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Bowfell Buttress - classic rock

23/5/2020

Bowfell Buttress as seen from the Grunting Gill approach

With yet more rather splendid weather here in the Lakes, another day up in the mountains was on the cards. This time with friend and fellow Ambleside resident Jim.
We made a loose plan, simply to meet up in the Langdale valley, leaving the finer details until last minute. We both had plenty of ideas and there is certainly a lot of choice. We settled for Bowfell Buttress. A classic mountain day with all the joy and adventure that brings.
Having both climbed the route numerous times previously, we naturally left the guidebook behind to save weight. We also packed light, with a minimal trad rack and a 30m rope. This allowed us to make quick progress up to the route. To avoid walking through farmyards, we followed the track along Mickledon before crossing the beck and striking a direct line near to the aptly named 'Grunting Gill'! This was quite a lung busting ascent, but the scenery more than made up for any of that. The crag comes into view very early on, I always find this an inspiration and am able to walk much faster than normal.

We stopped off at The Great Spout to top up with fresh spring water, this was delicious and icy cold. A snack break later and we were ready for some climbing. I set off first, which as it happens, meant Jim took the crux pitches and I had a nice easy ride.
The climbing flowed well, we didn't time ourselves on the route, but it's likely we were no more than an hour and it felt like a nice relaxed pace. Enjoying the magnificent views into the Langdale valley, taking time to listen to birdsong - we think we could hear a Ring Ouzel and a Chough.

Even at the top of the buttress there was only a light breeze and this wasn't at all chilly, so we could sit and enjoy the panoramas once more. We also noticed a pair of climbers on neighbouring Cambridge Crag, although don't know what route they were on.

With no rush back, we walked over Bowfell North Top and down to Ore Gap before dropping down to Angle tarn and back into the Langdale valley.

A fine mountain day and a route worthy of any climbers attention.

We are lucky enough to get to climb many of the classic rock routes and many more besides on a regular basis. So if you're a visiting climbing wanting to have a go at any of these and don't want the hassle of route finding and logistics involved in a mountain day, why not give us a call and we can help plan the perfect day out for you.

Thanks for reading

Mark

After a refreshing drink from The Great Spout we make our way to the base of the climb

#saxifrage-wild-flowers-of-the-lake-district

Saxifrage growing on Bowfell

#rock-climbing-in-langdale-lake-district

The view into Langdale from the top of Bowfell Buttress

#scafell-and-scafell-pike-lake-district-guided-walks

On our way to Ore Gap with the Scafell massif as backdrop

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In search of the esoteric....Duddon valley

23/5/2020

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Crag search on the lower slopes of Harter Fell

Back on Wednesday we managed to fit in a family day out climbing. No ordinary climbing day, but then, they never are!
With thoughts for our rural communities at the forefront of our minds, we didn't simply want to turn up and be walking through isolated farmyards. So I contacted the farmer who's land we planned to climb near to and sought their advice. He responded quickly and politely, saying he was happy for us to park on his land and pass through the farmyard, providing we took great care to sanitise gates after use and that we don't bring dogs. As we would have Don with us this particular venue was not going to work for us this time.

So as we were taking Don with us today, we completely changed venue, by miles in fact. Heading instead to the remote Duddon valley. The lower slopes of Harter Fell have seen much forestry clearance in recent years, this work has unearthed a lot of rock. Local activists have been busy cleaning many of these buttresses and enjoying the wonderful climbing on offer. We thought it about time we had a look too.

We had two particular crags in mind. One a single pitch venue offering slab climbs up to VS grade. The other having some low grade multi-pitch climbing. Both settings looked to be idyllic.

Setting off from Birks Bridge car park armed with climbing rack, ropes, picnic, and a sense of adventure, we made our way onto Harter Fell. Both of us have walked and scrambled on Harter Fell many times, albeit quite a few years ago now. So we remembered some of the paths. We were gaining a lot of height and could see a confusing array of rock outcrops littering the hillside. Using a mixture of map, compass, pacing, and digital navigation techniques, we made our way closer to the crags. But the amount of rock was confusing, which bit did we want. After one false crag was visited we found our chosen venue and from here could easily work out where our second venue was. Phew!

The approach walk had been over some very rough, tussocky ground. But the views and peace this valley offers more than made up for that.

