Blog Archives - Mountain Journeys - Guided Walks

Guided walks at sunrise - Helvellyn

28/9/2016

Guided-walks-Helvellyn-Lake-District

Descending into St.Johns in the Vale - circa 9.30am

So far this week has been either very early starts or very late finishes on the mountains. All planned and all much fun.

A couple of days ago I decided on an evening ascent of Wansfell Pike. This is walkable from our house, so very convenient. The weather had been poor all day, with a band of heavy rain lasting until around 4pm! I left home about 6pm and took a route via Stock Ghyll Falls, which is a beautiful place. Then up onto the slopes of Wansfell for the steep but short ascent to the summit. As I reached the top, light was fading and the lights of Ambleside became prominent. The clouds had parted and were now making dramatic shapes as some draped over the surrounding mountains.
Home in time for a later supper and a lovely tired, but satisfied feeling. Fantastic to be out on the Lakeland mountains.

And for this morning, it's early start time with Phil & Pippa from Tunbridge Wells. They were interested in a sunrise walk whilst holidaying in the Lakes. We put a plan together, decided on Helvellyn and set the alarm for very early o'clock!!

We met at 4.30am in Ambleside and drove up to Swirls on the Western side of Helvellyn. We were enjoying a cup of tea on the summit by 6.50am and had the place completely to ourselves, wonderful. The summit shelter provided a much needed barrier from the strong winds whilst we rested a while. Views had been really quite good on the walk up, with a few 'torch off' moments to enjoy our surroundings and gain a better perspective of the mountain terrain. Views from the summit were less impressive as by now we were in thick cloud. But this adds its own charm, giving an air of mystery.

We took in Lower Man, then skipped over Whiteside and Raise before beginning our descent proper via Sticks Pass. After following the valley path passing Fisher Place Ghyll, we emerged at the Kings Head Inn, Thirlspot. And yes they were open and serving freshly brewed tea, lovely. It was about 10am, sitting in the pub drinking a brew, I couldn't think of a better way to finish a walk on the Lakeland fells.

Thanks very much to Pippa & Phil

Mark

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Stock Ghyll Falls, Ambleside

Troutdale Pinnacle Direct, Black Crag

23/9/2016

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Belaying on Troutdale Pinnacle

I've enjoyed many visits to Black Crag in the Borrowdale valley, often it's to climb the super classic rock route of 'Troutdale Pinnacle'. In fact, the only other route i've climbed on this crag is 'Raindrop'. Both the Direct & Super-direct variations to the original Troutdale Pinnacle were still to be done, so today, with a few hours to spare, we headed north to Borrowdale to change this.
We decided on 'Troutdale Pinnacle Direct' - a 4 pitch VS4c route taking in a variety of climbing styles and some splendid terrain.
Initially the route feels a little overgrown, but this soon changes as a wonderful flake crack feature is reached and followed steeply. Pitch 2 is the meat of the route, a sustained wall of immaculate rock, giving excellent friction and good protection for the leader.
The 3rd pitch is also initially a little overgrown, but soon it joins with the regular 'Troutdale Pinnacle' route, this sees plenty traffic for sure! The next belay is on the iconic pinnacle which lends its name to the routes here.

The grand finale pitch may be back on Severe 4a terrain, but it's still super exciting, giving steep and exposed climbing all the way to the top.

Really nice to get another of these classics ticked, we'll be back for more soon.

As we walked away, the rain started to fall, good timing again!

Thanks Kate

Mark

Troutdale-Pinnacle

A climber above us on pitch 2 of Troutdale Pinnacle Direct

The Napes of Great Gable. Mountaineering in the Lake District

20/9/2016

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The gendarmed arete of Needle Ridge

Today was all about mountaineering, a big day on the high crags, moving rapidly up easier rock and scrambling routes. And where better to do this than The Napes area of Great Gable, right next to the most iconic piece of rock in England, Napes Needle.

Needle Ridge is a 'Classic Rock' route graded V'diff and whilst it's all very good, it gets better as height is gained, as all top quality rock routes should. To finish this route is a magnificent gendarmed arete with Wasdale as backdrop, such a stunning location.
After a quick snack stop we made our way over to Westmorland's crag for our continuation route, Pinnacle Ridge. This gives a further 150m of quality scrambling and for this we chose to 'move together' in an Alpine style. This provides a higher level of safety than soloing, but less so than pitched climbing. A mere 15 minutes later we were at the top of this route too and enjoying spectacular views of the whole of the Lake District, over to the Isle of Man, and Scotland.

We took a stroll to the summit of Great Gable before descending via Styhead tarn back to Borrowdale.

A really good day out, thanks Jane

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Setting off on Needle Ridge

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The recently replaced memorial on Great Gable summit

Gorge Scrambling in Langdale

19/9/2016

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One of the many pools of Stickle ghyll

What a fantastic morning we had Gorge scrambling today with Nickolas, Sullen, Joel, and Mamen. England, Brazil, and Spain all being represented by the team, so a nice international flavour.

