It's been a busy few days here with many hours spent rock climbing at a variety of Lakeland crags. So definitely feeling pretty privileged at the moment, being out with lovely people, stunning scenery, and beautiful weather.

Earlier in the week it was Wallowbarrow Crag in the Duddon valley, this is my favourite valley crag and enjoys unrivalled views out over the valley.
Then Long Scar x 3 visits. This crag nestles on Pike O' Blisco and commands fine views of Wetherlam and into the Duddon valley.

And after a day of rest, yesterday we decided on a big day out!

Starting from Seathwaite in Borrowdale, we walked in to the Napes area of Great Gable. Being steeped in history a visit here always gives me the shivers, I just love it.
The walk alone is very dramatic and worthwhile in its own right. The small trod known as 'the climbers traverse' is easy enough and actually quite level, but takes you close to the crags so provides a real buzz of excitement.

Our chosen route was 'Needle Ridge' and this is located right next to Napes Needle - probably the most famous piece of rock in the country. Good for us as it makes locating our climb much easier.

There was a party of 3 climbers already on 'Napes Needle' and whilst it had been in my mind to climb this too, the wait would have probably added too much time to an already long day out, so we gave it a miss.

The initial pitch of our climb is quite polished now, so care is needed. Thankfully the polish is not so acute higher up on the route. Every pitch is fun and gives increasingly fine exposure, with Wasdale as a constant backdrop.

The final pitch is an easy scramble over a gendarmed arete (see photo above), and whilst the climbing here is not at all challenging, for me this is the best part of the route, giving loads of exposure in a high mountain setting.

A short scramble leads away from the top of the crag and onto a grassy shoulder, from here Westmorland Crag can be seen on the right. We decided to also climb Pinnacle Ridge on this crag, meaning we would climb all the way to the summit of Great Gable.
Only graded 'Moderate' this was likely to be quite a quick ascent, and it was. But the route wasn't what I had expected.
Although clearly well travelled, the rock was still in a friable state with many loose flakes. It's also more buttress than ridge, at least until the final 50 metres or so, here the ridge becomes more well defined.

The top of the climb brought us out only a couple of minutes walk from the summit of Great Gable, which we had all to ourselves. Stunning views into Ennerdale, the Scafells, the Buttermere fells, even the Langdale Pikes.

I'd certainly recommend linking these routes for a fine and long mountaineering style day in the Lake District. 

A top day out, thanks Anna & Kristina.

Photos:
The gendarmed arete of Needle Ridge
The walk in along the 'climbers traverse'
Climbers on Napes Needle
The first pitch of Needle Ridge

The last few days have been filled with Rock Climbing around the Lake District.

I was joined by Helen on Sunday & Monday and we enjoyed a wide variety of routes. These started on Wallowbarrow crag in the Duddon valley where we climbed 4 multi-pitch routes (13 pitches) during the day. The weather was being very kind and we enjoyed sunshine almost all day.

On Monday we climbed at Long Scar on Pike O' Blisco, high above the Langdale valley. This is a single pitch venue offering immaculate rock and a wide variety of climbing styles. The morning was spent enjoying some of these climbs and we also had time to consolidate abseiling skills.
To top off a fab couple of days we walked to the summit of Pike O' Blisco where dramatic views were had (see above) of the Langdale Pikes and valley far below.


Tuesday saw us back at Long Scar. This time with Jon & Andy from Essex. Sam was helping me out today and this meant these lads were put through their paces as we rattled through the climbs at quite a speed.

After 9 rock climbs it was clear tiredness was setting in and we opted for some downtime before a leisurely stroll back to the Wryness pass.

Big thanks to Helen, Jon, Andy, and Sam - it's been a really enjoyable few days.

Mark

Photos from top to bottom:
Langdale Pikes from Pike O' Blisco
Helen climbing Thomas at Wallowbarrow crag
Jon climbing at Long Scar, Langdale
 

A few months ago I was contacted by our friends at Holbeck Ghyll Hotel asking if we were able to take Fiona Duncan from the Telegraph newspaper on a guided walk in the local vicinity.

'Yes of course we'd be delighted' was my immediate answer.

And so today was the day. The hotel had arranged a morning ride in the helicopter, so Fiona was already becoming familiar with the layout of the district. Views from the sky must have been outstanding today, so clear and calm.

How would a simple walk keep the momentum going I asked myself!!

There's a marked difference between driving, cycling, and walking through an area.
Driving is fast but you see little.
Cycling is less fast and you see a little more.
Walking is slow and you see lots.

