The weekend was fantastic, sunny on both Saturday and Sunday…. well of course it was, I’d just paid for annual membership at the climbing wall expecting the rest of summer to be a wash out.
Anyway, we took advantage of the warm weather and decided to venture out of the valleys…
…. so did a lot of other people.
Saturday – Gimmer Crag
Gimmer was very busy on Saturday. The classics were busy all day, with queues on all the ultra classic VS routes.
From Ash Tree ledge, all the routes on the Alphabet area had lines of rope were making their way up the slabs in all directions and the only available space was Whits End Direct. Despite this being the usual route we end up doing it was good to test whether our climbing had deteriorated during the previous wet months. I’m pleased to say we both got comments from other climbers saying we did it in style… I didn’t let on that it’s much easier when you know where all the crucial holds are.
The crag seemed to get busier, and most routes were taken, so after lunch we tackled some crazy VS crack up to Bilberry Ledge. Not much to say about that really. Lots of bilberrys at the top.
After a scrambly descent back to the scree gully path, we saw that North West Arete was finally free, so I got on that before tons of people used the adjacent Asterix as an abseil route.
We finished fairly late because it was still warm and the sun was still out, and then had a very pleasant stroll back to the car.
Sunday – Gillercombe Buttress
On Sunday I decided we should tackle the E2 on Gillercombe, String of Pearls. I thought this would be a great test for Pete’s finger strength. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great choice. A very scary move 10m above the ground, with rubbish gear and rubbish holds on very mossy rock, meant we decided to back off. I’m not sure that many people have actually done this route – ever. I’d like to know if they have.
We ended up climbing Gillercombe Buttress, the classic tho’ very polished Severe. It was a good day, and I definitely recommend parking at Honnister for the approach, despite a disappointing lack of cakes in their cafe.
If we’d known you were at Gimmer we would have dropped by on saturday ❗ – we went through the little pass between Harrison Stickle and Thorn Crag, and then around behind Pike of Stickle.
Also, our scary downclimb in the tree-filled chimney was in the little dark triangle at the top of the left-most stream across the valley in the picture of Bilberry Ledge. There looked to be some quite nice crags at the top of that stream (Skull Gill, according to OS), although I bet they get very little sun. :freeze:
Yeah, my spies reported back that they’d seen you on Gimmer Saturday 😎
We were on Wallabarrow on Sunday and, I’m not joking, saw an exact replica of Tish 🙂 I was just about to take a photo for the blob when she moved out of line 😥
There’s only one of me 😎 (thank goodness!) 😯 😉
We’d heard you’d gone to some esoteric venue on Saturday. Low something?
You could have had cakes in Shepherd’s cafe when you met us – I don’t think they had quite closed!
I’d had an ice cream at Honnister, but maybe I should have followed that with a nice piece of apple pie. :yum: :yum:
We went to Great How, Coniston, on Saturday and were the only people there. In fact, I think we were the only people who have ever been there 😕
Sunday was more sociable on Wallowbarrow, with the Tish look-a-like 😛
Set off for Stanage on Sunday, unfortunately our journey was cut short at Burbage bridge as a Freelander demolished the back of Clive’s car. Luckily no injuries, no climbing either 😥
Jeez, bad luck! I take it it was the Freelander’s driver’s fault? How did the landy come off? Not a scratch I bet…
How did you get home?
Sunny??! Looks like the English weather made a summer holiday trip to Hungary … It was :freeze: (7 C in the morning) and rainy and very windy, we couldn’t climb at all. 😥
But it looks like you had a fantastic time! Great pictures! :star:
Hi, I set off up string of pearls last year got stopped at the same place and the same reason, I was going to clean it as it looks a realy good route but left it as it started to rain.
Eyup Keith. Well, that’s reassuring, at least it isn’t just me that finds “moss climbing” a bit too much. I did get a fair bit higher (feet about level with my head in the picture above), but with no protection, poor holds (one was rattling), and only sloping moss covered edges in sight, I fiddled a wire in the crack on the left and another under the flake above my head (which popped out! 😮 ) and lowered off. 🙁
Outside Tokyo/Dight; yeah, brilliant route! 😛 Ha, and for once I beat you to it, I did it quite a few years ago.
On Gimmer you should do Dight/Tokyo E1 5b 5b 5a left of the Crack, goes up in a direct straight line,I did the other week, easier for the tall.
Yeah, think I saw you on that route Pete or, more precisely, heard you 😯
Some words even I didn’t understand :good: