Walk of Life E9 6c

Walk of Life climbs the full 60 meter height of the main cliff at Dyer's Lookout, a sea cliff near Bideford in North Devon, England. It is a blank, technical slab route protected by trad gear, following a line of thin, delicate footwork with little in the way of positive holds. James Pearson gave it E12 7a on the first ascent, but the grade was quickly reassessed and it now stands at E9 6c, still one of the hardest slab climbs of its type in Britain.

History

James Pearson made the first ascent on September 29, 2008, taking about 45 minutes on the route and grading it E12 7a. Dave MacLeod made the second ascent on January 4, 2009, and downgraded it to E9 6c, remarking that the route stood among Britain's hard extreme routes rather than above them. Pearson later said his original E12 grade reflected his background in bouldering rather than long slab climbing. Dave Birkett repeated it in 2010 and called it a future modern classic. In February 2023, Tom Randall and Calum Muskett both climbed it, with Randall arguing the route now felt closer to E10 because holds had changed since 2008. Tom Pearce made an ascent in 2025.

On film

Anna Hazelnutt climbs the Walk of Life follows Anna Hazlett on the first female ascent of the route in 2022, an excerpt from Alastair Lee's Queen Lines within Brit Rock's 2022 collection. Tom Randall appears alongside her in a supporting role during the climb. The film captures the slab's exposed, delicate character and the significance of a female ascent of a route that had, by then, built a reputation as one of the most talked about pieces of British slab climbing of its generation.