Rockratrobinson

Wheeling along the Bridleways

2012-01-30T19:02:00.004Z

Looking up the Grizedale Valley.

Today was the last day of my holidays; tomorrow I return to the hectic world of retail, and to top it off the weather was on form. We headed out into the Lake District National Park, leaving the car at Patterdale and headed up the Grizedale Valley, on a recommendation from our good friends Ruth and Richard Irons.

At the head of the Grizedale Valley with Nethermost Pike, Eagle Crag and Dollywagon Pike behind.

The path on the east of the valley is suitable for a Mountain Buggy so we pushed Phoebe along until it started to narrow and ascend to Grizedale Tarn. However we were treated to some spectacular views of the Helvellyn massif; for the entirety of the walk we were in a natural amphitheater with St Sunday Crag, Dollywagon Pike, High Crag, High and Low Spying How and Bleaberry Crags towering overhead with their snow capped tops glistening in the sun.

Mr Peter Rabbit.

More pictures of this walk and many other walks in January can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

In Search of the Northern Lights

2012-01-29T18:38:00.004Z

Yesterday we got back from a short stay in Scotland, on the shores of Loch Lomond, after hearing that there was a chance of seeing the Northern Lights. We had originally started making plans to head for the Isle of Skye, even though the Aurora Borealis had been witnessed as far south as North Yorkshire, which is extremely unusual. However, as the week progressed, the idea of heading to the Isle of Skye, for three days, in the hope of seeing an unpredictable natural event seemed slightly optimistic.

Looking across the Loch from Rowardennan.

However, we still wanted to head north so we settled on a hotel in a small village called Drymen, under the premise that we may still see the Northern Lights, but if we didn't at least we hadn't wasted hours upon hours of a short break driving on a whim. We ended up spending our time exploring the shores of Loch Lomond with Phoebe, either in her pushchair, or on my back, and didn't once see a glimmer of the Aurora Borealis.

Looking down on Loch Lomond some where near Toll a' Bhruit.

Ben Vorlich.

Phoebe all snugly and warm with a chilling Ben Vorlich behind.

More pictures of the short break can be seen here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Some more walking...

2012-01-23T20:47:00.003Z

Sycamore Gap.

We headed out for a quick walk this afternoon. Instead of making the usual drive south into the Lake District National Park, we headed east, into the Northumberland National Park, for a short walk along Hadrian's Wall.

We started from Steel Rigg and walked east, besides the wall to Sycamore Gap, which was made famous by appearing in the 1991 film, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

Peel Crag and Crag Lough.

We've also made some recent additions to our book shelves to accommodate our walking activities with Phoebe. After a recommendation from a work colleague we purchased the two All Terrain Pushchair walking books covering the North Lakes and the South Lakes as well as a book for when Phoebe is that bit bigger and is navigating her way through the fells.

More pictures of all of January's walks can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Some more walking...

2012-01-16T20:52:00.005Z

Parked up in Whinlatter Forest with Skiddaw in the background.

The weather did hold out until today so the three of us headed to Whinlatter Forest Park, where I used to work, so that Phoebe could explore the forest trails from the comfort of her pushchair.

To say I had worked in the forest for the past three summers I had not really gone further than the area covered by the Go Ape course, which I am slightly embarrassed by. Whilst working for Go Ape I certainly didn't see the best of the forest; there are some spectacular views out over the Northern Lake District.

More pictures of this walk and the previous two walks can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

What a difference a week makes...

2012-01-14T20:45:00.005Z

Letting my vehicle rest.

It's amazing what a difference a week makes; last week it was blowing a gale and absolutely chucking it down. This week there wasn't a cloud in the sky. However, there was the slightest of breezes but when in the sun, it was pleasantly warm, meaning the three of us headed to the hills once again.

Having a wee nap.

On this occasion, we ventured slightly higher up the fells in the hope of having some nice scenery to admire and we weren't disappointed; the crystal clear blue skies allowed us to admire the many peaks of the Lake District's western fells.

Having a bread stick to keep my energy up.

However, we did cheat slightly as our walk started from Watendlath Tarn, meaning the majority of our height was gained whilst sat in a car. Our walk took in Dock Tarn and then, after retracing our steps, headed up Joppelty How allowing us to admire a high ball project that was climbed last year by Carlisle resident Pete Gunn.

Looking down to Watendlath, with Skiddaw in the distance.

It's back to work tomorrow, but I'm off on Monday and supposedly this spell of weather is set to last a little longer so we may be able to get out and about sooner rather than later.

My mummy, daddy and me, obviously.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Blowing in the Wind

2012-01-07T19:23:00.003Z

On the path from the New Dungeon Ghyll to the Old Dungeon Ghyll.

The opportunities to get out into the mountains are few and far between at the minute, but this year I am trying to make a conscious effort to resolve this issue. It does mean that I'll have to change the objectives for a days mountain adventure, but the underlying rational for mountain exploration will still be there.

It was all a bit to much work for our little Feebs.

Today the three of us explored Great Langdale's valley floor. From the New Dungeon Ghyll we walked up to the Old Dungeon Ghyll and then on into Mickleden. We eventually turned around and retraced our steps when the driving wind and rain got a bit too much for Phoebe, who soon after fell asleep on my back.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

In the fells with Feebs

2011-11-13T18:53:00.004Z

In the mountains with Feebs.

Firstly I must apologise for not posting in such a long time, but in the last few months I haven't really been out and about climbing, walking or kayaking because of three things.

We moved house at the end of July and that took up many of my days off. Secondly, I changed jobs half way through September; I've now left Go Ape and am working for the family owned Booths, a supermarket chain exclusive to the north of England. Thirdly, Phoebe takes up much of my free time.

Having a picnic at High Sweden Bridge.

However today I got out into the fells with Phoebe. This was her very first experience of the fells and the first time she's been on my back. Previously she's been for walks around Carlisle on my front, but now that she is nearly seven months old she is big enough to be on my back.

Having an afternoon nap as Daddy heads back to the car.

Our walk was only a short one. From Ambleside we walked up the east bank of Scandale Beck, before crossing via High Sweden Bridge and returning down the west bank for tea and medals at the Apple Pie in Ambleside.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Thirlstane Sessions

2011-07-04T20:14:00.007Z

Phoebe and her mum at the crag.

It's been a while since I posted, and it's almost been as long since I've donned my rock shoes and pulled onto a problem or route. This afternoon we visited Thirlstane in Dumfries and Galloway for an afternoon on the beach and a session in the sandstone tidal borehole.

Topping out on The Groove (Font 5).

It's an impressive spot, with some highly graded problems, which is a shame as the long absence from the rock has affected my footwork and strength meaning I wasn't pulling at my best. However, I ticked a fair few problems, with the hardest being in the Font 6c region. I also held the crux move, for a couple of seconds, on a Font 7a, and got up to the crux on a Font 7b on the first go.

Topping out on Bad Sneakers (Font 6a).

It was nice to be out on the rock again, and even nicer to be at the crag with Phoebe, however it was also disheartening at how a short absence from the rock has such an affect on your climbing.

Reaching for the pocket on Jihad (Font 7a).

It's back to the daily grind tomorrow with work and such like, but having just checked my emails I've discovered I graduated with a First Class Honours in Outdoor Leadership.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Picnic Sarcastic, V7

2011-05-19T20:14:00.003Z

After finishing work today I headed down the Borrowdale valley to the Bowderstone. After ticking the usual five problems and then spending some time trying to see if I could repeat Statstick (V6) I moved onto Picnic Sarcastic (V7). After getting some new beta from a friend I sent it with surprising ease, after just a handful of attempts, which was really good as I have been trying this problem for some time now.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Norway

2011-05-10T08:25:00.004Z

I've just entered a competition for a fifteen day climbing expedition to Norway with Dave MacLeod. In order to win I need your help. Please vote for my application by visiting this link.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Last Night...

2011-05-04T19:56:00.008Z

I was at Quayfoot Buttress and lead The Crypt Direct (E1, 5b) and Mandrake (HVS, 5a). I also seconded The Go Between (E2, 5c), but I forgot my camera hence the lack of pictures accompanying this post.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Bouldering with Feebs

2011-05-02T19:41:00.007Z

This afternoon I was at The Bowderstone for a bouldering session with Phoebe. It's been a while since I've been out bouldering and after spending an hour on the fingerboard last night and feeling extremely weak I was slightly apprehensive about the session. However, The Bowderstone is the most pushchair friendly venue in the North Lakes and it allowed us to call in on The Toy Chest so that Phoebe could enjoy some retail therapy.

Daddy and me heading to The Bowderstone.

Despite my reservations about my bouldering strength I quickly ticked off The Rib (V3), The Crack (V4), The Ramp (V4), The Crack Direct (V5) and The Crack Super Direct (V6) before having a rest despite feeling strong on all five problems.

Daddy starting up The Crack (V4).

Daddy on The Crack Super Direct (V6), which I think looks very similar to The Crack and The Crack Direct, but he says it's a different problem.

Once I felt suitably rested and had played around with Phoebe for a while I set to working Statstick (V6) once again. I got to my previous high point, positioned my feet and popped for the finishing hold, touched it and then as my foot swung off gravity took over and I plummeted to the ground.

