Climbing - Wharncliffe

Saturday, 5 and 12 November 2016

After a couple of previous climbing experiences and buying 'Eastern Grit' guide I started looking for a quiet climbing location near where we live i.e. Barnsley and decided to try Wharncliffe. Majority of the routes looked beyond our capabilities but there were a few we could have a go at. Dry, sunny, late Autumn weather encouraged us to get outside.

Even though the plan on 5th of November was to go to Black Slab Right on Puttrell's Progress I chose to park at the small, muddy lay-by at the side of Woodhead Road. This meant a longer walk but the day was so beautiful that I preferred to walk through the woods.

This was the first time I took my new Deuter Guide 35+ rucksack with me. It is very comfortable, but a bit heavy, especially when compared to my previous (admittedly smaller) trusty Wolf Gang Taternik 28. I must say that Taternik has been so reliable that I couldn't see it ever breaking and I was struggling to justify purchasing a new rucksack. The only thing is that my 20 year old Taternik is a bit too small for winter activities.

Deuter Guide 35+ on my back

There was nobody else at the crag, allowing us to rig a top rope without getting stressed about blocking the route. Since I still don't feel confident leading on anything else than scrambling routes we rigged the top rope using 10m of static rope which was just long enough. I think I will need to buy a 15m replacement.

Even though Black Slab Right is only classed as a Mod climb I deviated from the route near the top. As I was being lowered down by Magda, I dropped awkwardly into the niche and injured my shin bone. I felt really stupid but this meant the end of the day for me. In order to ease swelling, I applied cold spray but I must have overdone it as later by bruise started to look more like a burn. Anyway, I was able to walk back to the car without any problems.

We came back on 12th of November and had a go at nearby Alpha Crack on Great Buttress. Magda being Magda approached the route as a scrambling challenge and soloed it in her soft walking boots! Well, I preferred to practice rope skills and later we managed to make a two-pitch route out of this 10m Diff beginners climb (there is a nice big ledge near the top). I realized that I would do with more small screwgate carabiners and more skills in general, like how to swap leads safely for example.

Scrambling - Snowdonia

27-30 October 2016

This was our late, short holiday in Snowdonia. We were lucky enough to pick last few warm days of October for this trip. Crib Goch ridge was our main objective. I would be lying if  I said I was very keen on doing it but Magda felt quite the opposite. The reason for being a bit apprehensive was the expectation of crowded route and also probably I was just anxious (as it turned out later totally unnecessarily). How am I going to react to the famous exposure?

Somewhere on A628

We set off about 9am on Thursday, visited Go Outdoors in Stockport on our way and parked near the Ogwen Cottage at about 1pm. It was too early to drive to the campsite and too late to do anything challenging. Being aware of gusts up to 46mph waiting for us at the top of Tryfan we went for an easier south ridge approach. Initially, there was a bit of a drizzle but it soon went away. My intention was to walk to the Bwlch Tryfan first but we drifted to the left i.e. east too early and ended up on a scree slope leading to the col between the Far South Peak and the South Peak of Tryfan.

From there we scrambled on a wide ridge, trying to choose a route that would be both interesting enough for us but also within our abilities. The main difficulty was the wind. Gusts were strong enough to knock one to the ground.

The reward was in the views from the summit. Fast-moving clouds were hitting the mountain from the west revealing the Glyders from time to time and there was a lonely gliding crow above Adam and Eve.

We came down pretty much the same way, scrambled to the top of the Far South Peak this time, had a good look at Bristly Ridge which we wanted to scramble one day as well and headed back to the car park.

After a short drive, just before dark, we arrived at Llyn Gwynant campsite. As I was hoping there were only a few tents around. This is what I wanted, peace and quiet.

This evening instead of cooking we went for an excellent vegetarian (in my case) and vegan (in case of Magda) wood-fired pizzas from Jones' Pizza.

Friday was supposed to be wet but much less windy. Saturday forecast was better so the decision was made to tackle Crib Goch on that day. Of course, as soon as it briefly stopped raining on Friday morning I felt like it would be a wasted day not to do anything so we drove to the car park near Little Tryfan to see if its grade 3 ridge scramble is within our reach. Partly due to lack of confidence, partly due to the fact that the rock was wet and drizzle persisted we only ended up walking to the Heather Terrace and back. We were contemplating Bristly Ridge scramble but decided to leave it for another day. After visiting a few outdoor shops in Llanberis including Joe Brown's we spent a nice evening by the bonfire at the campsite.

