The Gunter Tapes: September 2023

Thursday 28 September 2023

Hove Action

When you're in Hove
You know you're in Hove
No matter what you try to do

21 - 27 September

The weather window opened up for the trip south we'd been waiting a few weeks for, always knew it would be September so long as the forecast was half decent. As per the visit in May three nights in Brooker Street with V & P and three at the Princes Marine.

Decent drive down just over six hours leaves time for a sally forth on the front before heading out to the Flamenco at the Brunswick.

Terrific show

Friday train trip "up to town" for the McCartney photo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, brilliant.

Through a limo pane

Hundreds of pictures

All FAB

Florida 1964

London - full of photographs

As is the promenade

Back in time for a walk out

Princes Marine

See you Sunday

Time to seek shelter

No place better than the Better Half!

Walking out for a shared plates supper at the Connaught

Saturday - shopping!

Fish and Chip Supper with some "Strictly" added

Sunday - up to Dorking for lunch at Aroma (Italian) with R & S

Monday

Morning breakfast venue

Obligatory plate photo

Eggs Florentine

Walking it all off

Afternoon walk on the Downs with V and friends D and S

Errr

No caption comes to mind.....

Fabulous walking about six miles up and down

Evening repeat viewing of SCD at Brooker

Tuesday DIY at Brooker then a general mooch before early supper at the Urchin

Away 8am Wednesday Briar by 2pm

Great holiday!

I miss your

Hove Action!

Saturday 9 September 2023

Bowden Bake Off

Friday 8th September

Phone pinged on Thursday, CB says he's free tomorrow, so three days out in a week must be some sort of record, at least as far as separate trips go. Looking for a user friendly easy access shortish drive option, put that through the algorithm and out popped....

Bowden Doors

Drove up in bright sunshine then ran into the coastal mist north of Alnwick. Already starting to burn off on arrival so another warm one in prospect.

Locals making most of cool mist moments

Eponymous climbing on Grovel Groove (S 4a). Better than it looks.

Sun burning it all off by 11.30

AT on belay above Deception Crack

CB romps up the steep start of Black and Tan - rather oddly graded at S 4c.

Mystery of AT's missing chalk bag solved. It was already on his waist....

Scot/Spanish team on The Scoop next door

Graded VS 4c and much tougher than its neighbour

Maybe S 4b would be about right for B&T

AT tip toes up Russet Groove

A County V Diff

Delightful climbing up the flanges of the exit ramp

Another team on The Scoop

An hour or so earlier Archie (here on belay) provided essential combined tactics to get the lardy AT off the ground on this route.

AT deals with the awkward exit of The Scorpion (VS 4c).

Two offsets take care of the fall potential.

Faith in friction returning after the whoops at Corby's.

Castle Crack a go-go all the way.

CB fries a way up there.

Fantastic castellations to finish

The heat takes its toll and the bells are ringing at the Black Swan Belford, just a short walk and drive to a cold one.

Time to call it a draw!

Depart 08.30

Arrive 10.20

Climbing 10.45

Finish last route 15.10

Leave crag 15.30

Home 17.55

Wednesday 6 September 2023

Raven Roaster

Tuesday 5th September

The Indian Summer reaches a fifth day. Got to make the very most of this spell of fabulous weather so an early start and a decent drive puts us at the ODG for a visit to one of Langdale's most user friendly venues;

East Raven Crag

Even as early as 09.40 the car park was nearly full and the heat building fast.

Welcome shady spot a few metres from the foot of the crag.

A party already making progress up the classic Diff of Middlefell Buttress.

Figured we might do Revelation on the way back out.

CB takes the direct start of Jingo VS 4b

The guidebook line comes in from the right, this much steeper more like 4c.

This picture from May 2017 (BP) with AT leading out on the FRCC guidebook line.

Rockfax App say's CB called it right though.

Who knows!?

AT positioned just past the crux wall moves on Mamba (S 4a)

CB followed up with Ophidia (VS 4c), and obliged with a very tight rope to help with the hard start.

The crag is cooking up.

Grass above routes also hot and sweaty

Care required on exit.

AT holding it together before gear arrives on Speckled Band (VD+).

Feeling the after effects of the Corby's episode, still a bit far off form.

The Great Belay Bake Off

L- R

Mamba, Ophidea, Jingo, Speckled Band

Gearing up in shade of trees bottom left. Walk out blistering hot. Gravity to ODG from there too strong to stop off and do Revelation as per plan Apart from that feeling pretty well whacked out.