After a picnic we set about to do some climbing. Not paying much attention to the route details, we simply picked lines that looked appealing - this is generally my preferred way - and thankfully the rock rewarded us greatly. The friction was superb on this super rough seemingly untouched rock.
Whilst protection on the climbs was quite reasonable, it took an age to find decent belays at the top of the crag. But after much digging out of cracks, some quality placements were located. We left all this in place to safe time on the following climbs and to enable abseils back to base.
After about 5 routes on the slab it felt like we had done all that was here, so decided to explore the neighbouring venue.

The information we had showed 3 multi-pitch climbs all graded 'Severe'. They looked okay from below so we thought let's do all 3 then go home.
The first climb was great fun but very easy, more like a Diff. The second climb was slightly more tricky, giving a move or two that needed some thought. The third route looked to be covering very similar ground, so we decided not to bother as it was getting quite late in the day.

The Southwest slopes of Harter Fell offered us a secluded and idyllic venue to climb in peace all day. We didn't see another person whilst at the crags. It is far easier to aim for the honeypot climbing and walking venues and be guaranteed good climbing with easy access, but let's not forget there's lots of amazingly good esoteric climbing out there. These venues allow for far easier social distancing, so well worth considering in the current climate. You may also be surprised at just how good these places are.

The crags visited were: Upper Buck crag slab & Upper Buck crag. Details for both and many more can be found on the FRCC website. Although do feel free to ask us too.

Our opinion is, if you're looking for lower grade single or multi-pitch climbs in a stunning setting and want peace and quiet, give these a try. If looking for harder climbs, there are plenty of other crags on Harter Fell that tick that box too, certainly up to around E5/6.

And to reiterate: The Lake District is welcoming visitors again. We know many of you need some time in the countryside, up on the mountains, or on the crags. We know how important mountains are to many people. So please visit if you want to. Be considerate to the rural communities, avoid farmyards as much as possible. Be self sufficient by bringing food and water with you. A few more car parks are re-opening but check ahead as some are still closed. Many public loos are still closed too.
All accommodation is still closed and no overnight stays are allowed.

We are now offering activities on a 1:1 basis. We will social distance in line with government guidelines and keep all equipment as clean as is practicable to help ensure yours and our safety.

Thanks for reading

Mark & Kate

Enjoying some newly discovered rock in the Duddon valley

A sunny spot below the crag

Some great views over to Coniston Fells from the top of the crag

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On rock from the valley floor to the summits: A return to rock

16/5/2020

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Enjoying the wonderful rock on Thorn Crag, Langdale

Yesterday we ventured back out onto rock for the first time since lockdown. This was a wonderful moment, there's no doubt about it. The day was chilly so the plan was to stay on easy terrain and keep moving to keep warm.
So for starters it was the Langdale classic 'Middlefell Buttress'. We climbed this in short pitches so we were both able to be moving most of the time. At the top of the route Kate couldn't find her mobile and after a good search, concluded she must have dropped it on the ledge below! I set up an abseil to go and have a look. Lots of searching later and I gave up, returning to Kate her face said it all. It had been hiding in her pocket the whole time :-)
So onwards we went, finishing this section with an ascent of Curtain Wall followed by some easy scrambling to reach the path towards the Langdale Pikes and our next route.

Thorn crag was next up. A grade 1 scramble of really high quality gave us loads of fun in increasingly great conditions.
By the time we reached the top we were in T-shirts and sunbathing, winner.

The descent path lies near the summit and this allows a swift descent back to the valley, stopping off to wash our hands in the cascading waters of the Dungeon Ghyll.

This route is one of many mountaineering style link-ups in the Langdale valley, we know loads of them. If this could be what you're looking for and want to make sure you make the most of your time here in the Lake District, please get in touch and we'll put a plan together just for you.

Subject to government restrictions, we hope to be offering activity days again by the beginning of June. Number of participants may be limited, but we often operate a 1:1 ratio anyway, so not much change there.

Thanks for reading

Mark & Kate

Raven crag, Langdale

Kate nearing the top of Middlefell Buttress

Post abseil for a mobile phone retrieval!