On Saturday, after finding out that Pen-y-Pass car park was full (not surprising really especially we were there around 9am) we parked near Pen y Gwryd hotel and walked to the Pen-y-Pass using a much safer path, running parallel to A4086. I bet that walking on A4086 is more dangerous than walking on Crib Goch.

Low-level clouds meant one thing: no views from the ridge. At least it wasn't windy.

We walked to the start of the Crib Goch route, scrambled up the East Ridge, Main Ridge, Crib Y Ddysgl, reached Garnedd Ugain and walked to the top of Snowdon (after some hesitation, crowds again).

Due to limited visibility on Crib Goch the exposure was greatly reduced. Also, there were a few other persons in front of us dictating tempo. I think we will have to come back when the visibility is better, possibly to complete Snowdon Horshoe.

Starting from Crib Y Ddysgl the situation changed. The clouds were now...below us.

The views were absolutely stunning. For the first time ever I could see the Snowdon summit and later could see something from the Snowdon summit as well.

We experienced 'the ghost of the mountain' effect accompanied by the 'helo' like rings of a glory number of times whilst on the ridge. This was the second time this ever happened to me.

Initially, I simply wanted to walk back via the Pyg Track without visiting Snowdon but this changed and we quickly meandered through the crowds to the summit. This was one of a few last days of the Cafe being opened so we took advantage of it. Sitting outside the Cafe we admired the inversion.

Returning via the Pyg Track was a bit tedious but descending any mountain usually is, at least in my opinion. Despite this morale was high.

If you ever park near Pen y Gwryd hotel remember to pay for the car park. We saw a few cars with parking tickets behind the wipers.

We made it to the campsite after 6pm so it was already dark. I was glad that we weren't driving back home on the same day as we had a relaxing evening by the bonfire again. Packing and driving home got postponed to Sunday.

ViewRanger summary:
Start time: 09:24:11
End time: 17:56:36
Height gain: 1,253m
Height loss: 1.255m
Lenght: 14.5km
Duration: 8:32:25 (including drink at the Snowdon Cafe ;)

Climbing - Scugdale

Sunday, 23 October 2016

Shortly after my first outdoor climbing experience, I had the opportunity to practice even more under the eye of the same experienced friend. He proposed Scugdale as this location wasn't too far from where he lives, it was also suitable for me and I am always eager to discover new places.

The drive from Barnsley was no more than 1.5h. There are only a few parking spaces in muddy lay-bys near the crags. Straight away I knew that this was a quiet place, opposite to busy Stanage Popular. This day was special for Radek as he was celebrating his birthday. There were four people interested in climbing on that day and a few of Radek's friends who would come over later to join this unusual birthday party.

On our way to Scugdale

We met at 11am. There was plenty of showers during the day and I was glad that Radek brought a tarp shelter with him. This simple thing saved the day as we could protect all our kit from the rain and attempt to climb between outbursts of rain.

Magda and I practised setting up and equalizing anchors at the bottom of the crag. Later we also abseiled from the top of the 10 m wall. All very valuable exercises. If anybody is afraid of stepping over the edge of the crag when getting ready to abseil, heavy rain certainly is going to help!

Magda still has a lot to learn

There was only one actual climb Magda and I did. We set up top rope anchor at Blaeberry Crack (Diff) and despite top-roping, I needed two goes at it.

Ready for climbing. Need to remember to use rope protector next time

What's important though is that I gained confidence that I would be able to rig a top rope on my own.

Scugdale and our top rope anchor setup

Thanks to the good company and preparation (shelter) this was a great day despite the weather playing tricks. We are also glad we discovered Scugdale. It is a really beautiful valley and the place seems quiet which is a big bonus for me as I don't feel comfortable with others watching what I am doing just yet. It is also less likely we would be upsetting people by blocking routes if there is simply not many climbers around.

Climbing - Stanage Edge

Saturday-Sunday, 8-9 October 2016

My first attempt at climbing outdoors. The trip was organized by a friend who gathered twelve individuals and stationed them in The Reckoning House near Bakewell. He was kind enough to share his knowledge and experience with a few of us who wanted to get introduced to climbing outdoors in particular trad climbing. Others spent this weekend running or cycling (Monsal Cycle Trail added to my to-do list).