Over many years spent in the mountains, enjoying ever more thrilling and ever slower activities i've come to realise slow & steady is the best approach for those wanting to savour the landscape and scenery to the full.

And that's what a guided walk with us is all about. Not racing around without a moment to spare, but taking the time to admire the inspiring landscapes we have all around, listen to the birdsong, watch the lambs jumping in the fields, enjoying wide open spaces.

So whilst the helicopter ride was no doubt amazing, i'm confident we matched it with our walk around the slopes of Wansfell Pike and into the Troutbeck valley.

Thanks to Andrew at Holbeck Ghyll and to Fiona & Alex for your good company today.

Today we've been in the stunning Langdale valley.

This morning it was Gorge Scrambling with the Clifford family. Stickle ghyll provided the perfect venue, the rains abated and the skies cleared, fab.

It wasn't long before everyone was enjoying the delights of plunge pools, whirlpools, and waterfalls. Tackling everything with masses of enthusiasm and having an absolute blast of a time.
The wetsuits definitely earned their keep today, whilst the water was warmish, without the suits I think the swimming wouldn't have been on the cards.

After a nice spot of lunch whilst drying kit at Stickle barn, it was back out this afternoon. This time to Lower Scout Crags for Rock climbing with the Allard family whom I was taking out on behalf of local guiding company 'Highpoint Mountain Guides'.
Starting on the easy slabs, everyone soon warmed to the rock and were taking on the more challenging routes on the main face. Some excellent performances and real determination shown.

Thanks everyone for a great day out.

Mark

Friday saw another lovely spring day here in the Lake District and perfect fell-walking weather.

This was the second day out with us this week for Heidi and 8 year old Rocco.  They had also walked up Scafell Pike with us last October, Rocco's first mountain and were keen to experience another.  Rocco requested Don's company again and Don was more than happy to oblige - a day in the mountains being a favourite activity for collies!

Crinkle Crags at the head of Langdale is a beautiful craggy mountain with an unmistakable outline of the five Crinkles, with Pike O'Blisco to the right and Bowfell to the left.  

We took the route from the Old Dungeon Ghyll in Langdale up to Red Tarn, and from there past Great Knott and on up to the first Crinkle.  There's lots of rough rocky terrain along the tops of the 5 Crinkles which made the walk more interesting with rocky steps to scramble up. 

We got to the Bad Step, a steep section of rock some 10 feet high and from below looking impossible to negotiate.  There is a path to the left avoiding it but as Rocco and Heidi had experienced a day of rock scrambling a few days prior we decided to take the route up the Bad Step.  Once below the rock you can see the polished steps and hand holds on the rock that many people have taken before and Rocco and Heidi both easily ascended it in a few moves.  However, this was not the case for Don which is no longer as agile as he was in his youth and he was happier to be taken on an alternative route to the right, up steep, grassy terrain - much more to his liking!

Lunch was had on Long Top, the second and highest of the Crinkles (859m), and from there it didn't take long to walk over the other Crinkles until we reached the Three Tarns col below Bowfell. From here we descended back to Langdale via the long shoulder of The Bank.

The beautiful spring weather continues here in the Lake District. The photo above is taken from the Low Wood Hotel looking over Windermere towards the Langdale Pikes, our objective for today.

Heidi & Rocco have recently acquired the walking 'bug' and today were to be introduced to the world of Rock Scrambling. We took a traditional route from valley to summit. Starting at the Stickle Barn area in Langdale, we scrambled in Stickle Ghyll, then made our way to Tarn crag for some much steeper rock and a grade 3 climb.

Once at the top of Tarn crag, we were able to see the full scale of Jack's Rake, that's next! It was a busy day on Pavey Ark, but with some weaving we soon had a clear route ahead of us in Jack's Rake. This long scramble is engaging for the whole ascent, with mounting exposure and excitement. We had the summit of Pavey Ark to ourselves and were able to enjoy far reaching views even of Scafell Pike.

A really good day out, thanks Heidi & Rocco. Hope to see you both soon for more adventures on rock.

Photos below are:
Pavey Ark & Stickle tarn
Busy times on Jake's Rake

Thursday (today) we had a Mountain Journeys team afternoon at the crag. Me, Kate, and Don went to Wallowbarrow crag in the Duddon valley. This is a real favourite of ours, so peaceful, beautiful views, lovely rock and one of the first places we climbed together.

