Ed Drummond

A celebration of one of the UK's most impactful climbers: Edwin Drummond. We pay tribute to his life with a look at the historic first ascent of what's now considered to be one of the world's greatest trad multi-pitches 'A Dream Of White Horses'. Located on the spectacular cliffs of Gogarth in North Wales, this ascent was made by Ed Drummond and Dave Pearce in 1968. We bring the ascent to life through reenactment with James Mchaffie and Lex Pearce (Dave's son) accompanied by Ed's poetry which was as big a part of Ed's life as climbing. The two blend together beautifully in this atmospheric tribute to a man who changed the climbing scene forever.

Ed Drummond (1945-2019) was known for his poetic writings, and his bold first ascents and urban protest climbs, such as his ascent of Nelson’s Column. He combined philosophy, talent and an individual approach to leave an immense legacy. The film makes use of archive material, reconstructions and animation to take you on a journey through the mind and climbs of one of the greatest characters to ever grace the UK climbing scene.

St John’s head on the Island of Hoy is a wild and remote 1150 foot sea cliff. It was first climbed in 1970 by climber and poet Ed Drummond together with Oliver Hill. They took 7 days to climb the cliff, sleeping on ledges and in hammocks along the way. Now, 40 years later, one of the World’s top climbers, Dave MacLeod, sets out to climb the cliff in a single day, finishing with a new desperately hard final pitch up the headwall.Macleod’s historic new climb, The Longhope Route Direct (E11), is captured close-up with the latest HD cameras and contrasted with the challenges of Drummond’s first ascent through interviews and archive material. The film also follows Drummond, now in his late sixties and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, as he makes a pilgrimage back to St John’s Head to look upon the route one last time.