Apart from the lot sleeping in the Bunkhouse, there were a few people who joined us during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

The Reckoning House Bunkhouse

The weather was kind again. Maybe it was a bit chilly but remained mostly dry.

We reached the crags at about 11am and spent most of the day learning about climbing gear, knots etc.

'Pilgrims' on the way to 'Mecca'. My green, indestructible Taternik backpack is almost 20 years old.

We also practised some self-rescue techniques which involved learning how to escape the belay. This was something new for me and I must admit, at the time I did not appreciate how useful this could be. At late afternoon we reached the point we felt like climbing. Since most of us were beginners we went for top roping on route graded VDiff called Robin's Hood Staircase. I think that apart from top roping (cheat number 1) we also cheated by starting the climb further to the right than intended by the guidebook. This lowered the grade.

This is how it's done - Robin's Hood Staircase

Following day we came back to Stanage Popular, this time planning to tackle something on Mantlepiece Buttress. I top roped (again!) Mantlepiece Crack (Diff) and lead (yes!) Zip Crack (Mod). I did make a couple of mistakes in setting up a belay at the top of Zip Crack but luckily enough had somebody experienced who pointed out what I did wrong. One of the mistakes was to put a sling around a boulder which was clearly too small and could actually be moved by a single person! Well, at least I had two other anchors and will not make this mistake again. This was the whole point of doing something on my own rather than climbing using top rope set up by somebody else anyway. My intention is to be self-efficient in mountaineering at the end of the day, so yes as long as I'm learning, please criticize!

I also (unsuccessfully, despite top roping) attempted Small Crack (VDiff). My lack of technique and strength became apparent here.

There were quite a few climbers around. Shouldn't have been surprised really, given this was a dry Sunday day and we were in the most popular part of Stanage Edge.

A shower and inevitability of our instructor having to drive back home ended the adventure.

We drove to Bakewell for a coffee (or a pint in my case). I must admit that I have never been to Bakewell before despite living no more than an hour's drive from there. Can certainly recommend the place and if you're there remember to get some Bakewell Tart.

Walking - from Langsett to the Upper Derwent via the Cut Gate path

Sunday, 2 October 2016

I was walking on my own on this occasion. Magda was working and everybody knows how difficult it is to find a good company for outdoor activities. Apart from this solo hiking is just something I like to do from time to time. It allows me to remain focused, appreciate surroundings better and sense of achievement is somehow stronger.

What I wanted to do for quite a few years was to walk from Langsett to Hope and then either come back by public transport or to ask a friend to give me a lift back. Later this plan got updated to camping in Hope or somewhere in the area and then walking back the following day. I might still do this one day.

For now, I decided to have a fast-paced walk from Langsett to Howden reservoir and then come back via Howden edge. Distance to be covered around 20km. I set off about 10am from a car park near a little roundabout on A628 so avoided the busy main car park.

Looking back towards Langsett from the moors past Mickleden Edge

From the car park, you need to cross the road, get to the bridge over the Little Don river, then zig-zag up the hillside along the edge of the forest to emerge on the moor above.

Heavily eroded peat on the path near upper Derwent end of the moors

The well-marked path leads over  the side of Hingcliff Hill then via Mickleden Edge and boggy trench towards upper Derwent. The effort of soldering through boggy, featureless terrain is rewarded by great views towards Kinder Plateau, Bleaklow and Great Ridge (weather permitting).

First glimpses of Great Ridge and Kinder Plateau

After admiring the view for a while it was time for a descent to the northern part of the Howden reservoir. Hills were dressed in wonderful early autumn colours.

On the path leading to Howden reservoir

Once at the bottom I turned south along the wide track that goes around the eastern side of Howden reservoir. There were plenty of cyclist, walkers and even people picnicking.

Howden Reservoir

I escaped the crowds by climbing back to Howden Edge via New Close Wood and Nether Hey. High Stones looked like a good spot for wild camping.

Views from High Stones

Even though it was sunny I imagined the views of the hills covered in snow. After a quick sandwich, it was time to head back to Langsett. In the end, the whole walk took me 6 hours 15 minutes and I covered 22.5km. Not bad.

