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Wednesday 31 August 2016

Costa burn

4th Avenue
Stupendous spell of weather
Dips in the sea
Trips here and there
Nibbles and Scoffs
Meets and Greets
Deliveries, radiators, furniture, meter
All requirements met!




New feature on the front now in action!




Front reflections from the space age




Country pub - White Horse in Maplehurst
Book reading while world goes by






Fantastic new eat spot on 3rd Ave




Saturday 20 August 2016

Junior High

Thursday 18 August
All specifications met for the long touted day out with the Junior Gman, a full family outing plus one or two hangers on / helpers to make for an adventurous day out in perfect weather at the ever versatile
Shepherds Crag

Today's mission - to provide an adventurous introduction to the outdoor climbing scene, with maximum fun and safety for OJP on his first day out on the crag.



AT sets off up Brown Slabs (P2)





OJP studies the route and marvels at the elegance of the leader






And so tackles the short steep bit in fine style
NB makes smooth progress on the very fine Brown Slabs Face, a big single pitch to get some quality mileage on


The Junior Gman follows

Tidy




Alone in a sea of rock

Nice going youth


Walkers treated to a good view up onto the crag






Fabulous setting




It's that picture AGAIN!


PM tries out some Mad Rock


Sun out - we are all warmed up
The Junior Gman keen to get another one in

De-camp to Little Chamonix, had to hang about for another party to get away.

Entertained in the meantime by Uncle Al





NB whistles up P1

Little Chamonix is undergraded and is a serious undertaking compared to the routes on Brown Slabs


Some combined tactics required



The top pitch
(view from cafe car park)

Awesome

From an original
© Rog Wilko UKC
with thanks




Everbody up!

Well done team!

Family wave from the cafe car park



Just a minor drama on the descent, AT went the steep way (DUH!) requiring a quick regroup and lower off.

Next stop
Planet Kronenbourg

Radio Tiguan featuring some great homeward bound sounds, including
Nazareth - This Flight Tonight
Stealer's Wheel - Stuck in the Middle With You
Rolling Stones - Under my Thumb
ZZ Top - Give me all your Lovin'
Counting crows -  She don't want nobody
etc.



A66

Amazing moon

Wednesday 17 August 2016

Local landmarks

Bike Ride 17 August



Bridge at Whorlton



Tees pavements
 Church near Hutton Magna


Harvest home

Double Up

Monday 15 August
Last week's bout of blustery winds and generally poor conditions abated, all options open but the weekend's acqusition of the new Guide meant it would be simply rude not to head out west and make a pleasant valley Monday out of the great weather on the day in
Borrowdale

BP hatched up a multicrag equation en route ((SK + WF = B(mc))
So - first venue on the west side of the valley facing the morning sun
Steel Knotts

Scenic
30m
walk in
Ambling Ant MVS 4b (left) and Route 2 VS 4c (right)



BP reaches the end of the ambling.

From here the route ups the ante


A commiting move out left






A delicate slab follows then a short wall to a block belay


Route 2 has a pretty strenuous start

A case of pro then go!







Time for another runner

Two short bulging walls above prove problematical

A spot of lunch then a swift walk back to Grange and a short drive to venue #2 at the well travelled

Woden's Face


On the right of the crag
Tantalus VS 4c
Been on the to-do list for some time


Inspired by a great pic in the new guide

Steep
Sustained
Well protected


BP in masterful form



Time for an old favourite

Woden's Cheek
VS 4c in the new guide!
Result....

Brilliant day out in the endless Borrowdale Summer


 All grades and stars as per new Borrowdale Guide
Tantalus is a 3 star route IMHO




Borrowdale Multi-Crag

 

Sunday 14 August 2016

Double Stoned

Saturday 13 August
Better in the east - needed to get a good walk in so headed to NY Moors to start something up from the Lordstones.  Finished up doing an excellent circuit to the Wainstones and back.
 



Wainstones (spritual climbing home) centre pic

Long views all points east, north and west, occasionally south also


Aperros at the Blackwell Ox, Carlton
6.2km
305m
2hours 50 including stop for lunch



Friday 12 August 2016

Hove on the Move

Tues 9 - Friday 12

Hove comes to WWOW
Tuesday TAPAS at home
Wednesday Whitby
Thursday work (V) and Bourne movie (all)

We're ON THE MOVE!




Lunch here

Not quite as good as usual



Bourne again

Post Pic Aperros
Next stop The Fox Hole

Sunday 7 August 2016

Grit Expectations

Last week's sampler provided Team Peak with plenty of food for thought. In the meantime two overlapping hit lists were compiled, more than a dozen possible routes packed with action and challenge.

So expectations off the scale and aspirations all pumped up by the prospect of some fine climbing on some testing terrain at....

Stanage Edge
An early meet at Wetherby and at the crag in good time and high spirits
First on the list, a really good intro on Balcony Cracks at S4a.


Big, steep and steady

BP makes it all look deceptively easy






Thrombosis VS 5a (and some)


AT makes a vain attempt before losing heart.

Reverses back down and hands over to BP


But it's off vertical and out of balance.  The adjacent route (Rigor Mortis 4c) was found to be stiff and lacking gear.

Another retreat follows.
Oh dear.

The hit list hits back!  The ignomy!

That hissing noise is the sound of  Team Peak's collective ego deflating.



Time for a post mortem
A quick review of the list turns up something hopefully actually doable
 
So AT starts a comeback of sorts with some merry moves up Robin Hoods Crack (HVD 4a)

Hold onto those wires!



A walk in the woods by comparison

BP mashes up on Tea Leaf Crack, another confidence builder



Back to the list on
Four VS 4c

A nice little number

Just enough gear



Shuffle right from here to a great thread that helps take the sting out of an exposed finish up the little wall


BP gobbles up Muesli (HS 4c)

The starting moves give plenty of food for thought, reachy and tenuous

AT messed about with the start of Cornflake (VS5a) which follows the wall on the right, before abandoning the attempt(?) and whistling up the next route - Boot Crack at VDiff

Just time to crowbar one more route in, back on the list with the superb Right Twin Crack VS 4c
A very fine lead just about completes the 
rehabilitation of  Team Peak



Supplementals

Thrombosis
Follows the leaning crack centre pic

Rigor Mortis
The wide crack on the right


Robin Hoods Crack (L)

Tea Leaf (R)



Four


Muesli (L)

Boot Crack (R)

Cornflake (not done) goes up the face in between

Maybe a high runner in Boot Crack would help?

See also
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/zoomtopo/stanage/

Route around the Friday Sheffield rush hour
Open fast driving most of the way