A first visit to the Barn...
Feb. 20th, 2015 08:58 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sawylAfter a morning of final prep and catching up with people, I dashed shortly after midday to make it home in time to do some laundry — my winter baselayers all needed washing — and to do some stuff at the bank. With all that sorted, I met up with E and we went on a road trip to The Barn, a legendary climbing centre out towards the Cornish border. The journey was pretty smooth once we were out of Exeter and we arrived in good time to get some quality bouldering done.
The bouldering is centred around a big, free-standing structure with lots of problems and plenty of different styles of climbing including a substantial roof with some very tricky stuff indeed. One nice feature is that all the problems finish with a top out — not something I get to practice much in Exeter, as my initial experiences on the moors revealed! — with downclimbing via a little ladder at the back.
Although we didn't actually do any routes — I was signed in on Eve's cognisance and limited myself to bouldering — I wouldn't have minded giving some of the easier lead a try had we had more time and had I been slightly less tired. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed, everyone was really nice, and we had a really good time. As can be seen from the photo of the wall above, The Barn is also a very dog-friendly place:
The resident springer was extremely well behaved and polite, playing with her toys, fetching brushes, enjoying the comfort of the bouldering mats, and hanging out with her friends!
The journey back was even easier than the journey out and we got back in less than an hour. I think this was partly because we didn't hit traffic and partly because the process of navigating your way through Launceston is easier when the place you're travelling to is heavily signposted. Whatever the reasons, it was a lovely afternoon and I'm looking forward to going back sometime in the not too distant future!
The bouldering is centred around a big, free-standing structure with lots of problems and plenty of different styles of climbing including a substantial roof with some very tricky stuff indeed. One nice feature is that all the problems finish with a top out — not something I get to practice much in Exeter, as my initial experiences on the moors revealed! — with downclimbing via a little ladder at the back.
Although we didn't actually do any routes — I was signed in on Eve's cognisance and limited myself to bouldering — I wouldn't have minded giving some of the easier lead a try had we had more time and had I been slightly less tired. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed, everyone was really nice, and we had a really good time. As can be seen from the photo of the wall above, The Barn is also a very dog-friendly place:
The resident springer was extremely well behaved and polite, playing with her toys, fetching brushes, enjoying the comfort of the bouldering mats, and hanging out with her friends!
The journey back was even easier than the journey out and we got back in less than an hour. I think this was partly because we didn't hit traffic and partly because the process of navigating your way through Launceston is easier when the place you're travelling to is heavily signposted. Whatever the reasons, it was a lovely afternoon and I'm looking forward to going back sometime in the not too distant future!