Scrambling - Deer Knowl

11 September 2016

The initial plan was to go back to Alderman Rocks and try variation 2 or 3 of a scramble from a week ago but then I changed my mind and went for Deer Knowl on Bleaklow North instead.

This was yet another sunny weekend this year. I honestly don't know why people complain about the British weather. It's yet another summer which I end up with a suntan.

We parked in a little car park on B6105 at the southwest corner of the Woodhead Reservoir and followed approach description from the guide book. This time I did not have problems with route finding. The path becomes fainter closer one gets to the rocks and then it dries completely. This is not a problem in good visibility as the rocks can be easily identified by matching with the photo from the Cicerone guidebook.

Getting very close to the start of a scramble

The idea again was to practise our ropework skills. I kind of expected the place to be a bit forgotten and it did look like this judging from vegetation and a lot of loose rock.

Nevertheless, we exercised gear placement and setting up belays as much as we could. The route apart from the initial crux (pictured in the book) is not very difficult but there is a lot of loose rocks so one needs to be careful not to dislodge something that could hit a partner below. Since this is a northern part of Bleaklow despite absolutely clear sky and warm day belayer could get a bit chilly, especially when waiting for ages for a beginner to set up his anchors. We did make a few mistakes but the good thing is that we realized what we were doing wrong and also the route is quite forgiving.

Magda waiting for me at the top of the route

At the top, we sat for a while contemplating the views and sunbathing (it is cheaper to do this in Britain than going to Spain and you can do this much more frequently as people go to Spain only once a year usually?) whilst having a snack.

View towards Crowden

The descent route is not obvious. We turned west and then started coming down on a grassy/heathery slope. Care is necessary as it is very easy for an injury by falling in one of the holes in the ground obscured by heather.

Comparing this route to Alderman Rocks I would say the latter is closer to a climbing route and it is easier to place gear as there is no loose rock there. The Deer Knowl, on the other hand, feels wilder despite the proximity of Woodhead Pass. The access is slightly more difficult, the route is not being used very frequently and you end up on Bleaklow plateau so don't expect any sort of welcoming committee ;)

Scrambling - Alderman Rocks

Sunday, 4 September 2016

Shortly after our scrambling course with Graham Uney I rushed to buy my own gear and was eager to start using it. I knew I had to carry on practising otherwise anything I had learned would have evaporated quickly. I wanted to find a grade 2/3 route somewhere in Peak District, not far from where Magda and I live. We went for Alderman Rocks listed in 'Scrambles In The Dark Peak' Cicerone guide.

It's a short, easily accessible scramble which I thought would be good for practising building up belays etc.

The day was supposed to be mainly dry with a murky start so we didn't set off until 10am. We took all the climbing gear, snacks, something to drink, waterproofs just in case and then as I was driving and almost reaching the car park I realized that I had forgotten our guide! Magda didn't realize what I was talking about at first and was thinking that I forgot to bring Graham ;)  Turning around, driving back home for half an hour, picking up the guide, driving back for half an hour just to reach the same point but at least we had the guide with us.

We parked in Binn Green car park on A635. The Alderman Rocks are visible from there.

There is a steep path leading towards the start of the route. One of my weaknesses is route-finding and on this occasion, it became apparent again. The key to establishing the start of the route was locating the 'Great Slab' climbing route. I regretted not having a climbing guide with me as I suspected it would have supplemented the scrambling one.

In the end, we managed to find a start of option 1 route and (I must admit awkwardly) started climbing up. The route is not really difficult and I would not be surprised seeing a climber free soloing it with ease, but for beginners like us, it makes a good playground.

Start of a route normally used as a climbers descent route

Trying to match the description from the guide book with reality

After getting to the top and sorting out all the gear we first stopped to admire the views around Chew Valley. It is actually possible to see Wilderness Gullies from there which are other very good scrambles in the area. Then we walked to the obelisk visible in the distance.

View towards Dove Stone Reservoir in Chew Valley

Memorial plaque on the way to the 'summit rocks'

On our way to the car, we returned to the start of the scramble and tried to locate the other two options listed in the guide. I was struggling to find them to be honest but I am planning to come back, most likely with a climbing guidebook this time.