Daddy trying Statstick (V6) once again.

This is how it went for about three or four attempts. Between each attempt I messed around with Phoebe, which allowed me to rest properly, meaning I could put all my effort into every single attempt. On what could have been my fifth attempt of the session I popped for the finishing hold, touched it and then as my foot swung off and gravity started to take over, I tensed what could have been every single muscle in my body, which allowed me to stick the hold, then after rearranging my feet I matched that final hole.

Daddy seemed quite happy when he matched the final hold on Statstick (V6).

After ticking the problem I took another good rest and started working Picnic Sarcastic (V7) once again, which I don't think I have tried for nearly a year. I got to my high point on my first attempt and didn't get any further in the session.

Daddy trying the moves on Picnic Sarcastic (V7) with little success, which probably means I'll have to go back and sit around waiting until he finally does it.

Some more pictures of Phoebe at the Bowderstone are here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Evening Cragging Again

2011-04-25T21:44:00.003Z

Seconding Guillotine (E3, 5c).

Bank Holiday Weekend is over and after a couple of exceptionally busy days at work we were noticeably quieter today meaning we were away by five o'clock. This allowed for a quick skirmish over to Reecastle Crag to tick Rack Direct (E2, 5c) and then Guillotine (E3, 5c).

I've lead Rack Direct before, but it was nice to repeat the route in good style with minimal fuss, and then second my partner on Guillotine before heading for home for some daddy/daughter time.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Introducing...

2011-04-18T19:34:00.009Z

Phoebe Grace Robinson.

It's been a bit quiet on the climbing front for a while, especially when you compare the previous couple of months with the same months last year. This doesn't mean I'm turning into a couch potato. It's probably the opposite; I've started running around Carlisle seven times a fortnight so my general fitness has certainly improved.

The main reason for this decline in climbing activity is down to one person, Phoebe Grace Robinson, who was born on the 15th April 2011, weighing 8lb 7oz, meaning I'm spending a lot of time in and around the house, which I am actually enjoying more than I thought I would.

I head back to work on Friday so will probably get back on the rock soon after. This is because after finishing my dissertation, looking into the affects of fatherhood on outdoor participants, I've come up with a plan of action that revolves around climbing twice a week after work and spending the rest of the time in Carlisle either running, pulling on the fingerboard or entertaining Phoebe.

More pictures of Phoebe Grace can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

April Sunshine

2011-04-07T19:44:00.003Z

I got out for a couple of hours this afternoon/evening for a spot of cragging. The venue was the Castle Rock of Triermain and we were blessed with cloudless skies, bone dry rock and the slightest of breezes, which provided a slight chill when the sun went behind a cloud.

An unknown climber on Direct Route (VS, 4b).

I got a lead up the slightly bold Gazebo (HVS, 5a) before seconding Kleinne Rinne (VS, 4b) and Gangway Climb (VD). All three were really enjoyable and were made even better by the quality of the rock, but at times the protection was hard to arrange.

The final difficulties on Kleine Rinne (VS, 4b).

Looking across to the exit slab on the Castle Rock of Triermain's South Crag whilst a climber approaches the top of Gangway Climb (VD).

The gangway on the Gangway Climb (VD).

It looks like this spell of weather is going to hold so evening cragging is certainly on the cards for the next couple of days.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Sandy Times

2011-04-03T20:51:00.003Z

It was back to that Sunday tradition of climbing sandstone on a Sunday today. The venue was the familiar Armathwaite. I have visited the crag eleven times before, I think, and have only ever attempted to lead the routes that were first climbed in the 70's and 80's once before. Today that changed; I went down to the banks of the River Eden intent on ticking off some of the routes.

Setting out on Cally Crack (E3, 5b/c).

We started out on the three star classic, Flasherman (VS, 4c), where I was able to get used to the intricacies of leading on soft sandstone; a lot of thought has to be given to the quality of rock the protection is placed in and this is what had put me off leading at Armathwaite in the past. However, with a renewed confidence, and having dispatched Flasherman, we set out to climb Cally Crack (E3, 5b/c).

Getting a rest after placing the gear to protect the crux.

Going for it.

It was a nice route, which was reasonably well protected, but was incredibly tiring; it was past vertical for a short period of time before it relented and you could run it out to the top. Following this we headed upstream to the final buttress to sample Jelly Terror (E1, 5b) and the extremely delicate Barnacle Bill (E1, 5b), before heading for home.

Making delicate moves around the overhang of Barnacle Bill (E1, 5b).

It's back to work tomorrow.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

The Gibbet (E1, 5c)

2011-04-03T20:36:00.003Z

I said in my post, after Monday's evening session at Reecastle, that I would make an effort to get hold of some of the pictures from my ascent of The Gibbet (E1, 5c) and here they are.

Approaching the crux.

Fiddling in some micro-wires before committing to the crux.

Working out the sequence through the crux.

Half way through the crux.

Nearly through the crux.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Going Underground

2011-03-31T17:49:00.005Z

Today was the last ever university practical and with no need for ensuring certain learning objectives were achieved we decided to head across to the Yorkshire Dales for a spot of caving. Caving was probably the only activity that would have provided any sort of enjoyment considering today's weather; it was blowing a gale and raining as well.

Abseiling down the Wet Entrance of Sell Gill Holes.

We headed over to the Sell Gill Holes network, which is above Horton-in-Ribblesdale, and requires a fair few ropes as we had to make three abseils down the side of a 45 meter waterfall.

Rigging one of the abseils to take us further into the cave system.

Looking up the Main Chamber of Sell Gill Holes as someone descends from above.

Once we had reached the Main Chamber we headed for the passageways that some of our companions had descended so that we could climb up their ropes, and remove them as we went. This allowed us to experience another section of the cave system, but it also made it feel a bit more like a journey.

Approaching the Dry Entrance of Sell Gill Holes, which we used as an exit.

Tomorrow it's back to work, and then I've got another three days off before rescue training begins.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Evening Cragging...

2011-03-28T20:47:00.007Z

Looking down the Watendlath Valley from Reecastle last August.

So I started back at Go Ape on Thursday and the clocks sprung forward on Sunday, meaning we've gained an extra hour of day light, which incidentally means there is more time, after work, for playing on the easily accessible crags of Borrowdale whilst the sun heads for the horizon.

Tonight I kicked off my year's evening cragging in good form up at Reecastle Crag, which is found in the hanging valley of Watendlath. This is one of the most beautiful valleys in the whole of Lakeland, in my opinion, and it was a nice place to spend the evening climbing The Rack: Finger Flake Finish (E2, 5c) and The Gibbet (E1, 5c) before darkness fell.

Unfortunately I left my camera in the car, hence the picture from August, however my partner for the evening's escapades had their camera to hand. I'll make an effort to get some copies of the pictures taken whilst I dithered through the crux of The Gibbet.

Watendlath's quiet nook.
A farm is there, and a slated barn,
And a waterfall, and a pebbly tarn;
And all the way to High Lodore
The banks of the beck are painted o'er
With red herb-willow and red loose-strife.
- Edmund Casson, The Wise Kings of Borrowdale.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Saturday Slate

2011-03-26T20:10:00.010Z

I started back at work on Thursday, and this year, instead of being freelance, I'm there full time as university is all but over; I've just got to print my dissertation, hand it in and then I've finished, which is nice. This also means that I am able to get out on my day's off, instead of spending them writing assignments, so today, with the weather looking favourable, I headed over to Hodge Close Quarry in the Tilberthwaite Valley, just outside Coniston.

Looking into Hodge Close Quarry from the top of Behind the Lines (HVS, 5a).

I've been meaning to get over to the quarry for some time after once heading that way, but changing plans at the last minute, and since seeing this video, made by some of the students studying for a BA (Hons) in Adventure and Media, I've wanted to head that way even more. We started out on the three star classic, Behind the Lines (HVS, 5a), after abseiling into the quarry, and this was my first taste of climbing on slate.

Seconding Big Dipper (E1, 5b).

Once we'd topped out on Between the Lines and admired the beauty of the quarry some more we abseiled back down the wall and started out on Big Dipper (E1, 5b). This was an impressive line that takes a rising traverse rightwards across the quarry's central wall and provides some really good climbing in a pretty exposed position.

Hodge Close Quarry.

After completing the two pitches of Big Dipper we pulled up all the ropes, headed around to the other side of the quarry and abseiled back in, to take on Oiling the Lawnmower (E1, 5b). This was a really nice climb and provided two excellent pitches of slate slab climbing, which was, rather than being protected by natural protection, bolt protected so it is problably more fitting to attach a sport grade to the climb.

On the first pitch of Oiling the Lawnmower (E1, 5b).

I imagine I'll be back at the quarry at some point, as there are a fair few lines I would like to look at, and I enjoyed climbing on the slate once I had got use to it's intricacies.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Grinding away on the Gabbro

2011-03-22T17:43:00.004Z

Gabbro (pronounced: ɡæbroʊ) refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass.

Carrock Fell with the Boardman's, Mushroom and Low Boulders left of centre.