Taking precautions in a Covid world. A thorough wash in flowing the stream

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Ullscarf - the most central of the Central Fells

13/5/2020

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The splendid panoramic views on offer from Ullscarf summit

In his Central Fells book, Wainwright describes Ullscarf as having 'The makings of a great mountain.....however, the top of the fell is the dullest imaginable'!!!
So not a great start. I can see what is meant too, for Ullscarf is no more than a big lump of tussocky grass and heather. This is suspect is why it has taken so long for me to make a visit. But is this summary fair? Well I'm no longer so sure it is. Looking at it on a map, the routes seems to cross swathes of quite featureless terrain that offer little more than bog to keep ones mind active! I can confirm there is indeed much bog to be encountered on the route I took. But boring or dull it most certainly was not. I'd say this covers some of the finest landscape the district has to offer and with a wild & remote feel from very early on in the walk. What I would add though, is this route should only be attempted after a prolonged period of dry weather.

I set out from home in Ambleside and cycled the 10km or thereabouts to Far Easedale. Following the bridleways alongside Rydal Water and through White Moss for starters, then road sections through Grasmere village to reach the Coast to Coast route leading into Far Easedale. It has been a few years since I visited Far Easedale, I'd forgotten how long a valley it is. I managed to cycle as far as the wooden bridge crossing Far Easedale Gill, there was a good hiding spot for my bike nearby too. I was already finding the track very difficult on a bike, so was glad to put it to rest and continue on foot.
The plan from here was to run / walk the rest of the way. Soon I passed under Deer Field Crag and my mind was cast back to recent readings of my newly acquired copy of 'Hard Rock' and the Deer Bield route that collapsed! After a long climb I arrived at a col, a short descent led to Mere Beck and 'The Bog'! Thankfully the long dry spell means the terrain is all very passable at present, even managed to keep feet dry, which is pretty amazing on this type of terrain. A further ascent next to Flour Gill brought me onto the plateau that would lead more easily up to Ullscarf summit. I was using the Harveys map and no paths were marked on it, I didn't expect any either, and for most of the way didn't get any. It is wonderful to roam off-path from time to time and although the terrain was rough and tussocky, it was still a delight to be using some navigational skills with map & compass in hand to forge on to the summit. After a while I did notice a vague path, this along with the remains of a fence would prove useful should the mist roll in on the unprepared.

There were 2 other walkers and their 2 Border Collies on the summit, social distancing was incredibly easy on such a vast plateau, so no issues with that. They were soon on their way and after a couple of snaps so was I. But hold on a moment, the summit of this mountain may be rather flat and devoid of rocky outcrops, it more than makes up for this with outstanding views in all directions. Being in the middle of the Lake District does seem to have this advantage. Had there not been a chilly northerly wind blowing and no shelter, I would have been staying up here quite a while.

To stay with the off-path theme, I chose to descend via a prominent spur next to Green Coomb. This proved to be a pleasant and quick route back to 'The Bog'. An easy jump across the With Burn and onto Brownrigg Moss before rejoining my ascent route along Far Easedale.

From Ambleside this route is about 32km in total with 20km rideable (for someone new to mtb like me) and 12km on foot.

The Lakeland fells are now open and travel here is permitted. However, almost all car parks, shops, cafes and services remain closed. All accommodation also remains closed. So if you are planning to visit, please be completely self sufficient.

Thanks for reading

Mark

Looking across 'The Bog' towards the Helvellyn range

Sundew thriving in Far Easedale

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Hard Rock - 4th Edition

11/5/2020

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#lake-district-rock-climbing-gimmer-crag

Kipling Groove on Gimmer

First published in 1974 (I would have been just 1 year old) this soon became the go-to classic, getting climbers inspired for a particular route or visiting a new climbing area. It is part guidebook / part coffee table showcase, which is a tricky feat to pull off. Thankfully Ken Wilson who first put this book together all that time ago, got it right.
Original editions fetch high prices, hundreds of pounds in fact.

Due to Hard Rock being out of print for some time, this is my first copy, although I have briefly glanced through the older versions. All I can say is, it is living up it the legendary reputation that surrounds it.

Covering the whole of mainland UK with 69 routes on over 50 crags, there’s a decent choice and plenty to inspire most, if not all climbers. Many of the original essays are still here, but they are now joined by 13 more recent works to reflect the new eras of climbing and new areas of development. All photos are new, and there are some absolute stunners.
Take the front cover for starters. A composed Mary Jenner on Central Buttress with mist swirling below, simply magnificent.

