Down in the Big Smoke I did a climb with my non-climbing friend Kay who, some years ago, was so enthralled by “Touching the Void” that she lent it to her gran. Gran was so enthralled that she nearly set her flat on fire: she put the dinner on, and promptly forgot it until the smoke alarm went off!

Kay and I went up the….

… Monument, all 311 steps of it.

There are great views from the top and here is one of them:

After a trip roundthe Sir John Soane Museum – a must if you have not been, and free – and another round Fortnums we ended our day at a patisserie.

Best not to dwell on how Ian and I got on at Sunbury climbing wall. To think that once we could do multiple non-stop ascents of the vertical left hand wall crimps….. (Then again, in those days we climbed frequently, not once every few months.) (And probably ate fewer cakes.)