Gabbro can be found on the flanks of Carrock Fell, Cumbria and that's where I spent the afternoon, whiling away my time on the problems, which can be found on the Gabbro boulders. Carrock Fell is probably one of the best venues close to Carlisle and for some reason I've not visited it since November of last year.

Problem 17 on the Aretes Boulder.

Crimping up Problem 18 on the Aretes Boulder.

I took in some new problems before moving on to a problem I have tried once before, but didn't get round to completing. I worked out a new sequence of moves, which got me past my previous high point, and then I couldn't make the following move to the top. I ground the problem into submission with countless attempts and instead of it letting up, my fingers let out. I had to call the session to an end as my finger tips started to spurt blood over the small sloping, but incredibly painful holds, as well as anything else I decided to touch.

However, before leaving I happened to notice that there's a large field of boulders between the two central groups of documented problems, which look to have a few lines, albeit above bad landings, that don't appear in the Lakes Bouldering guidebook. I may just be back before another four months pass to check them out.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A day in the sun...

2011-03-18T23:39:00.006Z

I was over in the Langdale Valley today and spent the majority of my time climbing up and down the aptly named Langdale Boulders. I repeated a variety of problems, which I have done on previous visits to this stunning location, and ticked off a couple of new problems as well.

There isn't much else to say really, as I think pictures are the only medium that could do the day any real justice; it was that amazing.

Back Boulder Left (V6) with the Langdale Pikes behind.

The Overhang (V5) with the Langdale Pikes behind.

Adding a sit start to The Overhang, which bumps the grade up to V7.

The Pocket with the Langdale Pikes behind (V5).

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Another Bowderstone Session...

2011-03-14T18:33:00.002Z

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Sunday Sandstone

2011-03-06T21:12:00.004Z

As with the Sunday tradition I was out on the sandstone today. The venue was Rothley Crag, which is just over 4 miles away, as the crow flies, from Shaftoe, where I was a week ago. This meant that many of the boulder problems were of a similar nature to the ones I ticked at Shaftoe however I went with a definite motto in my mind, "send it within three goes or move on."

Working out how to mantel over Yorkshire Roof (Font 6b).

As a result of this, I walked away from the crag, three-and-a-half hours later, having ticked twenty-two problems. None of them were exceptionally hard, but it was nice to get a lot done, and now when I next visit the crag I'll be paying a bit more attention to specific problems, or maybe I'll carry on working my way through the remaining 196 problems.

Another Arete (Font 6a), another mantel shelf.

Making the leftwards traverse on Zig Zag (Font 6a).

We didn't leave the crag until 4:30 so we were blessed with a lovely light as I came to the end of the session and I was slightly excited for the drive back west along the Military Road, because the sun would be setting in the distance.

Pulling off the ground on South Sea Bubble (Font 6a) as the evening sun illuminates the rock.

The sun didn't disappoint and as we passed through Walwick the sun was sitting on the Military Road, and a couple of minutes later it was below the horizon and darkness started to set in.

A setting sun as we head for home down the Military Road.

More pictures of the bouldering at Rothley Crag can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Making the most of Good Conditions...

2011-02-28T20:44:00.004Z

Today, I was on the first day of a First Aid at Work course, which was a shame as the conditions were perfect for climbing. However, when the course finished at 4:15pm I was in the car and driving down Borrowdale before you could say: "DR ABCDE!" I eventually parked in the lay-by for the Bowderstone and was almost running the short distance to the boulder in the hope of making the most of the light, which would soon be fading.

I managed to work through the three problems, which I have now been sending since the end of April 2010, and called that my warm up, before taking a good long rest and during this period I decided what I would try and work in the hope of eventually ticking it. I've been working several problems at the Bowderstone now - Picnic Sarcastic (Font 7a+), Power Pinch (Font 7a+), Bloodsucker (Font 7b+), Statstick (Font 7a) and Move Man (Font 7a+) - and feel motivated to get Statstick the most. I don't know why this is, but this is what I now set to as the sun eventually dipped below the mountains and darkness quickly set in.

Cal Reid on Statstick (Font 7a).

However, the darkness didn't cause that much trouble; it was out with the head torch, and once it was set to it's brightest, it acted as the perfect spot light to illuminate the holds from the floor and it also doubled up as a handy light for the camera. I know the quality isn't that great, but you can just make out in the video my efforts to tick Statstick; I fell from the last hold several times as I failed to control the swing and match the hold. I should get it on my next visit.

The last clip, where the climber is wearing a head torch, is Needle Sport's Cal Reid climbing The Ramp (Font 6b).

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Some more Sandstone on a Sunday

2011-02-27T19:13:00.007Z

Last Sunday I was at Armathwaite's Sandy Bay climbing on the overhanging sandstone and this Sunday I headed north-east to Shaftoe, which is Northumberland's premier sandstone bouldering area. It would appear that this is the start of a Sunday tradition!

Shaftoe is an impressive little spot. "There are over 300 problems situated on more than 50 boulders in a beautiful setting on the Shaftoe Moors in the Wansbeck Valley" (NMC Bouldering Guide) and because this was my first visit I was unsure where to start. After trawling the internet, checking out pictures, I decided to head to the Western Edges of the moor, which meant there was a fair walk-in, but it was certainly worth it.

Problem 14 (Font 7a), on The Business.

I ticked off a fair few problems, however the conditions weren't ideal. The boulders were slightly damp and throughout my session I was plagued by brief showers, which just added to the already moist holds, however there was a strong wind whipping through the complex system of valleys, ridges and escarpments so most of the surface moisture soon dissipated once the showers had stopped. This did allow me to make most of the moves on the problems I attempted, but the wind wasn't doing anything for the damp, rounded top-outs, which required a perfect mantel shelf technique in order to see you safe onto the top of the boulder.

The Scoop (Font 6b): an example of a Shaftoe top-out.

It would appear that my mantel shelf technique is lacking and so there were a fair few problems I ended up walking away from; I did the hard moves to get to the lip of the boulder, but I just couldn't get myself over the top. I'm hoping that when I return the conditions will be better suited for climbing on slopers and this should see me ticking a fair few problems I hope.

Driving back along the Military Road to Carlisle.

On the drive back west I was treated to some lovely views of the late afternoon sun breaking through the clouds and illuminating the borders of this fine land.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A bit of exercise...

2011-02-20T18:56:00.008Z

I've just been down to Armathwaite for a quick boulder. I ticked off the usual three problems - Exorcist Start (V2), Problem 3 (V3) and Problem 4 (V4) - before tackling Problem 5 (V4). I'm not sure why I've never tried this problem before; it's a four move traverse into Problem 3, but those four extra moves, even though they are pretty straight forward, gave my left forearm a slight pump so it took a few goes before I stuck the moves off the diagonal rail, up to the big ledge and the awaiting finishing hold.

Taking in Armathwaite's Sandy Bay.

I spent the rest of the session trying to get Problem 7 (V6), which I have been trying on most of my recent visits to the Sandy Bay, but I just don't seem to have the strength (or more likely the confidence) to make the big move to the bad looking sidepull/pinch, which is just two moves from the finish. Today, my attempts were a mirror image of all my other attempts and the confidence thing was even more of an issue. If I came off, slightly out of control, I would probably have landed in the River Eden, which was fairly high and this meant that the two other problems, I can usually tick, were out over the water and were therefore out of bounds for the session.

After my bouldering I headed back to the car, swapped gear and headed off for a run around Coombs Wood. I managed 2.8 miles in 29 minutes, which isn't too bad when you consider that apart from yesterday - where I got out for 13 minutes and managed 1.64 miles - I've not been for a proper run since I left high school in 2005.

My new thing: running at night.

You may wonder why I have started running; I've decided to improve my general fitness so that I can walk into high mountain crags quicker and arrive in better shape for the climbs, but I also get to play with my new head torch if I head out at night for a run, which adds an extra element to the monotony of it all.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Into the Mountains...

2011-02-17T18:26:00.004Z

I've just got back from a day out in the mountains. The objective was a couple of routes on The Napes, Great Gable, however the conditions had other ideas. There wasn't any rain, but there was snow up high, and the rock was greasy and wet in places from the rain we've had over the previous few days.

Looking up Styhead Gill to the Scafell Range.

This did mean that we were limited to the routes we could climb, but we set out for Needle Ridge (VD) instead, which is a Classic Rock tick, so the quality of the climb was not lessened by the poor conditions; it just made it slightly harder. We climbed the route in walking boots, with our bags on our back, so some of the moves were extremely difficult at times because of the greasy rock. However, this just added to the adventurous nature of the endeavour.

The top of the Napes Needle with Wasdale below.

The route gave us excellent views down over Wasdale and across The Napes. We were also able to watch the clouds roll in off the Irish Sea, but luckily these didn't dump any precipitation as we climbed, but they did limit our visibility as we ascended.

Sphinx Rock.

Once we had topped out we scrambling along the top of The Napes to the ridge that connects it with Westmorland's Crag and the rest of Great Gable. We hopped along this and then made our way to the summit of Great Gable.

Scrambling off The Napes on the way to Great Gable's summit.

