Skiddaw, 22nd August, 2009

A few months ago, Steve H declared that he would like to get the top ten highest mountains in England bagged before 2010.

After bagging Great Gable in fine style (see previous blog entry), he promptly fell over in his own car park ( think there's a claim there Steve!) and put himself 'hors de combat' with a nasty ankle sprain.

However, he has made a full recovery and has been 'bigging it up' about getting on with the other 9 peaks on his bagger list. So, taking advantage of a good weather forecast, Steve and Davie headed to the Lakes to have a go at Skiddaw, a hard slog from the car park with 45 minutes of agony to look forward to, but a straightforward runout for Steve and his new ankle...

The weather was excellent - sunny but a cool and stiff breeze once you reached the foot of Little Man.

In spite of a good few 'viewing' breaks on the way up, we made good time, summiting in 2hrs. Steve, flushed with success, suggested tackling Little Man on the way back so we returned via this top to get back to the car park.

At the top of Skiddaw, we had lunch with a retired couple who had just completed all 214 Wainwrights, having started on January 1st. Champagne and sandwiches greeted us, but sadly had all been consumed on our arrival.

Never mind....next time.

Adventure over, we had our therapy session at the Llama Karma Cafe near Penrith. home of the worlds biggest rabbit.


Excellent day out... only 8 more to go Steve - maybe go for Helvellyn, Nethermost Pike and Catstye Cam next.

Davie

Lawrencefield, 14th August 2009

This evening saw Rich S and Tim back in the Peak District for some more climbing. With Birchen being the closest crag for both of us we have been going to it a lot recently and although it has enough routes (Rockfax, Eastern Grit has 161 routes listed!) we felt the need to try some longer routes so set off for Lawrencefield. The setting for this crag is fantastic just a 5 minute walk from the car park down into a wooded area with a small pool. Under the trees are the remains of one of the quarries past products, a surplus of millstones, some completed with others half carved from huge boulders. Being a quarry, the sides of the crag are vertical with routes exceeding 20m in some instances. To kick off we found a nice VDiff called Snail Crack, a 16m slab climb following the route of a finger crack to the top. I led the route and found it much harder than any other VDiff I had done before. Tim followed and came to the same conclusion. The descent on this route involves a scramble to the top of the crag which was hard enough to make me glad I had rock shoes on!

Next we went for something a little harder, Tyrone, an 18m VS 4c. Again, I went for the lead and started well finding good protection along the way. As I reached a small stance at 16m I was faced with a bulge as the rock lent backwards slightly. Above me was a small hold and to my right a nice ledge, easy I thought. Not quite! The hold was good but I was at full reach and my arms were tired. This one was no good and I decided to climb down to let Tim try. After seeing my struggles, Tim decided he didn’t want to finish the lead so I set off to the top of the crag to top rope him. After a couple of minutes Tim had reached the difficult bulge and lunged for the hold. Three times he attempted the moves and each time he would swing out on the rope as his grip failed. Time for another route, we’ll try this one again another day!

We moved onto an area called the roadside bay where we managed another route called Straight crack, a 10m VDiff. A much easier proposition that was dispensed with ease.
Lawrencefield is another great area with most routes HVS and above. We will probably be back when our confidence at VS has grown and we are looking for more challenging routes. For now its back to Birchen and Stanage!

Brimham Rocks, 11th August 2009

Davie, Jacko, Speirsy, Chris H, Dicko and son Nick headed up to Brimham to try the Zig Zag Bear, a route on the Dancing Bear that we somehow missed last time out.

The weather was good but very windy and the threat of rain loomed on the horizon for most of the evening.

However, I managed to crack the elusive Zig Zag (Hard Severe 4b) and added another lead to the log book. A noticeable change of difficulty over the Severe I did last time out with a couple of twitchy moments as I got myself back on route.

Set up the belay on top and brought the party up both HVDiff routes to complete a most enjoyable evening climb... well done guys!

