Trowbarrow Quarry
Despite the wonderful autumn sunshine it was easy to tell that the weather has consisted of pretty much endless rain for the past several months – the cracks of the main wall of Trowbarrow Quarry were running with water! So we decided to start off with the normally easier proposition of Jean Jeanie… This was a wise choice, for even this moderately graded line, with it’s occasionally polished holds, was greasy and the depths of the major crack that it follows were wet. A good work out on a classic and sustained pitch.
We also climbed a great pitch we hadn’t done before, Hollow Earth. This route had a wild move from the initial corner out on to the face. Thinking that would be the crux I was then shocked to find the real crux, a long section of strenuous jamming!
Leighton Moss Nature Reserve
After our time at Trowbarrow we made use of our proximity to the RSPB nature reserve at Leighton Moss, hoping to perhaps see part of the red deer rut. As it turned out the mega amounts of rain have had their impact here too, the paths to the various hides were flooded! At the car park a kind man warned us that without wellington boots we would get wet feet. Now, would that stop us, or would it be an open invite for extra adventure?
Wallowbarrow
Sunday’s weather was perhaps even more lovely than Saturday. Although our muscles were tired and our heads were even more tired after a week of extremely stressful work. So we chose a relaxed day at Wallowbarrow in the Duddon Valley to enjoy the fantastic autumn sunshine…
The first pitch of Digitation ends at a massive dead oak tree. When we first visited Wallowbarrow this poor and ancient tree, whose dead branches are just visible at the top of the picture above, was alive and well. Sad perhaps that a tree maybe hundreds of years old has died – but I guess it comes to everything and everyone eventually. But even in death there is life, there were masses of mushrooms at the base.