From the summit we descended down to Windy Gap and then, with time still on our side, we hurried to the summit of Green Gable and back down into the Gillercombe hanging valley before descending down the side of Sourmilk Gill back to the car at Seathwaite.

Looking down into Ennerdale from Windy Gap.

More pictures can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

February Sunshine...

2011-02-10T18:32:00.000Z

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Getting a quick session in...

2011-02-08T17:09:00.003Z

I haven't posted much this year and that is because of one main reason: University. I am coming to the end of my three years at the University of Cumbria, where I've been studying for a BA (Hons) in Outdoor Leadership, and as a result I've been spending an unnatural amount of time in front of my laptop, in the library, or with my nose in a book in one last effort to get all my assignments done so I can focus on my dissertation. This has meant that outdoor activities have taken a back seat, which is not good, but today I managed to grab a quick session down at the Bowderstone in between weather fronts, which have been bombarding Cumbria with a hell of a lot of precipitation of late.

It was a productive session; I repeated the usual suspects and set to work on Move Man (Font 7a+) and Statstick (Font 7a). Unfortunately I didn't send either of them, but I'm only one move off Move Man. It's just a shame that it's one really big move off one of the smallest, and most polished crimps I've ever tried to pull on. Statstick is still a long way coming, but I feel like it will go at some point soon. I've just got to pray that I can keep my strength up whilst not actually getting much climbing under my belt.

I suppose it will all be over, that is University, soon.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A Pleasant Surprise...

2011-01-27T20:05:00.005Z

I've just got back from a day trip over to Yorkshire to check out one of the recently bolted limestone crags in the Dales with the University. This one sits prominently on the sky line, above the quaint little village of Settle, and has a flag flying from the top. It goes by the name of Castlebregh Crag and is an interesting little venue.

Setting out on The Anchorman.com (F5).

We started out on a couple of the easier lines, which had some loose blocks in places, but were on the whole pleasant little climbs. After having a spot of lunch and a little rest I set off up what I thought was Ye Olde Naked Man (F6b), whilst others pondered over whether it could have been Off the Rails (F6a+).

Setting out on Practically Everything (F7a).

I ended up hanging from the second bolt as my strength started to give out, and eventually, after dogging my way to the top, I threaded the lower off and lowered back down to the ground. I swapped places with my belayer and they set off up the route, with quickdraws in place, to be thwarted, like I was, by the moves past the second bolt, up through to the third bolt. After a couple of falls they called it a day, and with the quickdraws still in place, I had one more go, in the hope that I could get it clean, but also in an effort to get all of the quickdraws back.

Working out the sequence for Practically Everything (F7a).

After powering through the two big moves low down on the wall I huffed and puffed my way up the final corner to the lower off, where I once again threaded it and lowered back down to the ground. Luckily on this occasion I got it clean, but at the back of my mind I felt that it was harder than F6a+, which would have made it Off the Rails, but it was also a bit stiff for F6b, which would have made it Ye Olde Naked Man.

Moving up past the third bolt on Practically Everything (F7a).

On returning home I pulled the topo up for the crag and realised that I had actually lead Practically Everything (F7a) instead of either Ye Olde Naked Man or Off the Rails, which made this climb my hardest sport climb to data, and it was also my first successful redpoint. Happy times and tomorrow I'm off into the mountains.

More pictures can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Damp Dumby

2011-01-23T18:22:00.003Z

I've just got back from a couple of days in Scotland visiting family, and such like, and on the drive north we swung by Dumbarton Rock for a spot of bouldering on the basalt blocks below the castle. However, they were a bit on the damp side for any productive bouldering. After getting shut down on three of the problems we scrapped the session and heading off to do battle on the congested M8.

2HB (Font 6a).

The Railing (Font 6b+).

Slap Happy (Font 7a).

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

It's been a while...

2011-01-20T17:45:00.004Z

Looking over Borrowdale.

It would appear that I have not been doing anything of late; my last post was way back on 23rd December and to tell you the truth I haven't been that busy in terms of outdoor activities. I have been in the wall and on the fingerboard in an attempt to keep strong, but I haven't been getting out on the rock, on the river's, or into the mountains because of one thing and another.

A lone climber solos towards the sun.

However, I managed to get down to the most popular roadside crag of the Lake District, Shepherd's Crag for a couple of climbs today. It was nice to be out on the rock again, instead of the plastic, and it would appear that all this indoor training has paid off.

The Belvadere, with Derwent Water behind.

After soloing the classic V. Diff, Little Chamonix, I tied into the sharp end and headed up Monolith Crack's first pitch, before following my partner up the second pitch. I then lead Fisher's Folly (VS) in one long, meandering pitch, and also had a quick second on MGC (E2-, 5c). All of this was with minimal fuss.

A busy Fisher's Folly Buttress: Climbers on Fisher's Folly (VS) and MGC (E2-, 5c).

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Heading south...

2010-12-23T23:11:00.005Z

I'm down in Preston at the moment so that I can do the whole family Christmas thing. On the way south I called in at Trowbarrow for another session on the Red Well. My main objective was to send Shallow Grave (Font 7a+); I felt extremely close to getting it on my previous visit, and if I was successful on this occasion it would have been my hardest boulder problem to date.

About to rock over on The Classic Rock Over (Font 4).

I warmed up on a couple of problems I had sent before and also got a few other problems ticked, after finding another topo on Lakes Bloc this morning, before turning my attention, just as the sun started to dip behind the horizon, to Shallow Grave.

Blaming it on the footwear: changing shoes in the hope of getting more purchase on a foothold.

Catching the last hold after changing shoes.

Unfortunately I didn't send Shallow Grave and after a few more half-hearted attempts, which left my middle finger of my right hand screaming for a rest, I gave it up as a bad job and continued south to Preston.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Beaten by the cold... Eventually...

2010-12-20T15:27:00.007Z

Looking across to Skiddaw from Derwent Water.

Looking over Derwent Water towards Borrowdale.

I was over in Keswick today and had planned on having a short session at the Bowderstone before heading back towards Carlisle. However, the cold has finally thwarted my plans of climbing on actual rock for an entire year. Not only was it unbearably cold on the hands and feet, there was also ice hanging off the Bowderstone's Ladder Face. I did pull off the ground on Statstick (Font 7a), but gave the session up as a bad job when I couldn't actually feel what I was standing on, or holding on to.

The starting holds of Bowderiser (Font 7a) covered in ice.

Icicles hanging from the top of the Bowderstone's Ladder Face.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Some more winter bouldering...

2010-12-15T19:03:00.004Z

About to start the descent through St. Bees' sandstone cliffs.

I headed west today to that safe winter bouldering venue, St Bees. It is always a safe bet for bouldering in the winter months and the temperatures are usually very agreeable and it didn't disappoint today.

Block Traverse (V4).

I repeated several problems in the Apiary Arete Area, before eventually ticking a line, I had worked for a very long time on my first trip to the sandstone blocks. Since then I have never had the urge to go back and try it.

Apiary Arete (V1 5c).

I also gave Fruits de Mer (V8) another bash. I eventually had to walk away from it, not having got the tick; the conditions weren't perfect, but I also appear to have lost some crimp strength; I couldn't contemplate making the move off the sloping dish to the arete, whilst holding a small crimp with the right hand. This is a move I've been close to sticking on a previous visit, which frustrated me slightly. Even so it was a nice way to spend a day

Fruits de Mer (V8).

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A New Tick at the Bowderstone

2010-12-12T15:37:00.001Z

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Canoeing[!]

2010-12-09T23:47:00.005Z

The weather in Cumbria has remained decidedly arctic for the past fortnight and today I was off canoeing with the University. We had been told to bring kit for heading off into the mountains to enjoy the snow, but we also had our canoeing kit. We decided to make use of this canoeing kit by heading to the River Eden to paddle the Lazonby to Armathwaite section.

An ice chocked River Eden at Lazonby.

We left a vehicle at Armathwaite and the river was frozen. It wasn't frozen from bank to bank; there was a channel through the middle stanchion of the Armathwaite Bridge so we headed upstream to the get in where we were greeted with an ice chocked river. However, it was flowing so we got on and headed off downstream.

Trying to make downstream progression through the frozen River Eden.

We were doing quite well, making our way downstream, until we came to one rapid. We ran the rapid and then were greeted with a river wide iceberg. We applied the power, road up over the ice and came to a grinding stop. For the next thirty minutes we smashed, slid and sweated our way through the ice blockade, back to the bank to reassess the situation.

In training for the North Pole: heading back to the minibus after admitting defeat with the frozen River Eden.

After assessing the situation we decided we were onto a looser, having only made a kilometer of downstream progression, and we were about to enter a section of river which hardly gets any sun, meaning more ice. In order to escape from our little predicament we turned the canoes into sledges, and acted as a pack of huskies in order to drag the canoes for a kilometer, back up river, to the awaiting minibus.

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A Wintry Bouldering Session

2010-12-06T19:30:00.004Z

A wintry Trowbarrow Quarry.

