Tag Archives: Climbing

A DAY TRIP TO SPAIN!

I was out several days at the end of April walking with a pack to try and achieve some fitness for a further trip along the GR7 in Spain. I am hoping to finish the route this year. After May it gets too hot in Spain for comfortable walking. So last week my son dropped me off at Manchester airport [he only lives 10 mins away] for an early morning Jet2 flight to Alicante.

I have to say flying with Jet2 is far more pleasurable than with some other well known cheap airlines. Friendly staff, sensible boarding routine and good legroom. As usual the plane was full of noisy stag and hen parties on their way to Benidorm, they drank the plane dry! My sympathies go out to the air hostesses who have to cope with this crowd, but I do wonder about the wisdom of all the commercially driven alcohol sales in the airport and on the plane. I was mentally comparing my imminent trip into the mountains with theirs into the clubs.

We arrived on schedule, thankfully no trumpets, and I caught the cheap bus into town. It stops at the train station so I bought my rail ticket for the afternoon train to Xativa.

Wandered into the town to a useful climbing shop I know to buy some gas for my stove. [www.elrefugiodeportes.com] Then found a café for lunch and realised I wasn’t feeling too good, hot and flushed with a racing pulse. I hadn’t been rushing around so couldn’t explain why my pulse wouldn’t go below 100. Returned to the station and sat outside, but my pulse wouldn’t come down. When the departure time came I decided against travelling to the relatively remote interior. What to do next? Stay in Alicante for the night and possibly have to seek medical advice or get back to England tomorrow. Whilst I was sat there along came the airport bus and on impulse I Jumped on and was soon buying an expensive ticket back to Manchester! Fortunately there was an evening flight. My pulse eventually returned to normal. The new terminus at Alicante is quite comfortable for waiting around in.

Alicante Airport

Landed in Manchester at 9pm and returned to my bemused son’s house. Quite a day really – but one I could have done without. Back to square one and apparently no worse for wear.

*****

To get back to an outdoor theme it was a lovely bank holiday weekend, who needs to go to Spain. At a loose end, and with the garden up to scratch, I did some local walks through the fields which are starting to green up.

Longridge Fell with Pendle behind.

I always find something to complain about on these local walks – not the scenery or the wildlife – usually the abuse of the environment by persons unknown.

Quite a collection.

With the weather being so dry and warm I couldn’t resist some bouldering despite my painful toe. I thought a short session would do me no harm. So had a trip up to Kemple End quarry for some morning sunshine, actually very warm on Bank Holiday Monday. The rock was in perfect condition for some traversing and easy soloing – felt much better for that. ‘Feeding the rat’ if you know the connection.

A bit of a mixed post but next week off to Scotland so should be more interesting.

THE GR7 BACKWARDS! CATALUYA Sisena part

Leave a reply

Arboli – Coll de la Teixeta

March 24th

Was feeling really fresh this morning, had to wait till 9am for breakfast in the bar. The F1 motor racing from Malaya was on the wide screen and a couple of blokes were installed for the duration – already through their first bottle of wine and ordering food. Alonso the local favourite has just crashed out! Thanked my hosts and staff for their help and kindness, and was away about 10am. Climbers were arriving in the village [its a Sunday] for a coffee before heading to the local cliffs. Fancied a climb myself.

Arboli climbing

Small tracks led out of the village and down terraced, cultivated, fields into a valley and ford by an old mill. The day was sunny and warm.

A forest track wound around the hillside taking forever to hit the road at Coll d’Alforja. A cyclist from Reus was struggling up the hill and proudly announced he was 60 – I said nothing. A rough forest road was signed to Sanctuary de Puigcerver 6k away. Effortless walking for the next hour and a half as the road snaked through the forest. There were good views back to the Musssara cliffs of a couple of days ago. A couple of mountain bikers whizzed past going down.

Arrived at the sanctuary about 1 and pleasantly surprised to see it was open [Sunday] with a cafe/bar. Felt I had to patronise them, I was the sole visitor, and have a coffee and piece of tortilla. Got chatting to the volunteer workers, it turned out the woman’s sister lived in Preston. She is married to someone from the university – I got a contact number thinking there may be a possibility of some Spanish conversation lessons. Had a look around the rather spartan chapel [17 century] and was on my way again.

Sanctuary de Puigcerver

Inner Sanctuary

Happy Volunteers

An unmarked track seemed to be going downhill in the right direction with views to Reus, Tarragona and the Med.

Costa Durada

I was walking towards a group of wind turbines which were soon reached and navigated between with way marks taking me down to the Coll de la Teixeta.

I could see the busy road through the col and a lot of complicated roundabouts and a confusion of interlinking minor roads. Think spaghetti junction.

The accommodation I’ve arranged is in the village of Pradell about 5k to the west and I was intending to walk down the road to it. Looking at the speeding traffic that idea didn’t look so good and I was not going to be able to hitch easily. So I phoned the casa and eventually was able to explain where I was – Coll is not pronounced col and as for Teixeta! Within minutes an old battered car pulled up with the David and Marta, we stopped on the way back to the house to gather fire wood.