Davie

Pillar from Wasdale 5th August 2009

Earlier in the year I had climbed Pillar from Honister Pass with my father in law via Haystacks and the Shamrock Traverse. Having told everyone how good the walk was, he had managed to convince my wife (Nic) that she could manage the scrambles around Pillar Rock and she should come along. So a plan was hatched and we set off for Pillar but this time from Wasdale.
The weather was bright and sunny but there was a strong wind at our backs as we made the ascent up to Black Sail Pass. The ascent was long but the path was easy and on reaching the top of the pass, the views to Haystacks and into the Ennerdale valley where worth the effort.

Along the top of the ridge the effect of the wind was making the going a little difficult but once we dropped onto the High Level path we were completely sheltered and the walk was very enjoyable.

We visited Robinson’s Cairn and had a sandwich or two before getting stuck into Shamrock Traverse.
The walk up until this point had been pretty flat but now the going was definitely vertical with some sections requiring ‘spotting’ for those a little nervous of heights.

This had been Nic’s most serious hill walk since climbing Snowdon before the kids were born and she struggled a little with the exposure on the section from Pillar Rock. Good job the climb is short! Once on top, everyone was elated after completing a difficult route and with the exceptional views from the summit.

We descended back to Wasdale via the scree slopes into Mosedale. For me, this was the hardest part of the route, especially on tired legs.

A great walk with fantastic weather, however, I’d recommend the route from Honsiter Pass due to the incredibly long drive around to Wasdale Head!

Loch Doon and Galloway hills, 30 July 2009

Davie had a fast ball trip to Scotland this week and decided to have a look at some old haunts.

As a kid, I spent a lot of time in the Galloway hills, camping, map reading and other exercises with the local TA in hot pursuit and as part of my Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.

The area around Loch Doon Castle is lovely and many a night I have camped nearby.

On the road back I spotted a quick scramble that was worth a go and so, using my climbing bag with all my gear in it and my luggage as an improvised bouldering mat, I got stuck into it only falling once.


I don't know what grade it was, or even if it had a grade... but it was bloody hard.

This area is easy to get to and well worth a trip at some point.

Davie

Slipstone Crags, 25th July 2009

Taking advantage of a great sunny day, Davie and Jack headed off to Slipstone for some bouldering and perhaps some solo routes on the easier stuff.

We started off round the corner from 'Shine on' a VDiff that is achieved by a sustained layback. The route we chose was 'Groove on' in the guide book as a HD or Hard Difficult.

Probably just as well, because we had no gear and no rope with us - this was, after all, a bouldering trip.

We did have our stickies though and the mat so we got stuck in and made short work of Groove on before moving round to a face with a good size horizontal crack to practice traverses.

After falling off this a coupe of times, we decided to have a look at some easy routes and ended up at our winter favourite 'Mantelshelf Crack' a VDiff. We struggled with this in the winter and it looked much easier in the sunlight, however, it would still be good to protect the climb as there is a very polished slab to negotiate, so I decided that discretion was the better part of valour.

However, next door is the straightforward 'Staircase' (name's a giveaway) a moderate that Rich led back back in January and I thought I'd have a crack at it without the gear.

At least now I can put it in the logbook... as a solo...

A good day out, great fun and the rock was ace.

Missed the rope though...

Davie

Birchen Edge, 20th July 2009

After struggling to get on some routes last time at Birchen on a Saturday, we decided to pay a visit to the crag on an evening to see if it was any quieter. We arrived at the crag face by 6:45pm where there were a couple of groups just wrapping up for the day leaving the whole place for us. The climbers out today were Rich, Tim, Zlatan and John.
Our first climb was Trafalgar Crack with a grade of VDiff 4a. I think the 4a moves are the start because the route is easy to protect and the climbing is easy once you get off the ground.

To speed up proceedings and with everyone up the route we decided to move the belay across and top rope Trafalgar Wall, a VS 4b. A very difficult start with no opportunities to protect the route that I could see. It would be an interesting lead!