Scrambling Course - Lake District

Monday-Tuesday, 22-23 August 2016

Magda bought tickets for Cumbria Vegan Festival which was to take place on 20th August. I decided to extend the trip to The Lakes by booking a scrambling course with Graham Uney. My aim was to practise basic ropework, learn how to build belays and abseil so that I would gain enough confidence to tackle grade 3 scrambles. On top of this, we planned to spend a night at Priest's Hole. The last thing did not pan out due to horrible weather but at least we visited a couple of good pubs in Windermere with our new friends.

On Sunday, on our way from Windermere to Chapel House Farm campsite in Borrowdale, we stopped in Keswick and did a bit of indoor climbing in the King Kong Climbing Centre. The place was a bit crowded and smaller than I imagined but we managed to get some exercise before the course. We had to hire shoes and belay device but we had our own harnesses which we brought for the course.

We have never been to Chapel House Farm campsite before. I picked it up due to the fact that we would meet our instructor not far from there. Campsite offers great views of the mountains surrounding Borrowdale. 

View towards High Knot from Chapel House Farm campsite

We were lucky enough to arrive after the Saturday flash flooding has gone away otherwise we would have struggled to get to the campsite. The evening was dry but it was raining at night and in the morning.

Chapel House Farm campsite

On Monday we met with our instructor Graham Uney. We knew Graham from our winter skills course. The plan was to set off from High Lodore Farm Cafe and spend a day at Shepherd's Crag. We scrambled up the Jackdaw Ridge learning mainly about building belays but also basics about climbing gear. Magda and I were swapping leads so that both of us would learn. Even though the morning was wet (earlier we were preparing our breakfast inside the tent) the rest of the day was sunny and dry. Jackdaw Ridge is a very nice scramble where you are surrounded by trees for most of the route and then you come out to the flat point at the top of the crag. From there you can admire views towards Derwent Water and can see the top part of the Little Chamonix climbing route.

Me on top of Shepherd's Crag

View toward Derwent Water. Flooding visible.

High Lodore Farm Cafe car park from above

I have never done abseiling before but was keen on learning this skill in case of having to retreat off a route. We practised on a crag nearby. Sadly I don't remember the name of the crag and only know it is being used by beginners.

After abseiling down to our own surprise we managed to climb back up to the top and this was a moderate climb rather than a scramble! There is hope for us after all.

Magda abseiling

Plan for the second day: Cam Crag Ridge in Langstrath. We met around 9:30am in Stonethwaite and set off south to Cam Crag along Stonethwaite Beck. After the pub, we passed the Stonethwaite camping site which looked much quieter than busy Chapel House Farm. We shall use that campsite next time. We also passed Tilly's Barn which could be worth considering in colder months.

Cam Crag offers various options for scrambling. This is why the Cicerone guide grades this route as 1,2 or 3 scramble depending on the particular variant chosen.

Looking at the start of Cam Crag scramble

The weather was excellent allowing great views towards Bowfell, Crinkle Crags but also Skiddaw and Blencathra. 

Bowfell in the far background

View towards Blencathra and Skiddaw

Pike of Stickle in the background

It took us about an hour to get to the start point and Graham provided us with lots of information about climbing gear, climbing shops and wildlife. We also heard about a secret cave hidden somewhere in the Langstrath valley. We ought to try to find it one day.

We came across quite interesting plant we had no idea about earlier. It is called Sundew and it eats midges. We definitely need more of these plants!

Sundew - a carnivorous plant

The scrambling was good. We were trying to pick rather more difficult sections but stayed within scrambling grades. 

After initial part where we practised using all the gear, the scrambling could be avoided and one could simply choose to walk on grassy slopes. We obviously went for scrambling, this time without a rope. 

Upper sections of Cam Crag scramble

We turned towards the valley of Combe Gill for our return route. We stayed well above the beck and then walked to where we camped on our first night i.e. Chapel House Farm campsite. As we were getting closer to the campsite I recognized a ridge that appears on the cover of the Cicerone scrambling guide for north of Lake District. It turned out to be the Intake Ridge, excellent grade 3 scramble which has been added to my to-do list.

After coming back to Stonethwaite everyone was up for a cold drink. Water drunk straight from a stream earlier provided only brief refreshment. 

Free food

For us, it was a very good and useful two days. At last, I felt confident enough to buy scrambling gear and start using it properly which I did the same week.

Is this supposed to be some kind of irony?