Getting back from Orpierre I felt fit and psyched for the
real game of UK onsight trad. The 1st weekend we were back, it was
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend which meant a double bank holiday. My good
friend Ged was having is 30th birthday celebrations up in the Lake
District and small team of us gathered up there to get involved with some of
the classics.
As luck would have it, the whole of the south of the UK was
drenched with torrential rain but unusually the Lakes were getting some of the
best weather around.
Day one saw a visit to Reecastle, a good communual crag and
a good place for getting lots done as its single pitch and close to the road.
The routes here have a reputation for being steep and hard, but I’ve got to say
having been sport climbing for a while, the angle seemed pretty tame. Its one
of the only crags in the Lakes that I’d been to before and having done a few of
the classics previously I was keen to up the ante slightly.
I started off with an E4 6a warm up called Inquisition and then after
belaying Gilly on her 1st trad lead in a year and a half (which she cruised) I
decided to go for the onsight on Daylight Robbery E6 6b. Irritatingly my foot slipped off
on an easy move low down, but I sent it next go. It’s a really
enjoyable and intense little number consisting of a safe and pumpy crack in the
lower half to a peg at it’s close and then a runout wall on little crimps.
Classic Reecastle.
Local lad Leo Houlding had come out to join us for the day,
and had set about working on one of the few routes there he’d not done before.
A fierce diagonal seam called Burnt At The Stake E7 7a. After top roping it and
preplacing the gear (a practice that is apparently standard for the harder
routes here) he sent it without too much trouble. I then asked him to leave the
gear in so that I could have a go at the flash with his beta. I went for it
getting through the bold start to the peg and even through the supposed crux
but dropped it getting to the wire. It would’ve been good to do it next go but
time was short and we had to bail.
Next day was a more chilled affair. I teamed up with Dave
Pickford and had a great day at Goat Crag in Borrowdale doing the ultra classic
Bitter Oasis E4 5c, 5c. It didn’t disappoint. 2 pitches of wild moves steeped
in climbing history. Fun times.
Day 3 was a stunningly beautiful day. Hazel Findlay had been
on at me for a few days about how awesome Impact Day on Pavey Ark was. She had
had a couple of days on it already and was psyched to do it. With the weather
so good it seemed like a good idea to go to a mountain crag and get stuck in,
so Pavey was the destination of choice.
Local legend Dave Birkett joined us for the day, and so
Gilly, Dave, DMM’s Dave ‘Noddy’ Noddings and myself 1st went off to
climb the classic Golden Slipper HVS 5a. One of the best slabs of its kind in
the UK.
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| Noddy enjoying a casual flex on Golden Slipper HVS |
After a lazy ascent and a lot of chatting and catching up, it was time
o go and see how Hazel was getting on and jpoin the fun. Needless to say none
of us actually got around to getting on Impact Day until quite late. Myself,
Hazel and Neil Mawson were all keen to do it and top roped it a couple of times
each. 1st up for the lead was Neil who sent it pretty much fine. I then went
next and annoyingly fell off whilst trying to match the top of the crag. This
is actually a pretty hard move, but it was still a bit of a heart breaker to
blow it that close to the top. A rematch beckons.
Finally after my go, Hazel went last. She had been having
trouble with the bottom moves due to her height. They’re by no mean the hardest
move on the route but they are the boldest. The route itself isn’t particularly
bold overall but the 1st 3 move are quite necky. Its advisable not
to blow it on these moves, and suddenly out of the blue, that is exactly what
Hazel did. She took a spectacular tumble down several ledges, ripping the
starting cam in the process and going passed Neil who was belaying. After the
initial shock and fear that she was seriously hurt, she brushed herself off and
even walked down to the pub. She was pretty shaken up and had a little bruising
and whip lash, but all in all was fine. She tells me she’s keen to go back for
a rematch too, believe it or not. She doesn’t give up easily that lass.
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| Jimi Hendrix Experience E6 6b at Uphill Quarry Photo: Mark Campbell |
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| Jimi Hendrix Experience E6 6b at Uphill Quarry Photo: Mark Campbell |
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