Presqu'ille de Quiberon
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An aerial view of the Quiberon peninsula © Editions d'art. |
Approach map (click) |
The spectacular Quiberon peninsula extends southwards from Plouharnel for almost 9 miles to the town of Quiberon at the southern tip and is apparently little more than 100 feet wide at its narrowest point. There are several fine sandy beaches on the sheltered eastern side of the peninsula overlooking the Bay of Quiberon. The western coast which is rather more rocky and rugged, battered by the wind and the Atlantic Ocean, is known as the Cote Sauvage (the wild coast); and here can be found a collection of cliffs, caves and reefs. Quiberon has an extremely mild climate and is a popular attraction with tourists and day trippers heading towards Belle-Ile.
A useful source of information for Quiberon (accommodation, maps, weather and a webcam) is provided by L'office de Tourisme; follow the link in the column on the left.
Fort de Penthievre
Approach: via the Plouharnel to Quiberon road. Fort de Penthievre is an obvious landmark which is currently used by the French military. The cliff beneath the fort can be easily approached in a few minutes from Plage de Penthieve. The rocks are used regularly by fishermen and, despite the military presence above, there are apparently no problems of access. There is an ideal sandy beach for the family nearby, Plage des Sables Blancs, on the eastern coast just a short distance to the north. This beach has car parking and toilet facilities close at hand. The Left Hand Crag can be reached in about a 15 minute walk from this beach. Plage de Penthieve is, unfortunately, far from ideal for family use.
Conditions: low tide is required. Climbers should also note that the Cote Sauvage experiences both strong winds and currents. The Left Hand Crag is particularly affected by the tides, it also faces west and only receives sunshine in the afternoons. Ideal conditions for the Left Hand Crag are therefore experienced at low tide from mid to late afternoon. However, the Right Hand Crag faces south and would appear to be less affected by the tides.
Rock: a compact type of granite which is generally very sound and reliable on the problems/routes described. The initial few feet of several of the problems/routes on the Left Hand Crag can be affected by the tides with the smooth sea washed rock remaining damp and/or covered in slippery green seaweed.
Left Hand Crag
This slabby left hand section of the cliff is seamed with numerous grooves and is crowned rather spectacularly by the granite walls of the fort above. This is a friendly and accommodating crag, the climbing is very much of the "go anywhere" variety and is therefore ideal for the solo climber. The routes finish on a system of ledges beneath the fort and a relatively easy descent can be made in a number of places. The routes on this section are in the region of 15 metres in length, although the last few metres of the routes described are generally very easy. The photo topo only shows several of the more obvious lines and there are plenty of other possibilities.
English adjectival/technical grades are provided; any feedback would be welcome.
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1.Grooved Arete D *
The most enjoyable line hereabouts.
2.Left Groove S 4a
An awkward entry to the groove.
3.Right Groove S 4b
A rather awkward entry to the groove, use of holds on the right may help.
This section of cliff is terminated on the right by a deep and dark zawn which extends inwards to the wall of the fort. Just to the left of the entrance to the zawn is a narrow wall:
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4.Wall 4c(ish)
Gain the sloping ledge and climb the narrow wall keeping as close to the right arete as you dare. Artificial but pleasant enough.
The steep Left Wall (when dry) provides two atmospheric routes above the narrow and sandy bed of the zawn. Full details of these routes are recorded for posterity:
5.Wet Afternoon E1 6a * 12 metres
The thin undercut crack has a difficult and fingery start. From the tiny niche move up and leftwards to finish up the wall above on positive holds. A direct finish from the niche may be possible but the rock looks rather fragile.
First ascent: Doug Kerr solo (onsight) 4th June 2003
6.Sousmarine E2 5c ** 12 metres
Start 2 metres to the right of Wet Afternoon below a triangular hole. Make a dynamic move/jump to gain the hole and reach good holds above. Climb to the bulge and move steeply rightwards. An awkward rock over and long stretch leads to better holds. Two rusty (military?) anchors mark the finish. The start will be very hard for the short.
First ascent: Doug Kerr solo (onsight) 5th June 2003
The back of the zawn contains a huge jammed boulder. If you decide to make a closer inspection of this watch out for boiling oil from the battlements above.
The overhanging Right Wall of the zawn may also offer some amusement, should it ever dry out, although the rock here is rather more broken above. Towards the entrance of the zawn the right wall provides two steep and short (left to right) traverses:
7.Lower Traverse 5a (ish)
Finish awkwardly around the slippery arete.
8.Upper Traverse 4b
Slightly longer and steeper.
Right Hand Crag
This area lies beneath the south west corner of the fort. Approach at low tide along the slippery boulder beach and pass through a narrow square-cut channel to reach the crag; about 10 minutes from the Left Hand Crag. Alternatively an approach may be made from the south across Plage du Chateau Rouge. This beach contained crude oil deposits on my last visit so it would not be recommended for family use.
Only the more obvious problems are described but the keen boulderer will find enough here to occupy a good hour or so. All are approximately 5 to 6 metres in length. The landings are superb (soft, sandy shingle) and consequently only technical grades are provided.
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9. Pillar 4c
The centre of the vague pillar requires an honest approach which is rewarded with good climbing.
To the right is an excellent wall of immaculate granite:
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Portable Document Format (pdf) The link above opens a PDF version of this document for easy printing (containing a map, approach details, route descriptions and photo topos only). You will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer to download this document. Please allow a few minutes to download this file on a modem (the file size is 387 KB) and 4 sheets of A4 paper will be required. |
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