, good effort!!!

[@jimcooper1053]

great video from UKC as always

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Thanks!! We’ve got another series coming out later this year too 🎉

[@pu11y]

Great video!

[@lukeglaister81]

Libby's smile at the top out says it all. ❤

[@ukclimbingofficial]

That’s the thing with routes like this - it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve done then before, they’re still as good as they were the first time you did it

[@lukeglaister81]

@ukclimbingofficial so true. I did it when hvs was pure top of the grade and it felt unbelievable. Will never forget that day. Watching the vid has put it back on the list for the year. 👍

[@Climbing3D]

Superb 🤩

[@SarahRae-m7r]

Watching Libby’s ropework on the traverse and getting a masterclass!

[@ukclimbingofficial]

A master at work 🤩

[@robertpeters5278]

Many many years since I climbed this, and it has to be said that the final pitch is amazingly exposed, but brilliant. I enjoyed it more than Comes the Dervish ( great route) which is considerably harder ( and right on my limit). Dream is one of the best and most exposed routes in the UK in my opinion.

[@MrJimtimslim]

Did this about 30 years ago, we has one 50m rope, 6 nuts and a load of slings we'd made from an old rope. We thought absolutely nothing of it as we were going guns at the time but I wouldn't fancy tackling it like that now despite still climbing a few grades above. Prefer to have a few more bits of gear on my waist these days

[@adegill9468]

This was always on my list...climbed it with my brother quite a few years ago....loved it... brilliant route...if you like this try right angle in Cornwall.. another brilliant route?....

[@PD281161]

Ab Fab route done several times. Great memories!!!!!!!!

[@robertpeters5278]

Once was enough for me.

[@StoreyR]

I really enjoyed Moonraker, on Dorset sea cliffs. Another HVS top 50 from Rockfax. Although I do think Dream of white horses looks better.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Moonraker is an absolute classic. The approach is as wild as the route itself!!!

[@robmckinley5475]

Route finding on this must be a nightmare if you're not familiar with this climb.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

It’s certainly quite intricate. Thankfully there’s a good viewing platform just opposite, so you can plot and plan where you’ve got to go in advance, but even then - it feels quite unlikely once you’re on it!!

[@tobyarcher7623]

The psychological aspect of it so true, when i did it i had been actively climbing for almost 30 years and had a climbed harder (not much but a couple of grades, much bigger, and scarier routes. I had done a lot of ice and winter climbing too. I was climbing with one of my best mates who is a superb climber and i knew could 'climb us out' of any situation. And still it totally got in my head and psyched me out. I ended up letting Tony lead it all which i can't remember ever needing to do before. Of course the flaw to this cunning plan was the last (traverse) pitch. Even with Tony's thoughtful-of-the-second gear placements it was still terrifying get to each runner seconding and then having to take it out! 😂 So, my top tip, is if you are a wuss, LEAD the last pitch, don't second!

[@ukclimbingofficial]

It’s counter intuitive but you’re totally right. If you’re feeling the fear then you’re far better off leading that last pitch than you are seconding it - at least that way you’re the master of your own destiny!!

[@robertpeters5278]

Probably easier to lead the last pitch. I seconded the last pitch without protection after that bulge because my lead didn’t put gear in after that move ….scarey. Felt great to top out, great route.

[@bobwightman1054]

Definitely one of those routes that ventures into terrain that it really shouldn't for its grade. There isn't really an "escape" route from it - the stuff up the slab is mostly a couple of grades harder - so it's pretty committing. I think it was my first route on Gogarth, certainly during my first visit, some 44 years ago. Fionn Buttress on Carnmore is similar in that it just seems improbable for the grade.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Hi Bob, first and foremost can I thank you for the maintenance and upkeep of your website - I’ve spent many a happy hour perusing through it (particularly the sections on Hard/Extreme Rock and the Bob Graham). I’ve not done Fionn Buttress, but it’s very much on the list. Everyone I know that’s done it has had a glowing report not just about the route, but the crag itself. Rare that you get a south facing mountain crag of that sort of stature.

[@oundleelectrical2986]

Great video shame it doesn't show the moves round the nose on the last pitch, as i struggled round it and would be nice to see the beta for next time:)

[@ukclimbingofficial]

It’s probably best we didn’t, as I climbed that section pretty badly. Libby - perhaps unsurprisingly - styled it 😎

[@markbullock5750]

Just absolutely flippin mega. I did it with HRH’s daughter Zoe, who potentially has climbings biggest smile, and she beamed her way across the traverse pitch. Wish me luck making that into a 15s Reel 😅 the route is at least an essay for anyone who’s done it.

[@SalsaAdam]

Nearly 54 years since I did this. Can still remember getting to the little square-cut chimney at the end of the traverse (16.10). You look back across the arc of the ropes doing a complete quarter circle to your second. then you look between your legs and see the sea.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

That position is absolutely unforgettable isn’t it

[@Samuel-h3o8e]

No nuts or ropes. Just free climb this, and if you fall, use the sea below as your safety netting. That's how winning is done!

[@ukclimbingofficial]

Without wishing to overstate or exaggerate the seriousness of what you’re suggesting, if you fell whilst soloing this route the chances of survival would be very, very slim…

[@davidrobinson7684]

You're confusing free climbing with soloing. What they're doing in this video is free climbing. Climbing without ropes etc is soloing.

[@ukclimbingofficial]

It’s also worth noting that whilst deep water soloing is indeed something that people do, A Dream of White Horses is definitely not a route that can be safely climbed in that style

[@MsAdam09]

Look at 8.46.. for example.. would you want to fall on that? Also the cliffs are around 100m high! Deep water soloing is normally done to max about 25m, but even that height is likely to result in injury to a mortal climber who would stay below 10m unless on easy ground.. the highest anyone has cliff jumped iinto water and survived is 58m

[@bobwightman1054]

Paul Pritchard would beg to differ - he fell into the zawn off one of the hard routes (can't remember which one now) below the area of the second stance (12mins into the video), all/most of his gear stripped, luckily he missed the boulders. Needed mouth to mouth resucitation at the scene and spent several days in hospital after that.