Went over to collect stuff
A good omen?
Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Saturday, 1 August 2015
Nice and Eastby does it
Friday 31st July
Given the inevitable traffic issues needed to stay away from main holiday routes and avoid the incoming weather front from the west so opted for...
Eastby
A new venue - although re-visiting after last years wash out when had a look before bailing to Brimham. Overall good for a day but a rather mixed bag, and descents very problematic with a lot of overgrown steepness, abseil the order of the day - as we realised after numerous fern fested wanderings to get back to base.
Eastby Buttress VD (NB)
The Nose S4a (AT)
Scoop and Crack S4a (NB)
Pillar Rib VS 4c (AT)
Eastby Groove S4a (NB,AT,NB)
Eastby Buttress
A megga classic
Pillar Rib follows the LH cracks and sky line
Making some cheeky moves across the Gorilla-impersonating Nose (S 4a)
Protection disappears entirely between the start and the finishing moves
NB tempted by this....
Scoop and Crack S 4a
All good except for the wild off width finish!
© xusa, UKC
Hmm...
Need more lard for this one
Very user friendly base camp complete with dining table and racking bench
Pillar Rib
VS 4c
Crux moves coming
Original image
© Nick Beckett UKC
The best way down!
Eastby Groove (S4a) to finish in two bracken packed soil filled and somewhat adventurous pitches (starts lower left and goes up the other side of the buttress)
Given the inevitable traffic issues needed to stay away from main holiday routes and avoid the incoming weather front from the west so opted for...
Eastby
A new venue - although re-visiting after last years wash out when had a look before bailing to Brimham. Overall good for a day but a rather mixed bag, and descents very problematic with a lot of overgrown steepness, abseil the order of the day - as we realised after numerous fern fested wanderings to get back to base.
Eastby Buttress VD (NB)
The Nose S4a (AT)
Scoop and Crack S4a (NB)
Pillar Rib VS 4c (AT)
Eastby Groove S4a (NB,AT,NB)
Eastby Buttress
A megga classic
Pillar Rib follows the LH cracks and sky line
Making some cheeky moves across the Gorilla-impersonating Nose (S 4a)
Protection disappears entirely between the start and the finishing moves
NB tempted by this....
Scoop and Crack S 4a
All good except for the wild off width finish!
© xusa, UKC
Hmm...
Need more lard for this one
Very user friendly base camp complete with dining table and racking bench
Pillar Rib
VS 4c
Crux moves coming
Original image
© Nick Beckett UKC
The best way down!
Eastby Groove (S4a) to finish in two bracken packed soil filled and somewhat adventurous pitches (starts lower left and goes up the other side of the buttress)
LR
Eastby Groove S 4a
Pillar Buttress VS 4c
Eastby Buttress VD
Scoop and Crack S 4a
The Nose S 4a
Called in at Kilnsey en route home
PB in action earlier in the week on new route at about 8a or something bonkers
Somewhere over the Rainbow
© Rob Greenwood - UKC, Jul 2015
Ullswater wandering
Thursday 30th July
Up early to get across and catch the 11.00am Steamer from Howtown
Great walking weather, sunny spells and not too hot...(?)
Up early to get across and catch the 11.00am Steamer from Howtown
Great walking weather, sunny spells and not too hot...(?)
From the Steamer
Looking south to Helvellyn
Picnic!
7.5km
215m ascent
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Local stuff
Saturday 26 July
Bimble round Highcliffe
Levitating by the Monk's Seat
New Sky Line
old skyline
Bimble round Highcliffe
Levitating by the Monk's Seat
New Sky Line
old skyline
Saturday, 25 July 2015
Somewhere over the Raven
...Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true......
Thursday July 23rd
Juggling weather and diary since Monday, eventually all variables loaded for Thursday. Not a great forecast anywhere, but #AT.NB.CB team good for a multi-pitch day so
Raven Crag Langdale
set as best fit as a dry-rock low-altitude hope for some sun sort of venue. As it turned out coped well with a mixed day with some blustery winds and spitty spotty spells eventually brightening up quite nicely for the last route. Crag was busy with various teams but everybody relaxed and friendly. Pretty much as to plan except last minute swap - finished off with Bilberry Buttress instead of Evening Wall. Picked up some useful three men and a rope tricks from Mr B. All good.