We changed the belayer over at the top so everyone got a climb then moved across to top rope Camperdown Crawl, a VS 4c. Getting off the ground on this one was OK but then you we faced with a bulge and a finger crack as your only progress. Zlatan went first and suffered serious arm pump trying to pass the bulge. He was about to give in before declaring ‘one last go’! With some scrabbling on the polished foot holds and some desperate looking moves, he made it. John had decided that he would perform belay duties on this one as his shorter stature wouldn’t allow him to make the moves past the bulge. I went next then it was Tim’s go. Tim, similar in height, proved that John had been right to miss this one out. The moves past the bulge needed either average height plus an inch or two, or the athleticism of a gymnast. Tim had neither!
Although it was getting late we decided one more route was possible and head over to the Crow’s Nest area to see what was there.
I suggested a nice VDiff but the initial moves put the other guys off. They had spotted a route with a fist width crack most of the way to the top and thought that looked better. The route was Emma’s Dilemma, a S 4a and I would lead it and set the top rope for everyone to follow. As we inspected the start moves we could see an area of different coloured rock suggesting that a foot hold, perfect for the first step, had broken away. The only way up was some torturous jamming which left me minus skin on both hands. By two thirds height I was struggling again with difficult jams and polished foot holds. The last piece of protection I had placed was a 3 out of 10 at best and, from nerves, I started to suffer a little washing machine leg making the final moves. With a final mantle shelf I was out on top.
We had enjoyed clear skies so far but the wind on top of the routes had been quite strong.

With the sun going down, the wind had completely disappeared leaving me in a wonderful belay spot watching the sun go down. However, with the change in conditions came the bloody midges.
John made the first attempt to second the route but fatigue got the better of him and he just couldn’t perform the jams necessary to get off the ground. Tim followed next and again was defeated by the jams but this wasn’t going to stop him having a go at the rest of the route. He moved about 2 metres to his right and used the start on Emma's Temptation, a VDiff 4c before traversing back to complete the route. Next up was Zlatan. After the hard work he put in earlier he was struggling to get going. The jamming wasn’t happening so he followed Tim’s start and traversed back. As he arrived at two thirds height and the second difficult jams, his arms just wouldn’t allow him to climb any further. By now the sun had just about set so we decided to knock this one on the head and come back another time when everyone was fresh to give it another go!
We arrived back at the car park by 10:45pm in complete darkness and completely knackered! A great evening!

Wild camping in the Lakes, 13th & 14th July 2009

The Mountain Leader consolidation activity between training and assessment requires Quality Mountain Days and several wild camps. So, in preparation for a ML assessment before the year is out, this week saw Rich hitting the hills to get a couple of QMD’s and a solo night under the stars.
My plan was to grab a hill I had not done before along with camping somewhere away from the masses at Sty Head tarn. On a recent trip over to Pillar I stumbled across a nice little spot suitable for a nights camping near the foot of Pillar Rock and only hill I had not done in that area was Kirk Fell so a route was planned to take me from Seathwaite and around the back of Great Gable.
On the day the weather was bright and sunny which, on any other day, would be a pleasure but today with my heavy pack, a little breeze would be more welcome. On my way around the back of Great Gable on the climbers traverse I stopped at Napes Needle to watch a party climbing Needle Ridge and dug into my bag to get out the camera only to find that I’d brought the video camera instead. Hey ho, I thought, I’ll get some film of the route and their progress on the climb only to find I had 3 minutes of tape left!! Numpty, only the camera on my phone for this trip then!
The climb up to Kirk Fell was quite pleasant but the route down was difficult due to the steep rocky path and heavy pack.
As I arrived at the cairn marking the climber’s path on Pillar, large, dark clouds started building with a distant rumble of thunder. By the time I reached Robinsons Cairn, the cloud was low and the thunder was loud. A spot was selected for the tent and I got inside just as the rain started to fall.