Oh how I want oh go climbing right now!!

My attention then turned north, to Scotland. I’ve never been to Pabbay, to be honest, it isn’t on my radar and does sound like quite a faff to reach. But having been drawn in by the photos and further won over by the flowing words of Eleanor Fuller, I’m sold on it. This particular piece flows so well, I felt like I was in Pabbay for a few minutes, teleported to a remote Scottish Isle, happy with that. Whether or not I’m up to leading E2 5c sea cliffs on remote Scottish islands is another matter, so the route described ‘Prophecy of Drowning’ may have to wait whilst a few slightly easier offerings are discovered. But the book is titled ‘Hard Rock’ so fair enough the routes should pack a punch.
Another Scottish route included is probably the most famous sea stack in the world, The Old Man of Hoy. There is currently a video showing on the UK Climbing website UKC of French climber Catherine Destivelle soloing up this with a big pack on. It’s back in the 1980’s I think, and like the book, it transports us to these wild places in such a wonderful fashion. With text by Sir Chris Bonington and and some very cool photography, this route is now a bit higher up on my to-do list.

As I am treating this as an inspiring guide book, it will take years to read through it all properly. That feels like the right way to treat it, don’t rush, there’s years of adventure contained within, go play.

For those interested in a copy, either for some lockdown reading or summer planning, get over to the Vertebrae website here - there's even 25% off just now :-)

Thanks for reading

Mark

Front cover of Hard Rock - ooh it's Scafell!

The Crack, Gimmer crag

Not quite a Hard Rock route, but it does show Scafell rather well! It's Moss Ghyll Grooves VS

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Fred Whitton challenge - Cycling in the Lake District

6/5/2020

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Kate out of the saddle on her way up Kirkstone Pass

Todays blog is semi-related to Mountain Journeys as it involves helping us keep fit. So I feel justified in writing a few words about what I got up to. It was also a pretty big achievement for me, and one that has never been on the radar, well not until a couple of weeks ago, and even then only vaguely on it!

Lockdown has presented us all with different issues and problems, we hope you are all doing okay and keeping safe and well.
Like for so many, our 'problem' has been a huge increase in free time, but no paid work. Thankfully we live in a stunningly beautiful place, we think it's one most beautiful on Earth and many seem to agree. Since the lockdown there has been a run of good weather, which is most unusual, so lots of our new found free time has been spent outdoors on the local hills. Loughrigg and Wansfell are both easy walks from Ambleside. We have been walking, running, and biking these pretty regularly. We have also been getting out on road bikes, something I never expected to do here in the Lakes as traffic has always been a worry. Traffic is not a problem just now, so a unique opportunity has arisen. Quite roads, sunshine, and free time...wow!
Now obviously if rock climbing / mountaineering was still acceptable that is what we would be doing, let there be no doubt. But sadly that's a no go at present :-(

So out on 2 wheels it is then. And over the past few weeks I've cycled over all the major Lakeland passes apart from Whinlatter. All of them feel pretty tough to me, even if just attempting one on its own. But gradually I started doing more, linking a few during the course of a ride. A noticed that a couple of friends had recently completed the Fred Whitton challenge route and thought, maybe, just maybe I could do that too.

Back in November I think it was, another friend had asked if I was interested in doing the Fred Whitton, I just laughed this off as crazy as I was (and still am) very new to cycling.

What is the Fred Whitton challenge?
It is a cycling sportive event taking in all the major passes of the Lake District and a few minor ones for good measure. The official route from Grasmere is about 112 miles and there's over 3000m or 10,500ft of ascent mixed in. I think I'm right in saying it used to be called 'The Lakeland Passes' but the name was changed in honour of Fred.
I started & finished from home in Ambleside, so that's about 7 miles less than the official distance. It really didn't feel necessary to drive to Grasmere to start though, especially so given the current general travel advice.

It is a tough day out and not to be taken lightly, I had back up / escape plans. Below is my lightly edited Strava write up which was done shortly after finishing, so may not all make complete sense...I was a little tired!

