Classic Rock Climbs Lake District
Recent days have seen a return to more changeable weather here in the Lake District. Although not quite as stormy as some places further south.
On Sunday me and Jim made it out for a mountaineering day on the Langdale crags, this was a well timed day before the rains. The outline plan being to take in as much rock as possible between the valley floor and the top of Gimmer crag, all whilst sticking to easy climbs so we could move relatively quickly as heavy rain had been forecast for early in the afternoon.
We began with an ascent of Middlefell Buttress and continued on up Curtain Wall. Above Curtain Wall a decent amount of scrambling can be found and this goes almost all the way to the Gimmer crag path.
Having already gained lots of height and all on rock, we now had an easy traverse path to reach Gimmer. We could see a few teams already enjoying the immaculate rock and I certainly couldn't wait to be back on there.
Jim was keen to climb the classic 'Ash Tree Slabs' so we headed around to the Northwest face. There was a team already on the route and this allowed us to enjoy a nice rest whilst absorbing the atmosphere of this special place. There were quite a lot of climbers around which gave a nice sociable feel to the day.
We split the climb into 2 pitches, with Jim leading the initial pitch and me continuing on to belay up on the spacious Ash Tree Ledge. Once here we needed to make a decision on what to climb next. Our objective being to reach the top of Gimmer via fairly straightforward routes.
There is so much choice, but we were standing directly under the brilliant crack climb of 'D Route', so that's what we climbed, splitting it into 2 pitches so we both enjoyed time on the sharp end of the rope.
I've climbed both these routes many times but still find them utterly wonderful every time I revisit. The top of the crag was pretty busy too, I'm glad we weren't abseiling back down as there was a bit of a queue!
We packed up the climbing gear and changed back into trainers before continuing our quest to the top via yet more delightful scrambling. When truly topping out on this crag the summit of Loft crag is reached and this gives superb views of Pike O'Stickle and Harrison Stickle.
All that was left was an easy walk back to the valley, topping up our tans along the way.
We are now open and can offer the fully range of activities. Whether you're a complete beginner looking for a taster session or a seasoned climber / hillwalker with a particular objective in mind. We'd be delighted to arrange the perfect day for you. Classic Rock Climbs Lake District is what we know so well.
All the best
Mark
