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?