8.25am - depart Ambleside:

Really wasn't sure if this was going to be a bit much for me. With that in mind I had a number of escape plans. This helped keep the pressure off.
However, The Struggle, Honister, Newlands, and Whinlatter all seemed to fly by and I was feeling strong.
Had a short stop and a banana near The Lodore Hotel in Borrowdale and a slightly longer pit stop at Lorton before heading to Cold Fell which was an unknown for me (I have driven over it but that was a few years ago). Thankfully it wasn't too steep and today the road was quite sheltered from the breeze.
More pit stops came at Gosforth and Eskdale Green, I was definitely feeling the pain by Gosforth and needed more fuel.
Food fixed me and on I went, now feeling a little more energetic but Hardknott was the next climb and that ensured my spirits were low! There was a moderate headwind all the way along the Eskdale valley, further sapping energy and moral. I had an energy gel at the bottom of Hardknott and this turned out to be a good move.
The thought of the climb ahead was really not appealing with exhausted legs, but it was now the only way home! I set off, telling myself that before I fall off from going too slow I'll get off and push, knowing that if I get off I'll probably have to push all the way to the top.
Amazingly there was no getting off and walking, although it was close. But managed to stay on all the way, which I'm super happy about.
Looking to Wrynose from the top I knew this was in the bag and started to feel much better. Wrynose didn't come easily, in fact I think it felt almost as tough as Hardknott today.

I screamed upon reaching the top, yes things had reached this stage ;-) A rapid descent and a left turn up to the final climb to Blea tarn, this felt easy, maybe partly because I was almost home, but also because it is pretty gentle from the Little Langdale side. All that was left was a glorious ride through a sun drenched Langdale, happy days.

5.25pm - arrive home :-)

Escape plans were:
1) Head south along St.Johns in the Vale to get home quick.
2) After Newlands head back to Keswick and home along Thirlmere.
3) From the top of Whinlatter turn around and head down to Braithwaite and home along Thirlmere.

Once on the west side of Whinlatter I was more committed to completing the entire route. To help me make the right decision about continuing I took a rest at the top of Whinlatter to think this over.

Prior planning and preparation:
There wasn't loads to be honest. But I had previously and recently cycled over most of the passes, including the steepest. The Struggle has almost become a regular and I felt this was a good part of the preparation, mentally and physically.
I used an online tool to plot out the route and made relevant notes based on this (see photo below). I had pre-planned rest stops too, this was important.
The only section of the route I was unfamiliar with was the western section, from Lorton - Calder Bridge, although I have driven all those roads at some point in recent years.
I wanted to be as self sufficient as possible, so took quite a lot of food and 2 large water bottles. This consisted of:
4 energy bars
1 banana
2 hard boiled eggs
2 energy gels
2 small packs of Haribo sweets

I topped this up with a Snickers bar, can of juice, and sausage roll from the shop in Lorton. And another Snickers bar and Flapjack from the shop in Eskdale Green.

It would have been easy to eat considerably more, but it didn't feel necessary. I did have a very large plate of pasta upon returning home though.
If doing the route again when shops are back to normal operating, I would almost certainly take less food and buy more in the small shops along the way. They were all really nice and friendly.

As well as food and drink, I carried a spare inner tube, puncture repair patches, a multi-tool, tyre levers, a lightweight waterproof jacket, gloves, and a buff. The weather was settled with no rain on the horizon for at least a couple of days, so I had no concerns about getting wet / cold.

Would I recommend it / do it again?
Yes most definitely. The feeling of elation upon reaching the top of Hardknott, Wrynose, and Blea Tarn is simply wonderful and well worth the massive effort involved.

From a climbers perspective:
Some of the crags the route affords views of include - Dove crag; Falcon crag; Shepherds crag; Goat crag; Black crag; Raven crag; the Honister crags; High crag; Eagle crag; Grey crags; Pillar and the Ennerdale crags; Scafell; Wasdale screes; Brantrake crag; Bell stand; Hare crag; Hardknott crag; Demming crag; Cold Pike crags; Long scar; Black crag; Pavey Ark; Side Pike; Gimmer crag; Raven crag; White Ghyll; Scout crags; Copt Howe; and Raven crag Walthwaite.
So there is plenty to distract a climber on this route :-)

Thanks for reading. It's likely the next blog post will be a review of a recently updated climbing book.

All the best

Mark