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High mountain crags and 5 star climbing days

24/4/2021

Oxford and Cambridge climb

Early season conditions have been pretty outstanding here in the Lake District, so we have been making the most of it and making the effort to visit some of the high mountain crags.
Wednesday was Grey Crags in Buttermere with Tony. 10 years to the day since my first visit to these wonderful rocks. It is every bit as good as I remembered.
Our plan was to recce a few routes and familiarise ourselves with this complex crag, and have a great day. Mission accomplished big time. There were two other teams already on routes by the time we arrived, this made for a nice social day. To finish the climbing day we chose the 5 star classic 'Oxford and Cambridge climb'. This is without doubt one of the best pitches of climbing in the Lake District and it tops out on a summit.

Thursday I was out with Roger who was keen for some quality mountain rock. Starting on Middlefell Buttress as a traditional way to the higher crags, we made our way to Gimmer crag where we climbed 'Ash Tree Slabs' and 'D Route' before following a scrambling line to the summit of Loft Crag. Whilst these are all great routes, D Route in particular is outstanding, being such a strong natural line with huge exposure as it tackles the Gimmer headwall. Simply stunning.

Friday and another mountain day with Roger, this time also joined by Stew and we headed for 'Gillercombe Buttress'. Another bluebird day, warm dry rock, and a top quality route of almost 200 metres.

So that's about 20 pitches of super rough, top class, Lakeland mountain rock, the worlds finest. Just can't beat this place.

Big thanks to Tony, Roger, and Stew.

If you're looking for a Lakeland rock fix, or some adventures in the mountains or in the gorges and canyons, please do get in touch and we'll do our best to exceed your expectations.

Mark

Nearing the top of the glorious D Route on Gimmer

#adventure-days-in-the-lake-district-ambleside

Abseiling for another route on Gimmer crag

#gillercombe-buttress-classic-rock-climbs-of-the-lake-district

Setting off up pitch 1 of Gillercombe Buttress

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Night navigation exercise - Grey Friar

7/4/2021

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Wrynose Bottoms and Harter Fell from Wet Side Edge just after sunset

We spend a lot of time on Scafell Pike during the hours of darkness, helping 3 peakers on their journey. But we know this route so well that on most ascents we don't need to use map and compass. So every so often it's good to get out and actually practice these essential skills for real and in locations we are less familiar with. Last night I chose the area around Grey Friar and set off from the 3 Shires Stone.

Leaving the roadside around 8.15pm there was no need for a torch for the first half hour as the sky was clear and bright. My aim for the evening was to make sure my pacing was as it should be over all types of terrain. I couldn't remember what the paths were like but had a feeling they would be indistinct, that didn't quite bear out. However, bearings were taking at all times to confirm the correct direction of travel was taken.

Following Wet Side Edge I set a course for Hell Gill Pike about 900m away from the path junction I stood at. A long way to pace, so inaccuracies would likely be obvious. With 100% concentration the leg went well and soon I located the small path junction that would set me on a course for a broad grassy area known as Fairfield. Hitting the target again I was feeling pretty happy so decided to continue on to Grey Friar. This would be easy to navigate up but potentially quite tricky to navigate down from, given the initially rocky terrain that leads on to wide open grassy plains.

Well the summit was indeed easy enough to reach and gave some splendid views over the Cumbrian coastline. It was nice to turn the torch off for a while and spend a few moments stargazing. On that note, due to the sky being clear I was able to use the stars as navigational aids. When reading a compass bearing I could match this up to a star and then just focus on the star to reach the next point.

From the summit of Grey Friar I took the decision to use a back-bearing as this should land me exactly where I had set off from on the last leg to the summit. It did. Pacing worked perfectly for getting back to Fairfield and from here I made a bee-line up to Great Carrs, taking a few minutes to check out the World War II bomber wreckage just below the summit.

Rather than take the larger path along the Great Carrs edge, I retraced steps back to a sheep trod and used this as a route back to Wet Side Edge. Once here I plugged a few distances into my head and put the map away. Pacing all the way back to the roadside. Pacing during ascent and descent is different and needs to be adjusted to compensate for the gradient, so being sure to pace in both directions is important.

After the short drive back home I suddenly felt completely exhausted. It's been a while since I've concentrated quite so much. Definitely a good feeling, more on the way.

Did I mention we run navigation courses? We do, they typically take place during the day, although we can offer night time courses too. Being able to navigate in the mountains is a very worthwhile skill, indeed it is an essential skill for anyone venturing into the mountains. The weather can change rapidly and thick cloud makes navigating much more difficult. If you would like to learn to navigate more effectively please do get in touch.

