A visit to Lundy to sample its climbs is something a little bit special, not just because it holds some of the UK's greatest sea-cliff climbs, but also due to its ambience. The island is car free and, for the most part, unmodernised. Much of the climbing is fairly serious, the descents requiring great care and the remoteness of the walls and zawns can be quite intimidating. However, these features also contribute to the appeal of the Lundy experience.
The routes are trad, both single and multi-pitch on excellent granite and most commonly approached by abseil. Lack of traffic on some cliffs, plus loose rock and vegetation at the top of many of the cliffs, mean that care is required when topping out, and a little gardening maybe also necessary.
Only a selection of Lundy's best routes are listed in this guidebook and we haven't included topos. The number of routes and complex access make the dedicated guidebook an essential item for those contemplating a visit (Climbers' Club 2008).
Smoothlands is series of extremely impressive sheets of culm, and the climbs on its Great Slab represent some of the hardest and most demanding routes on the coast. The climbs see little traffic due to a combination of restricted tidal access and difficulty.