I said yesterday that I would be heading north from Preston to catch a 2pm lecture. I did exactly that and on the way I popped into Trowbarrow Quarry for a quick bouldering session. It was extremely cold, with snow on the ground, and at times extremely foggy, but the rock was perfectly dry and once I'd got past the numb, cold hands, and the accompanying hot aches, I had a really productive session.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Keeping with Tradition

2010-12-05T16:59:00.004Z

I'm down in Preston for a few days and keeping with tradition I managed to call in at Craig Y Longridge for a couple of hours bouldering on the short, overhanging, quarried gritstone wall.

Looking towards Longridge from the top of Craig Y Longridge.

It was unbelievably cold so I quickly sent ten easy (VB-V0) problems as a warm up before repeating a couple of harder (V2) lines and flashing an even harder (V3) problem, which I videoed.

After this I had a good rest before getting back on Gruts, which is a pumpy V3 traverse along a short section of the crag. I came extremely close to sending this on my previous visit and I eventually ticked it off today. I did capture some video of me working the problem, but I forgot to press the record button to capture the final send! Oops.

Then this afternoon we went for a stroll down the side of the River Ribble.

The afternoon sun burning through the fog.

A cloud inversion over the River Ribble, with the tower blocks of Preston behind.

I'm heading back up north tomorrow morning and am thinking of stopping off for a boulder on Trowbarrow's Red Wall before a 2pm lecture at University. Lets hope the weather holds out a bit longer.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A Wintry Photo Shoot

2010-11-30T18:16:00.005Z

On Monday I was invited out on a photo shoot with one of the students on the University of Cumbria's Adventure and Media Degree course. I decided against heading out on Monday, but after getting snowed in, in Penrith on Monday night we heading out on Tuesday with camera in hand, bouldering mats on our backs and ropes in our bags so that we could get that winning shot.

Walking along the banks of the River Eden to Armathwaite's Sandy Bay.

The location of the shoot was Armathwaite's Sandy Bay and after fixing two ropes from the top of the cliffs, I set to working the handful of problems I have come to know very well, whilst photo's were taken from many different angles, and with many different lenses, from the two fixed ropes.

At the dead point whilst reaching for the rail on Problem 3 (V3).

Photographing Problem 3 (V3).

To say winter is upon us, and there are many inches of snow carpeting the ground, the Sandy Bay area was remarkably warm, but this was only on the occasions when the sun could beat down on us uninterrupted. However, when the clouds filled the sky, and snow started to fall, the temperatures certainly plummeted.

About to make the wide move out to the sidepull/undercut on Problem 4 (V4).

Trying to capture the action on Problem 4 (V4).

I may have Armathwaite's Sandy Bay more times than I can remember, but there are some very nice problems, with some strenuous moves, and this makes it an extremely good training venue. However, it was also nice to be down besides the river, enjoying the wintry weather whilst messing around on the rock, playing with ropes and expensive cameras.

More pictures of the photo shoot can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Winter is upon us...

2010-11-27T17:40:00.004Z

Looking across the fen to Matfen Hall Hotel.

I've been working over in the North-East today and, after battling for an hour through the snow, I made it, on time, to Go Ape Matfen, where a couple of customers braved the weather for a two-and-a-half hour high wire forest adventure. It was an impressive site; a snow covered Go Ape course.

Fern, Go Ape! Matfen's chainsaw carved sculpture, and a snow covered Site 2.

A customer descending Site 4's zip wire.

Looking towards Site 5's Landing Site.

The afternoon sun illuminating the snowy forest.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

And now for some climbing...

2010-11-26T19:03:00.003Z

Looking out from the base of the G-Spot Sector, Giggleswick South.

It appears that I have managed to get nearly all of the outdoor activities I engage with into just three days. On Wednesday I went walking, yesterday I went paddling, and today I went climbing on the bolted cliffs of Giggleswick South.

Match Play (F5+).

I repeated a hand full of routes I ticked on a previous visit before taking a good rest and going for the onsight of Black Swan Rising, a pumpy F6b. Unfortunately I failed on the third move from the top and it highlights my greatest weakness: stamina. I already knew this before today, and I have known it for a while, it's just the most tedious and boring element of climbing to train and so it gets left behind for power endurance and limit strength training. I suppose I should start making a conscience effort to rectify this problem before spring comes back around.

Cygnet Chewer (F5+).

Once climbing psyche had started to ebb we decided to take a walk up to the G-Spot Sector of Giggleswick South, where one of the hardest sport climbs in the UK can be found, Violent New Breed (F9a+). The guidebook states that the holds are too small to see and they were dead on the money with that comment. I think they might of well said there are no holds, but that doesn't really matter to be honest. What does matter is the setting of this fine little sector. It must be one of the most impressive in the country and it certainly has a mystical atmosphere which left me speechless.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Paddling down the River Leven

2010-11-25T19:37:00.003Z

Paddling under the bridge across the River Leven at Newby Bridge.

Paddling down Mill Force, River Leven.

A beautiful winter's day on the River Leven.

Negotiating one of the small rapids on the River Leven.

Negotiating the Graveyard, River Leven.

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A bit of a ramble...

2010-11-24T20:46:00.006Z

Looking across to the Langdales from Rydal Fell.

It's been a long time since I've been out in the hills with the sole purpose of rambling across the fell tops and it was nice to be out in the mountains, exploring their beauty, and admiring their grandeur.

Looking across to the Helvellyn Range from Fairfield.

Our route today took us from Rydal, up to Heron Pike and Great Rigg before reaching Fairfield. From here we headed across to Hart Crag and Dove Crag before starting our descent back to Rydal via High and Low Pike.

Leaving Fairfield behind on the approach to Hart Crag.

There was a bit of snow around on the tops and this made the day even more enjoyable as it certainly adds an extra element to the views over Lakeland. It is also a sign of the air temperature and it was extremely cold, as a bitter wind whipped across the fell tops for the majority of the day.

The fells above Hartsop illuminated in the late afternoon sun.

We were also blessed, because of the late start, with a magnificent light show as the sun made it's final appearance of the day, before disappearing behind Coniston Old Man and Wetherlam. It certainly made the day, one of the most memorable days, I've had out in the fells.

The sun making a final effort to illuminate the fells before dipping below the horizon.

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Making the most of a nice morning...

2010-11-15T17:41:00.002Z

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A quick blast...

2010-11-14T16:28:00.003Z

Last night was the final(?) Shap International Kayak Film Festival and after a good night watching both historical, and contemporary, films featuring the Indus River, and an offering from Cody Howard, the kayaking psyche was high. After a night in the back of the van and a full English Breakfast, in a proper trucker's cafe, the classic section of the River Kent was calling.

Mid-morning on the Kent: floating towards the lip of Scroggs Weir.

The rapid marking the start of Gunpowder Gorge, River Kent.

Gunpowder Gorge, River Kent.

The L-Shaped Drop, River Kent.

A visit to this section of the Kent has been long overdue - I think it has been nearly two years - and it was good to be back on a section of river that had become very familiar to me in the past. I could still remember the lines and it was nice to re-familiarise myself with them and get some more time in the boat.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Another change in the weather...

2010-11-11T18:35:00.004Z

Heading off down the Lowther.

I was in university today for a day of canoeing. We started the day off on the River Lowther, but soon gave that up as a bad thing. The river was probably about one or two feet two high for the experience of the group and so we binned that and headed over to Ullswater instead.

Sailing down Ullswater.

Land ahoy. Approaching Pooley Bridge.

Once at Ullswater it seemed that the wind would prove a hindrance, but instead we tied the canoes together, rigged an A-frame and hoisted a sail and headed off, with the wind behind us, towards Pooley Bridge, which took us no time at all.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Back on the rock

2010-11-10T19:27:00.005Z

Who needs feet? The Sound of One Al Slapping (V2 5c).

It seems strange that my last post featured tales of daring do on the swollen rivers of Cumbria and then, less than a week later, a picture of bone dry gabbro, smothered in a cloudless blue sky appears. Weird, but that is how it is.

I spent the morning on the gabbro of Carrock Fell, repeating a handful of problems I have done on a previous occasion, before heading to the university's library, so that I could get some more work done on my dissertation, and that is what my life has become. The dissertation.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

It's all gone a bit wet

2010-11-05T19:43:00.002Z

It's been a bit wet recently and this only means one thing: kayaking. I've eventually got round to emptying the back of the van of climbing kit and have started getting used to the damp, wet smell that comes with the kayaking scene. Yesterday, the rivers were huge and after getting a quick morning run down the Greta we headed over to the Caldew, behind Blencathra.

Sneaking down Grainsgill Beck into the Caldew.

A very high Caldew.

Whilst we walked into the river, and paddled the opening sections, the river rose a good few feet making the navigation downstream extremely hazardous. We all walked the classic Picnic Pool drop as a humongous hole blocked any downstream progression and, a couple of hundred meters further downstream, there was a very continuous section, which looked horrific. We walked around this before blasting down the last couple of hundred meters and these were very interesting to say the least.

Today, we were back out and quite surprisingly a lot of stuff had dropped off. We checked in on the Caldew, which looked totally different to the previous day, before heading into the Borrowdale Valley to eventually tick off Langstrath Beck.

