Ever been to Cornwall when it's been busy and fancied a nice quiet and largely non-tidal cliff with a good days worth of climbing at all grades? Then Tater-du, just south-west of Lamorna Cove, may be just the place for you. When John Temple and I visited the cliff in early July the high tide descent route was heavily overgrown and was a bushwhackers nightmare, but we felt that the effort was well worthwhile. Be warned though do not attempt the descent in shorts, however hot the day. At low tide there are easy options of traversing in at sea level, but at high tide the descent to the right of the lighthouse (looking seaward) is the preferred option, although it can be easily missed, especially the first time down!
Anyway, for those brave enough to make the descent then Martell Slab*** (150', VS) is the cliff classic, despite its awkward start. We followed this with Commando Special* (115', VS), Knight's Pillar (70', VS), and Crow's Nest Ordinary* (160', HS) before climbing out on The Sentry Box* (80', S) with all our gear. Interestingly all of these routes exited with an overhang, even the severe, but the surmounting holds are all massive and sound so do not be put off. There are starred routes here from Diff to E2, so that should satisfy most Club members, but the nice thing for us was that on a warm Saturday in July we were the only people to be seen. What more could you ask, except perhaps for a manicured path to the foot of the cliffs?
Derek 12th July 2002