James on Chapter House Falls
There are a few more images from the day as "stills" below - thanks again to Washington Wild camping Society for the photography
Friday, 25 October 2013
Abseiling Chapter House Falls: Yordas Pot
Washington Wild Camping Society have recently posted a couple of videos from a trip to Yordas Pot. The footage is a bit dark, especially at the beginning & unfortunately my tech skills aren't up to extracting the vids & attempting to edit (if I can get the originals - will have a go!). So for now there are a couple of Facebook Links to them below:
Me on Chapter House Falls
James on Chapter House Falls
There are a few more images from the day as "stills" below - thanks again to Washington Wild camping Society for the photography
James on Chapter House Falls
There are a few more images from the day as "stills" below - thanks again to Washington Wild camping Society for the photography
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Wet At Whinlatter
We had a wander around a very wet Whinlatter Forrest yesterday. It looked superb in the rain!
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Security On Steep Ground
Last Saturday Graham & myself ran a security on steep ground day on behalf of the In2venture Outdoor Activity Community. After a hastily re-organised meeting point of the New Barn, rather than Old Dungeon Ghyll - so as to avoid the masses attending the fell race - we headed off to the area of Scout Crag.
Team for the day was: Alex, Brendan, Maccy & Emma.
The weather was kind, staying dry and quite mild for the whole day. After the slightly delayed start we got underway a little before eleven and took the short walk from the car park round to the area of Scout Crag, there were plenty of climbers out making the most of the conditions.
The loose scree approach made an ideal start point for the day as we were able to consider movement over such ground and a first craggy outcrop made a good venue for looking at rope assisted climbs and lowers. This was a theme that continued through until lunch time.
After lunch it was time for basic abseils (South African; Angels Wings & Classic) for the folk present this was possibly the highlight of the day. We were able to find an excellent spot with sound anchors; an initial gentle slope; followed by a more challenging short but near vertical step. Everyone had several goes & experimented with all of the abseil techniques.
A look at the Thompson Knot and a few other improvised harness techniques rounded off the time at this location. Descending back off the steep ground provided opportunities for spotting and confidence roping.
We were able to sit outside the hotel at the end of the day for drinks before parting for onward journeys - great day!
Team for the day was: Alex, Brendan, Maccy & Emma.
The weather was kind, staying dry and quite mild for the whole day. After the slightly delayed start we got underway a little before eleven and took the short walk from the car park round to the area of Scout Crag, there were plenty of climbers out making the most of the conditions.
The loose scree approach made an ideal start point for the day as we were able to consider movement over such ground and a first craggy outcrop made a good venue for looking at rope assisted climbs and lowers. This was a theme that continued through until lunch time.
After lunch it was time for basic abseils (South African; Angels Wings & Classic) for the folk present this was possibly the highlight of the day. We were able to find an excellent spot with sound anchors; an initial gentle slope; followed by a more challenging short but near vertical step. Everyone had several goes & experimented with all of the abseil techniques.
A look at the Thompson Knot and a few other improvised harness techniques rounded off the time at this location. Descending back off the steep ground provided opportunities for spotting and confidence roping.
We were able to sit outside the hotel at the end of the day for drinks before parting for onward journeys - great day!
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Two Half Days in the Northern Fells: Lead Climbing & A Wander
We caught some fresh but bright Autumn weather in northern Cumbria last week (sorry on catch up at the moment). Wednesday afternoon saw some much needed lead climbing practise with Graham at Headend Quarry. The grades weren't difficult but it was good to get back on to rock, this could be a recurring theme over the next few weeks with a training course looming!
Wednesday evening was spent across in Darlington, good to catch up with John Pear, for an evening with Ray Mears at Darlington Civic Theatre. Ray spoke for about two & a half hours - great insight on knowledge; conversation; wildlife and native peoples' . Top class!
Thursday morning was equally bright & crisp. A walk out with Marion along Dale Beck and up to Roughton Gill was the plan. This is familiar territory from: exploring mines; fell running; gill scrambling & ticking off local tops but on this occasion it was good to just take a few photographs & enjoy this special environment that is right on our doorstep.
Wednesday evening was spent across in Darlington, good to catch up with John Pear, for an evening with Ray Mears at Darlington Civic Theatre. Ray spoke for about two & a half hours - great insight on knowledge; conversation; wildlife and native peoples' . Top class!
Thursday morning was equally bright & crisp. A walk out with Marion along Dale Beck and up to Roughton Gill was the plan. This is familiar territory from: exploring mines; fell running; gill scrambling & ticking off local tops but on this occasion it was good to just take a few photographs & enjoy this special environment that is right on our doorstep.
Friday, 4 October 2013
Straightforward Scrambling: Hause Gill & Cat Gill
With: Alan Rainford
Weather: Drizzly; mild & very claggy on the tops
Where: Borrowdale, Lake District
There's a YouTube clip to introduce this post, currently having trouble uploading an appropriate link, so here's a temporary one for now!