Once the initial chilly feel wore away, everyone was soon taking to the water as much as possible, taking many opportunities to dunk heads underwater too, for a bit of 'head freeze'.

We had perfect weather conditions, with blue skies and the warming sun on our backs the whole time. Even the water felt warm - ish!

And today I learnt the word for slippery in Spanish, thanks to Mamen. Resbaladizo will come in handy during our winters out in Spain, although the rock is usually dry out there so not so slippery!

Stickle ghyll, in Langdale, is only a short drive from Ambleside and a great place to try out gorge scrambling. It offers a huge amount of diversity, so whether you've tried it before or are a seasoned scrambler, it has loads to offer.

Thanks very much all, a real pleasure to spend the morning with you :-)

Mark

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The initial waterfall

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Fun :-)

Team building days - Lake District

15/9/2016

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Rock scrambling on Raven crag

This week we've been joined by teams from Windermere based Alertacall, for their staff days out / team building activities.
These have proved to be a lot of fun, and this week was more of it. Rock Scrambling being the chosen activity, this was new for most of the team. The easily accessible Raven crag, Yewdale our venue, this allows for a high quality scramble to be enjoyed in a short space of time, so idea for our afternoon session.
For much of the route there is no need for rope, but a couple of sections are tricky enough to slow things down and get roped up, these are the best bits.
Everyone did really well, working as a team and helping each other out, always great to see. During Tuesdays ascent we had a few heavy rain showers, but with the hot weather it was hardly worth the bother of a jacket. And todays ascent was wall to wall sunshine and extremely hot.
Both days gave us excellent views and for some a new perspective on the Lakes and what is possible. Well done everyone.

Thanks to Stephanie for organising this and to Paddy for all your help on the days.

Mark

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Initial scrambling on Raven crag

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At the top

At the top

Striding Edge, Helvellyn

15/9/2016

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Striding Edge

This week the Lake District is being blessed with amazing weather conditions on the mountains. Perfect for an ascent of Helvellyn via the fabulous Striding Edge.
I met with Jayne at the Helvellyn YHA above Glenridding. Walking from here skips out the initial slog up the road from the valley floor, so a nice head start.

There was a cloud inversion, so we began our ascent towards Red Tarn shrouded in cloud, this helped keep us cool. Shortly before arriving at the tarn we broke through the cloud and were treated to wonderful views of the surrounding mountains, all cloaked in mist. After a brief rest at Red tarn and a chat with a friend, we continued towards Striding Edge. This is always a pleasure to traverse, but even more so during warm, sunny days like today. Due to the good weather, we paused a few times for photos, well why not.

Lunch on Helvellyn summit and a return via Swirral Edge brought us back to Red tarn, which was by now really quite busy with picnickers and swimmers.

Thanks for a grand day out Jayne.

Mark

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Jayne on the crest of Striding Edge

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Swimmers enjoying a dip in Red Tarn

Rock climbing courses all weekend - Lake District

12/9/2016

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Pitch 2 of Middlefell Buttress

It's been a busy weekend on the crags and the weather has been on our side too.
On Saturday I was working for Kendal Mountaineering Services, helping out with a 'learn to lead' trad climbing course. Rasheed & Becca who have been climbing indoors for quite a while and climbed a few sport routes outdoors, now wanted to make the transition to tradition rock climbing.
Having spent the morning with Iain at Scout crags, I then accompanied them on Middlefell Buttress, also in Langdale. They led alternately, placing good protection at frequent intervals and building belays at each stance. We finished the route with an abseil descent and headed back to the Stickle Barn to meet up with Iain and the others.

Thanks for the work Iain :-)

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Becca & Rasheed at the top of Middlefell Buttress, Langdale

Sunday turned out to be another rock climbing skills course. This time in the Borrowdale valley with David & Duncan. Both have been climbing indoors for a while and started leading some easy outdoor routes quite recently. The aim of today was to look at a wide variety of anchor placements, build some amazing belays, look at retreat skills & techniques, and look at some of the fine climbing venues Borrowdale has to offer.
We spent much of our time at Glaciated Slab. This super rough slab of volcanic rock is amazing to climb on, and will almost certainly increase anyones smearing capabilities with its roughness!
Having constructed a good anchor at the top, we were able to get in plenty of abseil practice. Only for the final route did we need to walk down from the top, and that was well worth it for the view (see photo below).
The afternoon was finished off with a visit to Wodens face, another fine valley crag in Borrowdale. Both crags are places the guys can easily visit again to further consolidate their rock climbing skills.