Worthwhile climbing, just deteriorates a bit at the top
Sixth former back on track
NB completing P1 Revelation (HS)
Another climber nearing the top of P2 in a stupendous position
The plan called for a wander across to Evening Wall
However couldn't pass by Bilberry Buttress without giving it another look, then CB made an offer - seemed churlish to refuse. Before any chance of a fully thought out option appraisal he was racked up and off.
Bilberry Buttress VS 4b 4c 4a (Alt P3)
P1 starts with straight forward scramble
Rudely interrupted by this 4 metre monster of a fist jamming test piece.
4b? Surely not!
Looks almost amenable from a less up close and personal viewpoint
One of those suck you in and spit you out sort of routes (UKC logbooks feature these outcomes)
© moreno (UKC)
CB engages with the difficulties
.... having dispensed with P1 with the aid of a little difficulty continues up the fingery cracks and small edges on P2
Col-lage..!
(click for expanded view)
AT gets stuck in with some sort of arm bar effort
Just gotta stick with it until more usable holds arrive
Voices in the head...
"Get on up there lardy!"
One more move and a rewarding jug awaits another grateful hand
Turned down opportunity to abseil off an in-situ loop in the interest of getting another pitch in
P3 option finishes at the oak tree on the descent path
Over 200m in a three-some - good going
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true......
Thursday July 23rd
Juggling weather and diary since Monday, eventually all variables loaded for Thursday. Not a great forecast anywhere, but #AT.NB.CB team good for a multi-pitch day so
Raven Crag Langdale
set as best fit as a dry-rock low-altitude hope for some sun sort of venue. As it turned out coped well with a mixed day with some blustery winds and spitty spotty spells eventually brightening up quite nicely for the last route. Crag was busy with various teams but everybody relaxed and friendly. Pretty much as to plan except last minute swap - finished off with Bilberry Buttress instead of Evening Wall. Picked up some useful three men and a rope tricks from Mr B. All good.
Superb pic of main crag © Rog Wilko
L-R
Bilberry Buttress (~50m with Alt-LH finsih)
Elevation (43m)
Revelation (50m)
Centipede (~70m)
NB gets the party started on P1 of Centipede (S4a)
CB bypasses the big flake and gets some good gear in under the overhang on P2
NB and AT make use of said flake, didn't seem to be any holds the way CB went?
NB and AT make use of said flake, didn't seem to be any holds the way CB went?
AT roulez relax across to the fine arete on P3
Fabulous setting - all over too soon
Belay cheeseville as usual
CB carries on in cruise mode
Rained a little whilst descending but pressed on regardless
Rained a little whilst descending but pressed on regardless
NB lifts a way up Elevation (HS)
Other climber firmly off route on Revelation P2
Won't get his A level grades that way
Won't get his A level grades that way
Worthwhile climbing, just deteriorates a bit at the top
Sixth former back on track
NB completing P1 Revelation (HS)
Another climber nearing the top of P2 in a stupendous position
The plan called for a wander across to Evening Wall
However couldn't pass by Bilberry Buttress without giving it another look, then CB made an offer - seemed churlish to refuse. Before any chance of a fully thought out option appraisal he was racked up and off.
Bilberry Buttress VS 4b 4c 4a (Alt P3)
P1 starts with straight forward scramble
Rudely interrupted by this 4 metre monster of a fist jamming test piece.
4b? Surely not!
Looks almost amenable from a less up close and personal viewpoint
One of those suck you in and spit you out sort of routes (UKC logbooks feature these outcomes)
© moreno (UKC)
CB engages with the difficulties
.... having dispensed with P1 with the aid of a little difficulty continues up the fingery cracks and small edges on P2
Col-lage..!
(click for expanded view)
AT gets stuck in with some sort of arm bar effort
Just gotta stick with it until more usable holds arrive
Voices in the head...
"Get on up there lardy!"