It was a grey & overcast morning on Wednesday, the recent spell of settled weather had clearly ended maybe a day earlier than initially forecast and a day's scrambling in the high fells was replaced with a morning visit to Hause (Honister) Gill - somewhere I've seen & passed by many times without ever getting my feet wet and Cat Gill - a venue I've used several times but Alan had never visited.
The initial section from the small road bridge is very much as described in the guide book (see below) - as a boulder hop. In fact this continues in pleasant verdant surroundings for quite a while. However, once through a short series of cascades there are several falls that can be negotiated, all relatively straightforwardly. One or two traverses would lead to a wet outing if a fall was to result & the scrambles alongside the falls are good fun. At no point did we feel the need to get a rope out, the scramble very much fits its Grade 1 description.
The falls & cascades continue for some distance, at no point is egress to the road difficult. The option of sticking with the rock & close to the water at just about all times is possible at this venue. We chose to exit the gill a little short of the cattle grid on the Honister Pass.
A Note on Kit:
We also visited Cat Gill which I've written about several times on these pages
I'd say that cat Gill is a far "greasier" and more slippy environment than Hause Gill, so for the first time this morning I used approach shoes & followed the old advice of taking a pair of woolly socks to wear over the shoes when scrambling on slippery surfaces. As a first impression this worked extremely well with, in particular, the last fall on Cat Gill proving to be a far easier undertaking than on previous visits.
The scrambles in both:
Hause Gill (Scramble 50, page 144) &
Cat Gill (Scramble 44, page 133)
Are described in the Cicerone Guide:
Scrambles in the Lake District
Volume 2: Northern Lakes
By Brian Evans
If you'd like a copy of this book please click here
Weather: Drizzly; mild & very claggy on the tops
Where: Borrowdale, Lake District
There's a YouTube clip to introduce this post, currently having trouble uploading an appropriate link, so here's a temporary one for now!
It was a grey & overcast morning on Wednesday, the recent spell of settled weather had clearly ended maybe a day earlier than initially forecast and a day's scrambling in the high fells was replaced with a morning visit to Hause (Honister) Gill - somewhere I've seen & passed by many times without ever getting my feet wet and Cat Gill - a venue I've used several times but Alan had never visited.
The initial section from the small road bridge is very much as described in the guide book (see below) - as a boulder hop. In fact this continues in pleasant verdant surroundings for quite a while. However, once through a short series of cascades there are several falls that can be negotiated, all relatively straightforwardly. One or two traverses would lead to a wet outing if a fall was to result & the scrambles alongside the falls are good fun. At no point did we feel the need to get a rope out, the scramble very much fits its Grade 1 description.
The falls & cascades continue for some distance, at no point is egress to the road difficult. The option of sticking with the rock & close to the water at just about all times is possible at this venue. We chose to exit the gill a little short of the cattle grid on the Honister Pass.
A Note on Kit:
We also visited Cat Gill which I've written about several times on these pages
I'd say that cat Gill is a far "greasier" and more slippy environment than Hause Gill, so for the first time this morning I used approach shoes & followed the old advice of taking a pair of woolly socks to wear over the shoes when scrambling on slippery surfaces. As a first impression this worked extremely well with, in particular, the last fall on Cat Gill proving to be a far easier undertaking than on previous visits.
Hause Gill (Scramble 50, page 144) &
Cat Gill (Scramble 44, page 133)
Are described in the Cicerone Guide:
Scrambles in the Lake District
Volume 2: Northern Lakes
By Brian Evans
If you'd like a copy of this book please click here
Straightforward Scrambling: Hause Gill & Cat Gill
Weather: Drizzly; mild & very claggy on the tops
Where: Borrowdale, Lake District
It was a grey & overcast morning on Wednesday, the recent spell of settled weather had clearly ended maybe a day earlier than initially forecast and a day's scrambling in the high fells was replaced with a morning visit to Hause (Honister) Gill - somewhere I've seen & passed by many times without ever getting my feet wet and Cat Gill - a venue I've used several times but Alan had never visited.
The initial section from the small road bridge is very much as described in the guide book (see below) - as a boulder hop. In fact this continues in pleasant verdant surroundings for quite a while. However, once through a short series of cascades there are several falls that can be negotiated, all relatively straightforwardly. One or two traverses would lead to a wet outing if a fall was to result & the scrambles alongside the falls are good fun. At no point did we feel the need to get a rope out, the scramble very much fits its Grade 1 description.
The falls & cascades continue for some distance, at no point is egress to the road difficult. The option of sticking with the rock & close to the water at just about all times is possible at this venue. We chose to exit the gill a little short of the cattle grid on the Honister Pass.
A Note on Kit:
We also visited Cat Gill which I've written about several times on these pages
I'd say that cat Gill is a far "greasier" and more slippy environment than Hause Gill, so for the first time this morning I used approach shoes & followed the old advice of taking a pair of woolly socks to wear over the shoes when scrambling on slippery surfaces. As a first impression this worked extremely well with, in particular, the last fall on Cat Gill proving to be a far easier undertaking than on previous visits.