We climbed:
Bryanston (VS) - 3 pitches, each more difficult than the last, with the final pitch being impressively steep.
Digitation (VS) -  2 pitches. We originally climbed this years ago thinking it was a Vdiff!!!! A delightful slab climb with a tricky overlap on the first pitch. For me this is the best climb at the crag.
Trinity Slabs (Vdiff) - 4 pitches but doable in just 2, this offers more amenable climbing, still on very good rock and good moves throughout.
Thomas (Severe) - Another 3 pitch route but doable in 2. If this was on a mountain crag it'd likely make 'classic' status for it is a real gem.

And whilst all this Rock Climbing was going on, Don enjoyed a leisurely afternoon in the sun with his sheep friends never far away.

On our way home we witnessed a fairly extensive fire on the hillside. A pretty rare sight indeed.

Thanks Kate.

This week we've been experiencing exceptional conditions here in the Lake District and thankfully we've been able to make the most of all this good weather.

Monday we set our sights on the mountain crag of Gimmer. This is undoubtedly the finest of Langdale's crags, with a plethora of first class routes at all grades.
We kept to the modest grade of 'Vdiff' and climbed Ash Tree Slabs followed by Oliverson's variation and Lyon's crawl. This combination goes from the bottom to the top of this mighty crag, 6 pitches of climbing in all, each being a delight and on excellent rock.
Thanks Kristina.

Today I met with Sing for an 'Introduction to Rock Climbing' day, and this was also to be in the Langdale valley.
We started on Lower Scout Crags, going through the basics whilst climbing around 4 routes.

For the afternoon we ventured onto the much larger Upper Scout Crags, climbing 'Route 1' and 'Route 2'.
Both these routes are really nice, with route 1 being one of the best at that standard in the valley.

Thanks Sing for another fab day out.

Photos:
High on Gimmer crag;
Langdale views from Scout crag;
Route 1 at Upper Scout crag

I had been keen for a quick get away for a while and with a quiet weekend in store and a friend in the same predicament it was set, me & Sam would bail to Snowdonia for some Welsh Adventures.

Friday brought a huge amount of rain so we enjoyed a day of tea drinking, this was delightful. Watching horizontal rain whizz passed the windows and along the Llanberis Pass whilst sitting in front of a warming fire is extremely calming, bliss.

Saturday brought sunshine and that of course meant we were going rock climbing.

After much deliberation, we opted for the Ogwen valley and the mighty Tryfan.

We started with a scrambling ascent of the Milestone Buttress on the West face of the mountain. Bumping into Stu McAleese and having him offer some very positive comments to Sam was a bit of a highlight to that part of the day. In terms of efficiency this is a man at the top of his game and notices when others are too. Top stuff Sam.

Continued scrambling led us onto the Heather Terrace on the East face of Tryfan. Our objective being the 3 star uber classic of Grooved Arete.

The climb is about 250 metres in length, so pretty long by UK standards, and even though it was well into the afternoon by the time we arrived at the base, we were both moving rapidly and knew this was going to be a slick ascent. It was.

Dampness persisted in the cracks, making the climb feel more difficult and more serious. Indeed there were other climbers making a retreat due to the damp conditions. They had managed to get their ropes stuck, but Sam was able to help retrieve them on their behalf.

By the time we were to start the final pitch the sun was off the rock and our hands feeling very cold! So we took a scrambling route around this final, easier pitch in order to reach the summit and sunshine sooner.

5pm on the summit of Tryfan and it was still busy up there!!!

A quick scrambling descent down the South ridge and walking out through Cwm Tryfan brought this mountaineering day to an end. Ace day out.

Photos:
Sam making the jump from Adam to Eve on the summit of Tryfan
A climber on pitch 1 of Grooved Arete
Sam on the 'Grooved arete' pitch
Scramblers enjoying the epic mountain scenery on Tryfan

  

With glorious weather conditions descending on the Lake District we had the pleasure of taking out returning customers Ken, Angus, and Beth for a full day of Rock Climbing in the Langdale valley.

On their previous visit the weather gods had been less kind, but today made up for it. We began at Scout crags near the Stickle Barn Tavern in Langdale.
This crag is ideal for novice or experienced climbers as there is a wide variety of routes through the grade range.

As well as plenty time on rock, we took some time out to look at the technical side of climbing, how protection works, and how to belay safely.

After a fine lunch at The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, we moved along the valley to Copt Howe. This crag, although smaller, offers some high quality and testing climbs on immaculate rock.


As if the view from Scout crags wasn't enough, Copt Howe gets even better, absolutely breathtaking scenery out there today with a dusting of snow on t he summits.


Thanks for a great day and we hope to see you all again next year.
 
Mark