Thanks for reading

Mark

The bright lights of West Cumbria from the summit of Grey Friar

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Sport climbing on Lakeland Slate

6/4/2021

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#how-to-start-sport-climbing-lake-district

Slate climbing helps us concentrate on footwork

Last year I heard about a newly developed sport climbing venue near Tilberthwaite. At first my thoughts were of spaced bolting and fragile slate in some dark and dank quarry. Then some friends went for a climb there and commented on it being actually rather good.
So after a look at the map to check the exact location we set out in search of some slate climbing. As the weather was chilly and windy, a sheltered quarry was going to be as good as it gets.
An easy walk of about 2km along a bridleway got us to Runestone quarry. As had been described to us, the views over Little Langdale tarn were wonderful and the venue nicely sheltered. So far so good.

After a quick explore in some of the tunnels, we got ourselves ready for climbing. Not having a guidebook or topo for the quarry, we decided to try and pick the easiest route to start on, a fine looking slab with loads of bolts. The climbing was good - in a slate sort of way - with delicate footwork required throughout. The lower-off was set a long way back and used us some rope problems, but these would be easily overcome by belaying from the top and walking down afterwards (we didn't do this as it was very windy and baltic at the top).
The second route we climbed started with a slab then a steep wall leading to the upper slab, this was tricky but thankfully also well bolted, phew.
The wind was beginning to find its way into the quarry so we decided maybe time for just one more route. A short and fairly steep slab the on the opposite side of the quarry gave a fun little foray up the slate. Again it was well bolted and with a double bolt lower-off, all very reassuring.

Had it been a warmer day we would have stayed much longer, instead we will return to climb more of the routes here.

This is a good venue for people who have climbed before and can second VS grade trad routes. It is a place we'll be adding to our list of climbing venues for this summer and works especially well if wanting to try a massive abseil at the nearby Cathedral quarry. A grand day out that would be.

We are now open and have lots of availability over the next few weeks. Day trips to the Lakes are now allowed (please do still consider total journey length) and we'd love to take you out for some adventures.

Thanks for reading
Mark

#lake-district-slate-quarries-and-climbing

Exploring old slate workings near Tilberthwaite

Runestone quarry, Tilberthwaite

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Rock climbing in Langdale - a happy day

1/4/2021

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Airtime for Leo on 'Dawes rides a shovel head'

Typically in springtime, we arrive back in the Lakes after our winter in Spain. The first thing I would do is drive into Langdale and either scramble or climb, it is always a wonderful day.
Well, we were still in Spain this winter, very lucky for us we made it out there before the lockdowns came along. With the introduction of quarantine for anyone entering the UK, our first 10 days back in the UK were spent indoors and I became very irritable about not getting into Langdale to see it again. Today, at last, I climbed again on the gorgeous rocks in this valley, I know they are my favourite rocks in the world and this is my favourite valley.

Together with good friend and fellow outdoor instructor Iain, we set out from The Old Dungeon Ghyll for the short but steep walk up to Raven crag. It was busy at the crag, our eyes soon focused on the Trilogy area where some ropes were set up. A very well known Lakeland climber was having a blast on the Dave Birkett test piece 'Dawes rides a shovel head'. At E8 this doesn't see much attention so it was a treat to watch. Trilogy was getting some attention too and that's no pushover at about E5!!
Below all this was a lone Herdwick sheep that was somewhat crag-fast. Sadly this was likely not going to make it up there for much longer.

We climbed the 3 star 'Revelation' in one big pitch. A glorious route that is sustained at Hard Severe and gives wonderful climbing on quality rock. We then moved around to the front of the crag and climbed 'Original route' also a 3 star climb, we did this one in 3 pitches. We took the safe option back to base and used the nice shiny abseil station. So much better than the dodgy down climb.

Rock climbing in the Lake District is world class and offers something for everyone. With easy approaches and climbs from super easy to E9 pump-fests, whatever you're after it's here in the Lakes. Occasionally it rains, but thankfully most of the crags in Langdale face south so dry very rapidly meaning climbing can resume as soon as the clouds part.

We know these crags really very well and would love to show you around some of them. If you haven't tried climbing before and fancy trying something new or if you're a regular climber visiting the area and want to be shown some brilliant routes, we can plan days to suit you.

Thanks for reading. Stay safe and well, come visit soon.

Mark

Iain cruising up Revelation on Raven crag

Me leading Revelation. Photo courtesy of Iain Gallagher

Me leading Original Route. Photo courtesy of Iain Gallagher

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High mountain crags and 5 star climbing days

Night navigation exercise - Grey Friar

Sport climbing on Lakeland Slate

Rock climbing in Langdale - a happy day

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