Walking into a very autumnal Langstrath Beck.

Heading off down Slip and Slide, Langstrath Beck.

Approaching The Fairy Hole, Langstrath Beck.

Galleny Force, Langstrath Beck.

Approaching the Final Fling, Langstrath Beck.

Langstrath Beck must be one of prettiest rivers in the whole of Cumbria and after getting our kicks on the many slides and drops we headed a bit further east, into the Newlands Valley, to sample the tree infested, and rocky ditch known as Keskadale Beck, which feeds into Newlands Beck, which we finished the day on.

Walking into Keskadale Beck.

Keskadale Beck.

The main interest on Newlands Beck.

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A Wash Out

2010-10-28T15:54:00.003Z

I spent the afternoon down at the Bowderstone and to put it simply: it was a wash out. The rock was bone dry, but the rain continued to fall and thoroughly soaked my mats, which wasn't great for the climbing psyche.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Back in Yorkshire

2010-10-24T19:41:00.003Z

The limestone pavement atop of Chapel-le-Dale's Lower Teir.

It has now come to that time of year when climbing on the rock is almost a write off, because of the rain showers, which frequent these autumnal months, but with a bit of thought it is still possible to get out on the rock. This does mean that a bit of driving is usually needed as the Lake District rhyolite is not suited to these damp conditions, but the county of Yorkshire is blessed with rock, be it limestone or gritsone, which is ideal for these autumnal conditions.

Looking out across the Dales from the Umbrella Overhangs.

And because I was on the gritstone on Wednesday it only seemed fitting to get out on the limestone of the Dales. The venue of choice was Chapel-le-Dale, which looks down on Oddie's Lane, an old Roman road, and the River Doe, which flows south-west into Ingleton, and it must be one of the best outlooks in the Dales.

Just after the sun disappears behind the crag and below the horizon.

I suppose it was a shame that the routes were not befitting of the outlook. They were, at best, ten meters high and the difficulty was usually found in the first couple of moves needed to leave the ground. It was an enjoyable day however and provided some respite from the work/university routine that I am slowly falling into at the moment.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Visiting Yorkshire and Scotland

2010-10-21T17:40:00.004Z

Balancing up the slab of Centre Point (Diff).

I went climbing yesterday, which isn't uncommon, but instead of checking in on the Lake District crags or the Northumberland outcrops or the limestone of the Dales, we headed further afield to the gritstone crags of Brimham, which are just outside of Ripon. This did mean we had an early start to make the four hour round journey worthwhile, but we did get four-and-a-half hours under cloudless skies with perfectly conditioned gritstone. Then today, we headed to Scotland for the day.

Poling up the River Annan, Scotland.

When I say Scotland I don't mean the Highlands, but rather Dumfries and Galloway, which is only just a stones throw from Carlisle, and has many a perfect river for messing around in boats. The river of choice was the Annan, which we have visited on one previous occasion, but failed to get on because of the unusually high river levels. Today, the river was much lower and it was a perfect way to spend the day.

Paddling down the River Annan, Scotland.

Negotiating a cheerful Scottish fisherman on the River Annan.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

And... now it's October

2010-10-13T19:36:00.005Z

I got out climbing again today and it was, without a doubt, an October day. Not only was it cold, but also damp because of the low-lying cloud. This was unlike Sunday's climbing marathon and, to a degree, yesterday's bouldering session at Carrock Fell. However, the rock was, at best, dry but it was greasy and in places there was some seepage from the vegetation, which was glued to the rhyolite buttresses.

Supermodel (E1, 5b).

What was similar with Sunday's climbing marathon was the fact that we visited a couple of crags, rather than basing our operations at one venue, which meant we had plenty of good routes to go at. We began the day at Fat Charlie's Buttress, which lies close to Langstrath Beck, and after ticking two routes here, we headed a bit further up the hill, away from the beck, to Bleak How, which I have visited before.

The Reiver (HVS, 5a).

We ticked The Reiver (HVS, 5a), which I backed-off from on our previous visit, before decided on tackling the impressive, and foreboding slab on the left of the crag, which Brush Off (HVS, 4c) weaves it's way up.

The bold and foreboding slab.

Looking across the cloud filled valley whilst climbers work away on Brush Off (HVS, 4c).

Trying to find the cleanest bit of rock on Brush Off (HVS, 4c).

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Some bloc action...

2010-10-12T17:24:00.004Z

Tuesday's are great. I only have one lecture and that is at 2pm so I have a fair few hours free in the morning. This means I can do a variety of things: university work, indoor training, outdoor climbing or even kayaking.

I went for the outdoor climbing option today and this was in the form of a bouldering session at Carrock Fell. The fell was clad in a thick fog, but the blocs remained dry and this gave some excellent atmospheric bouldering on the rough Gabbro problems.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Who would have thought...

2010-10-10T20:57:00.004Z

it was October: blue skies and dry rock.

A morning mist hangs over the Langdale Valley.

I mentioned in Tuesday's post that I would be heading out to satisfy the need for adventure, partnerships and big challenges on Wednesday. Well that didn't happen, but it did today. The challenge was certainly a big one and it might have been too big for a Sunday in October: the weather shone through though and after ten hours of climbing we achieved our objective.

Looking across White Ghyll Crag to the valley floor far below.

The objective of the day was to summit Pavey Ark, but there was a slight twist. We started climbing at Scout Crags, which is ten minutes from the road, and finishes no where near the summit of Pavey Ark. However, the top of Scout Crags does finish near White Ghyll Crag and the top of this is only a short walk from the base of the crags on Pavey Ark.

Pavey Ark towering majestically over Stickle Tarn.

This idea of linking several routes together to ascend a Lakeland fell is nothing new, but in order to reach the top of Pavey Ark we had to use three different crags and five different routes. This meant we had sixteen pitches of climbing and two-hundred-and-eighty meters of climbing to get through before we could stand, successful, on the summit of Pavey Ark.

Stickle Tarn with the Langdales beyond from Pavey Ark.

The five climbs we ascended were by no means hard or technical, but that wasn't the point of the day; it was about moving in the mountains and climbing was just one of the mediums we used in doing this. To be honest climbing should be more about this and I think at times some individuals, and I do as well, get too hooked up on the grades of climbs and lose focus on the real reasons for climbing.

Heading home at the end of the day: heading down Jack's Rake.

Once at the top of Pavey Ark we used the classic scramble of Jack's Rake to descend down to Stickle Tarn below, before jogging down the well established path, which runs parallel with Stickle Ghyll, down to the New Dungeon Ghyll and the Stickle Barn. I'm now heading to bed for some well needed rest before a day of lectures.

More pictures of the day can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Back in a Boat

2010-10-07T17:41:00.005Z

Floating down the last hundred meters of the River Mint to join the River Kent.

Over the past two years of university there have been modules focusing on outdoor activities and this is no different for the third year. Today was the first of five practical sessions looking at coaching Canoeing and we floated down the River Mint for a couple of hundred meters before joining the River Kent and floating down through Kendal.

Playing on the many small weirs as the River Kent meanders through Kendal.

We couldn't have asked for a nicer day to be honest. I suppose we could have done with a bit more water in the river, but there was enough to float down the two rivers without much hassle.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Who would have thought....

2010-10-05T16:58:00.003Z

that a sheet of plywood could provide so much enjoyment for such a long period of time.

With my third year well and truly on the way my timetable appears to accommodate the need to engage with outdoor activities really well. I suppose the thought behind this piece of timetabling genius was to allow for plenty of time in the library, but I am convinced that, with a bit of self discipline, some of this free time can be spent climbing and such like.

Today we attempted to boulder on the Bowderstone before an afternoon's lecture in Outdoor Leadership and the Entrepreneur, however the weather had other ideas; it lashed it down. This meant that after one attempt of Picnic Sarcastic (Font 7a+) we retired to Keswick Climbing Wall where we spent a good two hours crimping backwards and forwards, up and down on a sheet of plywood that was no more than two meters by three meters.

You wouldn't think that it was possible to have so much fun on such a small piece of plywood, but it certainly is, and Dave MacLeod talked about this only a couple of days ago and I can agree with him 100%. However, this plywood climbing only provides satisfaction for one facet of climbing; physical movement. The need for adventure, partnerships and big challenges still has to be satisfied and it is hoped that tomorrow's visit to Bowderstone Crag will achieve this.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Back on British Rock

2010-09-30T18:30:00.003Z

The cows of Twistleton Dale House heading out for the day after morning milking.

It's been a week to the day since I got back from Kalymnos and since then I've been tied up with work and university. However I have managed to get down to the local wall for a couple of hours and have spent some time hanging on the fingerboard, but today was the first day back on British rock.

Seconding Left-Hand Crack (VD).

The rock of choice was limestone, the same as that found in Kalymnos, and I guess that's where the similarities with Kalymnos end; we were in the Yorkshire Dales, just outside Ingleton, at Twistleton Scar for a start.

Making moves and placing gear on Serenity (VS, 5a).

The routes were fairly short affairs, but even though there was only a limited amount of moves to experience before arriving at the top, they were still enjoyable. We ticked off a number of routes and when the climbing psyche started to fade we began on the long journey north back to Cumbria.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Another 2374 miles...