The following morning I packed the tent and set off for the summit of Pillar via the Shamrock Traverse. The rain had stopped but the low cloud had left visibility down to 50 metres at times. The traverse is an enjoyable route which allows close inspection of Pillar Rock and the climbing and scrambling routes that cover it. Before reaching the top of Pillar, several steep scrambles are required which again would be more pleasurable without a large pack.

My route home took a gentler route around both Kirk Fell and Great Gable this time on the North side and over Brandreth and Grey Knotts. Heavy rain put a dampener on proceedings for an hour but then the sun came out in time for lunch on Brandreth. The only difficult section was the decent from Grey Knotts on the steep scree slope which, for my tired legs, seemed to go on forever.
Sorry about the photo’s, next time I’ll remember to check the camera bag before I depart. Or I’ll get a better phone!

Brimham Revisited, 10th July 2009

Another excellent day saw us waste no time in getting back to Brimham.

Rich had found that there was a third Hard Severe (HS) on the Dancing Bear, nestling between the two we did on Monday.

Rich, Rach, Jacko and an increasingly worried Davie headed off to kill this bear for good, however, on arrival we decided to try a different area in Brimham, leaving the HS route for when Speirsy comes with us on the 17th...

We ended up doing two routes the first is Cracked Corner listed as a V.Diff in my book. Rich kindly let me lead and got stuck in from the off. The first part was a bit tricky but some great gear placement opportunities took the risk away and I settled into the climb quite well...until....

...I arrived at a ledge with a huge overhang above it. My trusty belayer advised that I should shuffle out onto the ledge and go over this. Trying like hell not to look back or down, I shuffled along this precipice in a fashion more akin to escaping from a tarts bedroom window than a professional climber.

At last I summoned the will to stand up and have a grope for a hold.

Scary moment. There was nothing but smooth rock all around and I was aware that I was leaning backwards over the edge to do so. Discretion is the better part...and all that, so I got back onto my knees to beat a hasty retreat.

I climbed the edge and got back onto the overhang from above and settled down to get the others up.

Jack and Rach were first up, followed by Rich, who on arrival, announced that I'd taken the correct route (thank God) and, more to the point, having consulted the hand book of the climbers next to us, this route had been upgraded from VDiff to Severe 4a....

Boy was I pleased at that!

We then moved to a real V.Diff and one that was unlikely to have been upgraded, Lichen Slab. Famous as an abseil training ground, the slab is very polished with little protection until you are at the top.

It would have been possible to solo this, but I decided to place some gear at the top crack.

Rach was next up, followed by Jack and Rich on a shared rope.

....and another 2 were in the bag - one of them a surprise Severe.

We all skipped back for ice creams and back to the car...adventure over....

Plenty more to go at in Brimham...just hope the weather holds.

Davie

Castleton, 8th July 2009

Recently I heard about a challenging scramble in the Peak District that boasts steep exposed limestone within a two minute walk of a car park, brilliant!
The route is known as Elbow Ridge and is found in the Winnats Pass just outside Castleton. I had read that the route has a ‘Diff’ grade and once I reached the start of the route I immediately knew that I wouldn’t be soloing the whole thing as the first section was pretty much vertical.

I went up some easier ground on the west side until I could gain access to the ridge where, although exposed, the going was easier.

The last section was again vertical and wasn’t going to be attempted by me unless I had a rope with a Scotsman providing belay.

A brief excursion to the west side again allowed me to gain the top of the ridge and the views across Castleton and Mam Tor.

From here I went across the moor and took the direct route up Mam Tor along the side that had collapsed giving the most interest.

With the summit reached, the ridge provides excellent views and easy walking all the way to Lose Hill. From Here I crossed the valley to Cave Dale at the foot of Peveril Castle where some more scrambling allowed me to gain access to the ridge at the back of Winnats Pass.
Apart from the scramble at the start and the nettles that don’t mix well with shorts, the route was quite easy and well worth another visit.