Climb of Red Wall

Overview

In April 1966, the BBC broadcast a live program showing Joe Brown, Tom Patey, Ian McNaught-Davis, Chris Bonington, and the American Royal Robbins climbing of the awesome sea-cliffs of Gogarth on Anglesey. The climb was transmitted live through 3 connections over the course of 9th of April as part of the long-running Saturday afternoon sports strand, Grandstand. The vertical wall, composed of unreliably loose rock and guarded by guillemots and seagulls, proved to be a true test for the climbers. The cliff plunges directly into the sea and to climb up it required descending a rope, finding footholds near the bottom and then locating a viable route up the face.

Alan Chivers