2010-09-23T12:17:00.005Z

On the beach with Telendos behind.

At the end of my last post I mentioned that we only had two days left on Kalymnos and that these would be spent climbing. Well on Tuesday that didn’t happen. We woke early so that we could breakfast, before heading up to the crag in the morning shade, but I wasn’t motivated for climbing in the slightest, and this was the same on the following day, Wednesday.

Instead of climbing we spent the days pottering around Masouri; having lunch at the Glaros Bar, before heading down to the beach to while away the afternoon besides the sea. Whilst in the Glaros Bar on the first of these two days, I came across an article, in one of the bar's many climbing magazines, on sport climbing, sport climbing on Kalymnos as a matter of fact, and the misconceptions many British climbers have on this discipline of rock climbing.

One of these misconceptions is the grading of the routes; they aren’t graded for the onsight, but instead, for the redpoint attempt. Almost immediately it made sense; this was why I was getting shut down on routes graded at F6b. It wasn’t because I lacked stamina, which is the conclusion I had drawn, but because I was approached the whole climbing experience wrong and was always going for the onsight, when I should have been taking my time, finding hidden holds whilst hanging on the rope, so that when it came to the lead I had the moves wired and could conserve my strength for when it was really needed.

Masouri celebrating the end of the summer season.

However, it's a bit late for all of that now; I'm back in Carlisle, the rain is lashing against the windows, and the washer has nearly finished it's first load.

More pictures of the holiday can be seen here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A couple more days in the sun...

2010-09-20T09:45:00.001Z

Making a big move on L'uomo che non credeva (F6a+).

After the failure of Friday's climbing we decided to turn Saturday's rest day into a climbing day. We headed back up to the Grande Grotta Cave, but instead of heading right, towards the Panorama Sector and the wasp nest, we headed left, back to the Afternoon Sector. Here we had the most productive day of the whole holiday; we ticked six routes ranging from F6a to F6b+, and all were climbed onsight. This meant that I ticked my hardest onsight lead of the holiday and this put me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

Another day coming to an end; the sun about to fall below the horizon.

The locals of Eborios fishing from the harbour, with the limestone cliffs of the Odyssey and Grande Grotta sectors behind.

We whiled away the rest of the day besides the pool, before heading out for the night on a Sunset Tour of the island. A coach picked us up and headed north, stopping once at Skalia as the sun went down and then again at Eborios, which is where the road terminates, before heading back along the road to Arginoda for a traditional Greek meal.

Trying to swap hands in a pocket on Ibria (F6b+).

The following day we were back out on the rock and the sector of choice was Poets. We ticked two routes, Metaxas (F6a) and MAO (ex Via Alp) (F6a), before trying Ibria, a super technical F6b+. I was feeling confident that I would get to the top after the previous days successes, but this was not to be; I ended up leaving a karabiner behind, three bolts from the top, so that I could lower back down to the ground and nurse my wounded pride.

Red clouds hang above the Grande Grotta Sector and Armeos as another day comes to an end.

And now we're on another rest day. There are only two more days left of the holiday, but because we don't leave the island until 7pm, we also have two days of climbing ahead of us.

More pictures of the holiday can be seen here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Kalymnian Dispatches...

2010-09-17T13:10:00.000Z

Kalymnian Sponge.

We had a rest day on Wednesday so we took the bus from our hotel in Armeos to the capital of Kalymnos, Pothia, where some of the best sponge factories on the island are found. We toured around many of these and stopped off, in between factories, at the cafes and bars, which lined the harbour, for refreshments.

Trying to find the best hold in a sea of 'ok' holds on Heureka (F5c+).

Approaching the crux of Mermizeli (F6b).

The following day we were back on the rock and back at the Odyssey Sector. We quickly ticked off one of the climbs we had patiently waited for on our last visit, but never got chance to climb, before ticking another. We then packed our bags and traversed the hillside to the School Sector, where I had picked out two climbs, when back in the UK, which I wanted to tick. We dispatched these quickly and headed back to Odyssey for some more routes on the steep, pocketed limestone walls.

Making a couple of moves to the left on La vie selon Gege (F6b).

A climber chalks up on Chnosi Family (F7a).

Today, we headed up to the Panorama Sector of the Grande Grotta, which lies directly behind our hotel. The plan was to tick six routes ranging from F4c to F6c, but this was cut short after only getting three routes in the bag; on scrambling up to the base of Cyclops (F6c) I managed to disturb a well hidden wasp nest, and some of it's inhabitants took the opportunity to jab my scalp with their stingers. This was incredibly painful and put a bit of a negative spin on the day, so we packed up and retired to the hotel to nurse my wounds.

More pictures of the holiday can be seen here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Two more days of climbing...

2010-09-14T16:11:00.000Z

We had a break from climbing on Sunday, but yesterday we got two sessions in and today we got one further session in before we take another rest day tomorrow. Yesterday's first session was in the morning shade, at the Poets Sector, which sits behind the Climbers Nest in Armeos, and then, once the sun had disappeared behind Telendos, we heading back up to the Afternoon Sector of the Grande Grotta for a quick climb whilst the sun dropped below the horizon.

A climber on Omero (F6c+).

Getting a rest on Styx (F6a+).

The evening sun sets behind Telendos.

Then today we headed up to the Odyssey Sector, which is the birth place of Kalymnos climbing; the first routes were put up here almost ten years ago and you could tell that this was the oldest climbing venue on the island. Many of the holds were suffering from overuse and as a result many were highly polished, which made the climbing extremely difficult at times.

The transport of choice for the visiting climber, with the Odyssey Sector behind.

Making the crux move into the niche of Poly Retsina No Good (F6a+).

However, during these two days, and the two that went before, clear patterns have emerged as to the ways of the visiting climber on Kalymnos. Every climber takes at least three pairs of footwear up to the crag. Obviously one of these is to climb in, but there are also pairs to wear at the base of the crag. These are usually flip flops or similar as they give the climber's feet chance to cool down after being stuffed into overly tight climbing shoes for twenty or so minutes, and then the third pair are usually designed for the steep, rough and dusty approaches to and from the crag. These are unceremoniously chucked into a rucksack as soon as the first route for the day is reached.

This is one thing which I have adopted. I have also become use to the act of queueing for a climb. In the UK this is very rare, even for the most popular of crags, but on Kalymnos all of the crags seem to be popular and thus queueing is an accepted part of the climbing. It does have its benefits if I am being honest; it forces you to rest properly in between climbs.

One thing which I have not adopted, but many climbers have, is the use of the moped to reach the crag. I have decided that the much safer option is to walk from the hotel to the crag, and this at worst could take an hour, but at least I don't risk life and limb in the crazy Kalymnos traffic each time I head out climbing.

More pictures of the holiday can be seen here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Two days of climbing...

2010-09-11T16:56:00.000Z

Some of the locals checking us out as we slog uphill on the way to the Afternoon Sector of the Grande Grotta.

I've just finished my second day of climbing on Kalymnos and there is a stark contrast to the climbing found in the UK, which is obvious I suppose. Yesterday we headed up to the Afternoon Sector of the Grande Grotta, which lies twenty minutes walk from our hotel. We had an early start so that we were up at the crag before the sun reached the peak of its heat, but it also allowed us to climb in the shade for the majority of the session.

Trying desperately to keep my finger tips chalked on L'amico Ralph (F5c).

It's a strange concept to be looking for the crags that are in the shade for a large portion of the day; in the UK you almost always want the rock to be soaked in sun, but in Kalymnos it is hard, even when in the shade, to keep your hands free of sweat so you can crimp the small, but positive, limestone holds.

A busy Grande Grotta cave with climbers on DNA (F7a+) and Aegialis (F7c).

We ticked six routes ranging from F4a to F5c, but many of these felt much harder than the English sport routes I have lead in the past. We headed back down to the hotel and onto Masouri for dinner at the Glaros Bar, when hunger eventually set in, and afterwards we passed the time in the hotel's swimming pool, before heading out for tea in Myrties.

Admiring Kasteli's Main Wall with Telendos behind.

Today followed a similar theme: we were up early so that the walk-in to the crag could be done in the luxury of the shade and, like the previous day, we climbed whilst the rock was still in the shade, however we were at Kasteli's Main Wall instead of the Grande Grotta's Afternoon Sector.

A climber on Piccolo Diavolo (F6a).

Again we ticked six routes, but this time the sun cut our session short; the base of the crag was just starting to get warm as the first rays of sunshine hit the limestone and so we headed back to the hotel to while away the time in a very similar fashion to the previous day.

More pictures of the holiday can be seen here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

2374 miles later...

2010-09-10T17:45:00.000Z

Heading to Manchester's Terminal 1.

And we're in Kalymnos. The journey was straight forward to be honest, however it took a long time and this was because we had to use many different forms of transport. We used the good old British Rail network to get from Carlisle to Manchester, and then Monarch airlines provided us with the flights down to the island of Kos.

A coffee passes the time, early on Thursday morning, whilst waiting for the Kalymnos Star.