Thanks David & Duncan. Maybe see you next year for Napes Needle :-)

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Equalising 3 anchors during our skills course today

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Glaciated Slab, Borrowdale

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View from top of Glaciated Slab

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Stacked abseil descent

Corporate team building day in the Lake District: Lingmoor Fell

12/9/2016

Team building day in the Lake District

Lingmoor Fell summit with Langdale Pikes in the background

This week we welcomed back Malcolm Hollis and their clients. Having spent the morning getting to grips with off-roading with Kanku, this afternoon was all about a good chat whilst out enjoying the beautiful Lake District on foot, the best way to enjoy it.
From Little Langdale we followed a broad ridge over Lingmoor Fell, keeping near to the 'Great wall of Langdale' for much of the way. The weather was challenging, with some very strong winds and rain! This didn't dampen the spirits and plenty constructive discussions were going on, excellent.
Views were outstanding, this is a benefit of not venturing too high on the cloudy days. In fact, we couldn't have asked for better views, Lingmoor Fell shows off Langdale at its very best.

Arriving at The New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, the team were welcomed by a roaring fire and fine local ale, the perfect way to finish a walk.

Thanks very much all, and especially Jessica & Abbie for organising everything.

Mark

Scrambles and easy rock climbs in the Lake District

4/9/2016

Rock climbing in the Lake District

The initial pitch of Route 2 at Tarn crag, Langdale

Yesterday I had been joined by Sharnie & Kurt from Essex. Having visited the Lakes and climbed with us a couple of years ago, both had now got the climbing bug, fantastic!
The plan was to climb all day, but heavy rain suggested that might not happen! We ventured over to Scout crags and did find dry rock, climbed 4 routes too, nice one. Having run out of dry rock, we decided to go scrambling for the rest of the day as this is a far better activity on damp days.
We followed the good path beside Stickle Ghyll to reach Tarn crag. 'The Groove' is a challenging grade 3 route in an impressive setting, and with mist swirling all around us our surroundings as we climbed higher were truly amazing. A really great day out on the crags, despite the damp weather.

Today was quite a contrast, with warm sunshine and dry rock, lovely. Joined by friends Dave & Sam who were keen for mileage on easy rock climbs and scrambles in preparation for a forthcoming Alps trip. Tarn crag again proved a suitable venue and today it was so much drier, thankfully.
We climbed: The Groove (G3); Route 2 (diff); and West Buttress (diff).

A couple of grand days out in the mountains, being on rock is such a pleasure and always enjoy taking folk to these places. Thanks all.

Mark

Things to do near Ambleside

A spacious belay ledge part way up Tarn crag

Learning to lead - Rock climbing course, Lake District

1/9/2016

lead rock climbing course, Lake District

Lead climbing on Raven crag, Langdale

The date has just popped up as I started to write this blog, wow can't believe September is here already! Good news is, September usually turns out to be a great month for rock climbing here in the Lake District, let's hope this one is too.

Earlier this week I was running a climbing course on behalf of Highpoint Mountain Guides. Guy, who is a keen sport and indoor climbing, has been seconding trad climbing routes for a while now and was ready to begin the transition to lead climbing, a big step.

We began at Long Scar on Pike O'Blisco. This wonderful crag has loads of routes throughout the grade range and an emphasis on easier routes under 20m long, so an ideal place to start. Guy led 4 routes today, with Anna seconding, thanks Anna. We finished the day with a slightly more difficult route, then headed for home, making plans for tomorrow.

Tuesday morning brought with it light drizzle, we had been spoilt by yesterdays glorious sunshine! Undeterred, we headed into Langdale and to Raven crags. A light breeze was helping keep the rock dry-ish as we set off up Middlefell Buttress which Guy & Anna took alternate leads on throughout the 5 pitches. Once on the huge ledge at the top, we discussed our options for descent before setting up an abseil. As Guy hadn't done this before, we took time to go through the process so Guy could set this up himself. About 26m lower down we arrived in the bed of the gully, retrieved our ropes and continued down to the base of the climb. Lunch time had most definitely arrived!

To finish the day, Guy took the lead once more for an ascent of Original Route on the main crag. This is more difficult and certainly made Guy more cautious with his moves. Anna led us off the crag via an easy escape route and back to base once more. The day ended much brighter and drier, thankfully.

Over the 2 days we covered a lot, including:
Placing traditional climbing protection;
Anchor selection;
Equalising 2 & 3 anchors;
Belay stance management;
Setting up an abseil;
Guidebook interpretation;
The leaders rack;
And lots of rock climbing

Big thanks to Anna for helping us out with this. And to Joe at Highpoint for the work :-)

Mark

Lead climbing course, Lake District

Placing protection at Long Scar

Rock climbing anchors

3 equalised anchors

Equalising belay anchors at Raven crag, Langdale

Equalising 3 anchors

Lake District rock climbing course

Long scar, Pike O'Blisco

Setting up an abseil, Middlefell Buttress, Langdale

Setting up our abseil from Middlefell Buttress, Langdale