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

Return to Rhyolite

 Thursday May 27th

After over 22 months absence, the time was finally right for a return to Lakeland.  NB takes break from house moving business and free to roam.  Despite demanding quite a long distance solo drive for both, the temptation to get back amongst the much missed destinations out west trumped all other considerations.    NB suggested a great venue to kick us off;

Upper  Scout Crag - Langdale

From Darlington about 1 hour 50 via Red Bank, about ten minutes less via the M6 from Clitheroe way. 

NB assembling gear for the start of  Route 2, which starts up the stepped buttress in the left background.

 Moving smoothly up the crux of the second pitch.

AT on P2

Pic from 2016

The gear is good but even better if all quickdraws are clipped......

Not to mention the advantages of keeping pockets all zipped up.

Good belays are hard to find up top but NB got some bomber gear in on the upper ledge.

Doggo takes a break after a bit of soloing

After a spot of bait AT sets about Route 1 first pitch.  Often suffers seepage in the first few metres, today particularly soppy.

Opted for a roomy lower belay from a good block backed up with a large cam.

Better than the bigger block higher up.

NB gains the fine arete of Pitch 2.

Superb position in a fabulous setting

(excuse the superlatives but 21 months is a long while)

The second of the following pair reaches the same point.

AT climbed the corner a few metres left of the climber

The grassy descent path is v exposed.  

Spot the yellow dot - the next target.

Libations de rigeur as usual.

2021 Lions Limited

 May 25th

The Birmingham gang have come up north again, so another opportunity to have a meet up and invent some nonsense with the crew.  A one day wonder so the EK troops not in range.  RL came up with a wonderplan so we were all set.

The day dawned well......

Arrived at Skelton all present and correct for an alfresco coffee and cakes, then set out on the mission, weather dictated plenty of fluidity in options, but a walk to the fish and chip fleshpots of Saltburn sounded good.

Early bearing check.  We are at position A.

Where is that then?

This option seemed too adventurous to ignore.....

Not surprisingly it was the wrong way....

Returned over the raging torrent and found our way to Saltburn.

.

We rented three of these for 20 minutes and scoffed fish and chips in the dry

Team Surf show their moves

Weather picking up, looks like stage 2 of the plan is GO!

AT confirms that there will be a bus back.  Offers a lame excuse about some past timetable mishaps.

The walk along the cliff top is exposed in places, leads to Cattersty Sands at Skinningrove.

A steep path lands everyone on the beach

Bus back to Skelton caught in good order.

An excellent meet blessed by the weather Gods, the chippie,  the on-time bus, and great company.

12km

500m ascent