Hause Gill (Scramble 50, page 144) &
Cat Gill (Scramble 44, page 133)
Are described in the Cicerone Guide:
Scrambles in the Lake District
Volume 2: Northern Lakes
By Brian Evans
If you'd like a copy of this book please c
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Grassmoor & Thereabouts
With: on my own
Weather: a kind of Indian summer; warm; humid; no wind; at times appalling visibility but when high enough spectacularly clear!
Its been a few days of firsts & a first ascent of Grassmoor has long been on the cards.
However, a set of tensions made this far from a straightforward day, in the balance were: the opportunity for an early start; promises of fine weather; the opportunity to pick off some new summits versus a series of appointments in the afternoon & evening; visibility which was much worse than anticipated!
An early arrival at Rannerdale Bridge saw a muted scene across Crummock Water, it was mild with little to no breeze, the tops sat stuck in low cloud that the weather forecasts indicated was likely to burn off as the day progressed.
Its a steep and unrelenting ascent alongside Cinderdale Beck for the most part. Considering this is a well documented & easily accessible route it does in places have the look of a path less traveled. The climb was warm and much of the higher reaches were swathed in thick low cloud. However, crossing the summit plateau of Grassmoor the first hint of a clearing picture emerged amidst an array of fascinating optical effects, some of which there are attempts to capture on camera below. Ultimately though the potential of a cloud inversion became apparent and an extended stay at the summit in order to witness this ensued. Brockenspectre(s)?
In many ways to have stayed even longer at the summit might have been a good plan, however, the decision taken to move on led to a descent in the general direction of Wandope & Whiteless Edge, unfortunately this led to a return to low cloud which to be frank just got worse & worse. The unremarkable Wandope "bagged" for the first time it was onwards along Whiteless Edge. After ten minutes or so of hand in front of the face visibility I lost the will to live & made the decision to leave "The Edge" and opt for a more direct descent into the valley & out of the cloud - whilst being a great advocate of getting off the beaten track on this occasion it was a mistake which led to much sliding on scree and damp grass and not a little impromptu scrambling. So much so a further relocation was needed and a gentler line of descent found. The valley walk out was pleasant.
It might be a little controversial but I came to the conclusion today that for me ponderous circuits aimed at "bagging" minor Wainwrights (eg. Wandope, Whiteless Pike) detract from the quality that is available in the Lake District - a much better use of "fell time" is to interact with the many challenging route options (scrambles; lesser frequented approaches) to the local summits. Maybe a better use of today would have been to ascend Grassmoor via Lorton Gulley; spend more time photographing the incredible scenes at the summit & descending via the route I went up by?
This is by & large the route followed but with the deviations described above in the Whiteless Edge area not attempted to be drawn.
Total distance: approx 6 miles
Ascent: 3,000'
Weather: a kind of Indian summer; warm; humid; no wind; at times appalling visibility but when high enough spectacularly clear!
Its been a few days of firsts & a first ascent of Grassmoor has long been on the cards.
However, a set of tensions made this far from a straightforward day, in the balance were: the opportunity for an early start; promises of fine weather; the opportunity to pick off some new summits versus a series of appointments in the afternoon & evening; visibility which was much worse than anticipated!
 |
| Cloud Inversion From Grassmoor Summit |
An early arrival at Rannerdale Bridge saw a muted scene across Crummock Water, it was mild with little to no breeze, the tops sat stuck in low cloud that the weather forecasts indicated was likely to burn off as the day progressed.
Its a steep and unrelenting ascent alongside Cinderdale Beck for the most part. Considering this is a well documented & easily accessible route it does in places have the look of a path less traveled. The climb was warm and much of the higher reaches were swathed in thick low cloud. However, crossing the summit plateau of Grassmoor the first hint of a clearing picture emerged amidst an array of fascinating optical effects, some of which there are attempts to capture on camera below. Ultimately though the potential of a cloud inversion became apparent and an extended stay at the summit in order to witness this ensued. Brockenspectre(s)?
In many ways to have stayed even longer at the summit might have been a good plan, however, the decision taken to move on led to a descent in the general direction of Wandope & Whiteless Edge, unfortunately this led to a return to low cloud which to be frank just got worse & worse. The unremarkable Wandope "bagged" for the first time it was onwards along Whiteless Edge. After ten minutes or so of hand in front of the face visibility I lost the will to live & made the decision to leave "The Edge" and opt for a more direct descent into the valley & out of the cloud - whilst being a great advocate of getting off the beaten track on this occasion it was a mistake which led to much sliding on scree and damp grass and not a little impromptu scrambling. So much so a further relocation was needed and a gentler line of descent found. The valley walk out was pleasant.
It might be a little controversial but I came to the conclusion today that for me ponderous circuits aimed at "bagging" minor Wainwrights (eg. Wandope, Whiteless Pike) detract from the quality that is available in the Lake District - a much better use of "fell time" is to interact with the many challenging route options (scrambles; lesser frequented approaches) to the local summits. Maybe a better use of today would have been to ascend Grassmoor via Lorton Gulley; spend more time photographing the incredible scenes at the summit & descending via the route I went up by?
This is by & large the route followed but with the deviations described above in the Whiteless Edge area not attempted to be drawn.
Total distance: approx 6 miles
Ascent: 3,000'
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