Once on Kos we waited for four hours in Mastihari so that we could catch the first ferry across to Pothia, which is the capitol of Kalymnos. This wouldn't have been to bad if we were in Mastihari at a decent hour, but at an hour past midnight only one Tavern was still serving food and drink, which passed some of the time.

Our first view of Kalymnos from Mastihari, Kos.

Heading for the Kalymnos Star, as the sun starts to illuminate Mastihari Harbour, Kos.

Once on Kalymnos we were soon transferred across the island, by coach, to the Hotel Philoxenia, which sits 20 minutes walk away from many of the popular climbing sectors of the Grande Grotta. Even though it was still early in the day, we had little in the way of energy, so instead of heading straight for the crags we potted around Masouri, Armeos and Kasteli for the day, before retiring to the pool in preparation for the following days climbing.

The limestone of the Grande Grotta makes for an interesting back drop whilst swimming in the hotel pool.

And if your wondering how I knew the exact distance from Carlisle to Kalymnos I asked Google Maps who not only gave me the distance, but also a detailed route plan for driving the entire 2374 miles, and an option for a route if I wanted to walk the entire way. It would have only taken me 14 days and 19 hours!

More pictures of the holiday can be seen here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Αντίο

2010-09-07T13:18:00.003Z

Full time work has finished for another year, lectures begin in just under three weeks time and I'm getting my stuff together for two weeks of bolt clipping, in the sun, on the Greek island of Kalymnos.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Inspiration...

2010-08-29T18:47:00.003Z

The Crack (V2).

I had a day off today and the weather was at its best, but instead of heading straight for the crag I spent 5 hours and 40 minutes on BBC iPlayer catching up with yesterday's live broadcast from Sron Ulladale where Dave MacLeod and Tim Emmett made the first ascent of The Usual Suspects (E9, 7a). It was an inspiring broadcast and once it had finished I was in the van, on my way into the Lake District, for a short bouldering session.

Making the big reach out to the jug on Matt's Roof (V5).

Unfortunately the bouldering session was not as productive as MacLeod's and Emmett's day on Sron Ulladale, but I did solo Truss Buttress (VD) before sending the problem, which appears on the front cover of the Lakes Bouldering Guide. I also worked a couple of steep, roof problems, but had little success; I seemed to be lacking finger strength. It could be time to have a serious rest before heading out to Kalymnos in eleven days.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

August...

2010-08-27T21:49:00.003Z

The full moon illuminating a cloud splattered sky on Wednesday evening.

Elizabeth Maua Taylor once said about August:

August rushes by like desert rainfall;
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame,
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away.

To be fair she isn't far off the mark either. August has been, without a doubt my favourite month this year; on many occasions the light, cast by the evening sun, has illuminated the Lakeland Fells in such a way that makes words redundant when describing nature's sheer beauty. This is not the only reason for August being the best month of the year however. It has been a busy month because of work and such like, but even during this I have managed to log a fair few climbs and boulder problems and many of these have been in an evening, after work, just as the sun starts to illuminate the fells and fall below the horizon.

The evening sun casts a glow over the Watendlath Valley this evening after work.

This does mean that climbing sessions are short lived and usually involve repeat ascents of familiar routes or problems, but that is of little importance to be honest. The climbing is more a means of enjoying the evening light and passing the time in ways which are enriching for the soul and mind. Tonight, and Wednesday for that matter, are prime examples of this. On Wednesday I popped down to Shepherds Crag for an hour and had a session, which mirrored the last evening session at Shepherds Crag, and then this evening saw us take in two routes at Reecastle Crag, which I have climbed previously.

Does that really matter? No it doesn't.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Hanging around on some ropes

2010-08-22T18:21:00.006Z

An atmospheric view down Derwent Water towards Keswick and Skiddaw.

After work yesterday I nipped down to Shepherds Crag for an hour or so before finding a quite spot to spend the night so that I could get up early the next day for work. I started off with a quick, solo ascent of Little Chamonix (VD) before rigging a rope down the left side of the Fisher's Folly Buttress.

Looking across the steep headwall of Little Chamonix (VD).

I shunted up the line, MGC (E2-, 5c), before having a rest and getting back on the shunt to climb the extremely bold Shanna (E2, 5c).

At the rest point on Shanna (E2, 5c).

Afterwards, feeling warm and strong, I got on the rope again and started to work the moves on a possible new route, which has an English 6a move at the end, after some very bold climbing, and is probably around the E4/5 mark. Finally, before heading for bed, in the back of the van, I made a top-roped ascent of a new route, Fragile Heart (E1, 5c), which is a bit of a contrived line up the centre of the Fisher's Folly Buttress.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

A Day Off

2010-08-18T18:45:00.005Z

Today I had a day off, so instead of snatching the odd climb here and the odd climb there before or after work I had a whole day of climbing down on the sandstone blocks of St Bees' North Head.

Slanty (V3).

We ticked a couple of the problems, which appear in the excellent, but slightly out of date Lakes Bouldering Guide, before we turned to the mini-guide produced by Greg Chapman of Lakes Bloc fame.

Making the leap for the start hold, and the only hold for that matter, on Blue Touch (V6).

Many of the problems that appear in this mini-guide are of excellent quality, but are, with out a doubt, hard! This did mean that for the majority of the day we were getting shut down on individual moves time and time again, until something finally clicked and you pulled on through to come up against the same difficulties on the very next move.

Fruits de Mer (V8).

This was enjoyable however; you felt like you really had achieved something when you finally pulled over the top and with such perfect conditions down on the boulder littered wave cut notch you couldn't complain as you rested in between attempts in the sun, under a picturesque cloud dotted blue sky.

Dynoing for the good hold on Bow Wow Prow (V8).

However it is back to work tomorrow, which means that I can have a much needed rest from climbing; my elbows are starting to feel the strain from so many short, sharp intense sessions early in the morning before work or late in the evening after work.

More pictures can be found here.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Some more juggling...

2010-08-17T19:04:00.006Z

Skiddaw, poking out of the cloud, from the viewpoint on Whinlatter Pass.

My previous two days have been very like my previous post about juggling driving, sleeping, eating and working. However, the weather has at times been much more favourable. I drove into work on Monday under perfectly clear blue skies, but on reaching the flanks of Skiddaw a thick blanket of fog covered the road and surrounding fields. I was soon above this as I ascended Whinlatter Pass and this allowed for views of a beautiful cloud inversion.

A lone paraglider high above Keswick on a beautiful evening.

The weather stayed the same throughout the day and it seemed rude not to make use of this. So after finishing work, just before 6pm, I headed down to Shepherd's Crag for a quick climb and it seemed like many others had similar ideas. We only got two routes in, Cream (HVS, 5a) and MGC (E2-, 5c), but it was still a beautiful way to spend such a peaceful evening.

Placing gear on Cream (HVS, 5a).

Looking up Borrowdale whilst belaying on Cream (HVS, 5a).

Even though we only climbed two routes we still finished late in the evening and so, instead of driving back north to Carlisle, I spent the night in the van, which meant I could get up early and get a quick session in at the Bowderstone before starting work at 10:30am.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain

Juggling...

2010-08-13T20:57:00.006Z

I mentioned in my last post that I would be juggling climbing with driving, sleeping, eating and working on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and to be honest that is how it has been. I suppose you could also add that I had to fit this in around the unpredictable Cumbria weather.

A drip forming on the seeping Langdale Boulder.

I worked in a dry Whinlatter Forest Park on Wednesday before heading in the general direction of Coniston Water for Thursday's work with Summitreks. To fill the evening I was going to call in on the Langdale Boulder's for a quick session. However, on arriving at the boulder it was apparent that the previous days rain had, had an effect. The boulder was still climbable, but the odd sodden hold caused some problems from time to time, and this started to worsen as it decided to start spitting.

The Langdale Sessions.

A calm and tranquil Coniston Water.

I worked on Coniston Water under a blue sky for the majority of Thursday, but on finishing the day's work the heavens opened for what was only twenty minutes leaving the roads and rocks dripping. I started to head back north in preparation for Friday's work back up at Whinlatter Forest Park, but I called in at Tilberthwaite first to take a look at the Virtual Crag.

The view over the Central Fells from Virtual Crag in Tilberthwaite.

By the time I had got up to the Virtual Crag the sun had been shining strongly for about an hour and on the whole the rock was dry, however there were several lines of seepage from vegetation on the top of the crag, which made the crag unclimbable. I walked back down to the van and carried on north. I called in at the Thirlmere Boulder's on the way, but these were wet, and so I retired to the van to eat and sleep before Friday's work began.

High Rigg, illuminated in the evening sun, with a cloud topped Helvellyn Massif behind.

Looking south along Thirlmere as the sun goes down.

I worked in a dry Whinlatter Forest Park today and after finishing work I headed into Borrowdale for a quick session on the Bowderstone seen as I missed out on Thursday. I repeated the usual problems: The Crack (V4), The Crack Direct (V5), The Crack Super Direct (V6) and On the Rebound (V7) and I also topped out on Bowderiser (V6), which I have worked on many of the previous Bowderstone sessions with little success.

Good lines, stay safe and see you on the wet stuff...
Iain