More Lakes Favourites

 June 29th

The trip to Scout Crags signalled a welcome return to the Lake District.  So two years after the last visit the drawbridge is lowered and a raiding party sent to grapple with the ramparts of;

Castle Rock of Triermain

Temperatures out west stay in the twenties and with a mid summer sun beating down it was always going to be a warm one. Neckerchiefs and bottles of frozen water required, together with a more leisurely approach to the day.  Surprise meeting on arrival with BP's fellow CMC stalwarts J and S A.

Crag looms through the digitalis glade

BP captures some early action whilst AT returns to car to retrieve crag essentials.

Leeds climber on Gangway Direct.

V bold climbing.

BP on Wall Climb

Bomber #10 wire at the crux

AT repeats BP's placements at the start of Slab Climb

Entering the finishing groove

All in good order so far

BP in a similar position to tackle the crux bulge on Lilith

A route with plenty of variety and a more imaginative name.

2pm and time for a break

AT wimpishly hands BP the lead on Via Media

Worth more than S4a

Especially opting for the direct finish up the steep headwall with 35m of rope in tow.

Not to mention the peaking temperatures.

Time to call it a draw

Refreshments

Home in time to see the goals replayed

Hot Scot

 Tuesday June 22

Summertime and the living easy.  When the weather is fine you can touch the sky and you've got climbing on your mind.  Incoming messages from BP and TM combined to create the opportunity for a gang hang at this year's first choice Re-Hab venue.

Scot Crags, Scugdale

TM and MT already in action on arrival at 10.30.  Then who'd have thought it but NP and bro-in-law MW turn up as well!  All very social.

All pics via BP's iPhone, AT's remained at home for a rest.

MT makes elegant shapes on Scugdale Chimney

Zeta Wall right of this

Good 3D action

TM on Zeta Wall

The start is in a micro-zone of excess gravity.

Things get easier higher up

AT takes advantage of MT's offer and follows in deceptive style after a couple of failures lower down.

TM provided the required beta about the decent hold.  No charge!  What a gent.

BP lets slip the dogs of war on Pup's climb

Note finishing moves can be protected by the gold hex

(not the blue one)

All very hot by now, called it a draw at about 15.30

That pint in Potto just evaporated!

The Call of the Raven

13 June 2021

2019 was a bumper year for visits to this widely underrated venue, with four visits between May and August that year. The feast turned into a famine for 2020, apart from one little looky with CB in September that year, that day the crag was pretty grungy so we pressed on the the Wainstones.   After 21 months absence hopes are high for catching up this year, so it was great when an out of the blue message on Saturday announced the prospect of a return to the daunting buttresses of;

Raven's Scar

   

9am at Clay Bank car park so the milky sun was still catching some of the prominent aretes and faces when we arrived.

Forest Face offers a brilliant start.

The iphone was on video setting so this is a scrape from a half second video clip.

Pity that, could have been a good one.

MT focusses on sorting his feet ready for some delicate footwork up in a fine position.

TM resets his leader rack and floats upwards on Airlift.

Short clip (best played full screen)

MT follows in good order

TM latches the side pull that offers the key to the lower crux on Via Anna

Shaping up

AT leads the improbably named Sunshine Slab.   Eponymous?  Moi?

TM En Passant pictured.

(photomerge with some artistic license)

It's a fair cop Guv....

An album for the times on route home