One more move and a rewarding jug awaits another grateful hand
Turned down opportunity to abseil off an in-situ loop in the interest of getting another pitch in
P3 option finishes at the oak tree on the descent path
Over 200m in a three-some - good going
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Strictly Come Dandling
Wednesday July 15th
It's fair to say that this plan was cooked up well ahead. The new FRCC "best of" guide has some excellent pics of many familiar crags and some less so. The images of
Buckbarrow in Longsleddale
were especially inspiring - so last week (whilst hanging out in Hove) resurrected a plan previously mooted by NB and got ourselves in gear. Visited in October 2005 with the Gman and had a bit of an epic in the summit gale. Some useful pics and recent comments on UKC gave pointers on descent path difficulties so figured we would be in for an adventurous day out. The weather Gods did their bit, all we needed to do was to do ours.......
About 1 hour to base of crag along easy track then a steep slog up
NB carries gear and a rope, cyclo-fitness!!
Suffering scree chutes Batman!
Its a Big Day in the North.....!
Destination Dandle
Sadgill Wall (S)
P1 20m - two cruxes then up to spike belay
P2 20m, peerless rock, quite sustained
P3 30m - a hanging slab which feels out there, some fine positions, top 5m totally botanical but a welcoming thread belay
P4 20m(+) alternate LH finish avoids the gorse fest taken on the normal route just right of the belay. Finishes with a traverse part way along the pinnacled ridge that forms the crest of the Dandle
NB holds it together across the thrilling first six metres of P3
...and takes note of plea for a bomber belay
(AT only partly suppressing all visions of any kind of pendulum over the gulping void)
Prospecting P4, finishing up a testing shallow groove just left of the arete
Belays well back in a bed of bilberries above the plunging depths of Cleft Ghyll
The Dandle summit crest, kept on ropes given dramatic drops on both sides (out of shot)
Looking back along the Dandle Summit Crest
Cleft Ghyll on right
© James Kendal (UKC)
Down climbing this 7m or so looked a bit tenuous so rigged a bit of tat and abbed down
It's fair to say that this plan was cooked up well ahead. The new FRCC "best of" guide has some excellent pics of many familiar crags and some less so. The images of
Buckbarrow in Longsleddale
were especially inspiring - so last week (whilst hanging out in Hove) resurrected a plan previously mooted by NB and got ourselves in gear. Visited in October 2005 with the Gman and had a bit of an epic in the summit gale. Some useful pics and recent comments on UKC gave pointers on descent path difficulties so figured we would be in for an adventurous day out. The weather Gods did their bit, all we needed to do was to do ours.......
NB carries gear and a rope, cyclo-fitness!!
Suffering scree chutes Batman!
Its a Big Day in the North.....!
Destination Dandle
Sadgill Wall (S)
P1 20m - two cruxes then up to spike belay
P2 20m, peerless rock, quite sustained
P3 30m - a hanging slab which feels out there, some fine positions, top 5m totally botanical but a welcoming thread belay
P4 20m(+) alternate LH finish avoids the gorse fest taken on the normal route just right of the belay. Finishes with a traverse part way along the pinnacled ridge that forms the crest of the Dandle
NB holds it together across the thrilling first six metres of P3
(AT only partly suppressing all visions of any kind of pendulum over the gulping void)
Prospecting P4, finishing up a testing shallow groove just left of the arete
Belays well back in a bed of bilberries above the plunging depths of Cleft Ghyll
The Dandle summit crest, kept on ropes given dramatic drops on both sides (out of shot)
Looking back along the Dandle Summit Crest
Cleft Ghyll on right
© James Kendal (UKC)
Down climbing this 7m or so looked a bit tenuous so rigged a bit of tat and abbed down
Getting off - detail
(Click image for best result)
Red circles - belays
White line - top pitch
Yellow lines - scrambling on rope (up to abseil)
Red line - abseil
Dotted yellow line, descent gully (hidden)
Black line - line intermediate ridge separate from main fell
Approach shoes recommended
A quick freshen up in the River Sprint - next stop Black Swan Ravenstonedale
Walk in - 60 mins
Walk out - 45 mins
A really beautiful valley, idyllic
Yankee Doodle Dandles
(or not!)
Thanks to PM for the blog title
And finally, all the way from 2005, the Gunter tapes is proud to have dredged up yet more drivel
Dandle in the Wind
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