David and Marta

The village of Pradell has about 150 inhabitants but seems a lively place – shop, bakery and bar! It is in the Priorat wine area and there are a lot of hazel nuts grown in the area. Had a wander around, popped into the community centre for a coffee where the locals were putting the world to right. Lots of little public areas and parks, no doubt paid for with European money but they give the place a homely feel. That’s the other thing you notice in Spanish villages – lots of young children out playing without the restraint we succumb to in Britain.

David is basically a farmer with vines, hazel nuts and his own vegetables. The house he has done up as a casa rural was from the family. It is massive with about 8 guest rooms and lots of lounges etc. Marta has decorated in an early 20th century modernistic style with lots of original pieces. Not to everyone’s taste but it gives a certain atmosphere to the house. More like a museum!

They were very welcoming and I ate a good Catalan supper with them, accompanied by their own wine. Had a tour of the cellars later. Couldn’t have had a more peaceful night’s sleep.

This place is made for relaxation, though they work hard all the time — a Catalan characteristic. These are the unique places I find myself in and are the reason I love rural Spain.

THE GR7 BACKWARDS! CATALUYA Cinquena part

Leave a reply

Mont-ral to Arboli.

March 22 – 23rd

I knew today would be a long walk but was looking forward to it as it traversed the Serra de la Mussara where I had often climbed. Was up fairly early, at least before the French lads. The guardian had left me breakfast as he had gone off even earlier to work as a mountain guide. Lots of coffee and bread/jam. Left some for the late risers. Good sunny clear morning – I always seem to be lucky with the weather on these trips. Not so lucky with the navigating early on, got lost on the multitude of paths leaving the village. Didn’t feel right in the head somehow.

Leaving Mont-ral

Soon I was ascending steeply through trees to gain the ridge and had to be attentive to the red and white waymarks. I was now on the Serra de la Mussara, maintaining a height of 1000m for several kilometres, but views were restricted by the trees. At one point I climbed up for better views and was rewarded by a superb vista to the East with Mont-ral prominent.

Onwards along the forest track with lots of cliffs to the right.

The forest road kept to the ridge but no views were to be had and it seemed to go on forever. At one point new forest clearings had altered the track considerably and way marks were obliterated.

GR7 ?

After a long time on the ridge the path started to drop down towards a road I could hear. Crossing this and then quickly going down to the left towards a valley.

I was ready for a rest and somehow I’d got it into my mind there was no accommodation in the next village, Arboli. Sat for a while and contemplated my situation over a banana! Nothing I could do but continue and hope things would work out but the day and my pace was affected by my mood. Dropped down further into a gorge with dramatic falls and some awkward scrambling in the depths.

El Gorg.

Steadily the track improved as it climbed out of the gorge. Ahead was a large ruin of an old farmstead on the col at 900m, this must have been a grand place at one time. Last inhabited in the 1960s.

Gallicant

From this ridge there were views across the valley to the cliffs and village of Siurana, another climbing area visited in the past.

Now it was all downhill on an old paved track into the small village of Arboli……

…..with my doubts about accommodation bothering me again as I was feeling shattered. Was I glad on rounding a street corner to see a Hostal open.

L’Hostalet

After a coffee I rested up in my room and by the time supper time came around realised my stomach and guts were in a bad shape. Maybe water from the fonts?? No wonder I had struggled all day. Managed a small bowl of soup and was flat out for the night. Next morning was no better, so I arranged to stay another night and spent most of the day in bed. Ventured out late afternoon and found a climbers bar for coffee and cake. By evening I was on the mend and had an enjoyable meal with a couple from Reus. What a difference the rest made!

It was my birthday after all.

THE GR7 BACKWARDS! CATALUYA Quarta part.

Leave a reply

Vilaverd to Mont-ral.

March 21st

A good nights sleep on the adjustable orthopaedic bed and I was ready for the off. First there was the small matter of breakfast. Carlos, my host thought it highly necessary that I ate well for the day’s walking. There was a healthy bowl of fresh fruit and natural orange juice. Then Carlos gave a demonstration of how to prepare the perfect pa amb tomaquet – toast rubbed with garlic and tomato, dribbled with lots of olive oil and then converted into an entrapan [sandwich] with goats cheese.

Carlos

This is a Catalan special – I was stuffed and could taste it all day. Followed by coffee, croissants and home made jam! Certainly no need to pack any lunch for what should be a short walk.

Luckily the first 100m walking was only down to the bus stop to catch a bus back to Vilaverd where I would rejoin the GR7.

The bus was busy with chatty women shoppers going down to Reus for the day. Bus fares are very cheap in Spain and the service excellent. Didn’t seem to be anybody about in Vilaverd as I crossed the river onto the original way down valley.

Peaceful Vilaverd.

A well constructed limestone path wound between shrubs. Met an old man picking herbs to make country soup, but didn’t stop to enquire which — kicked myself later. In 3k I was crossing the busy road into the small town of La Riba where I found a friendly café for a coffee. The day was by now hot and sunny as I started the uphill bits. La Riba has built itself on paper mills established in the 18th century because of a good water supply. You pass many old ones, as well as modern units, as you climb steeply through the town and into the open countryside.

Looking Back to La Riba and beyond.

Looking Back to La Riba

The track gained height and there was a view across the valley to crags of La Riba which I’ve climbed on in the past when visiting the Costa Durada. In fact the next few days will take me past many of the well known crags of the area, memory lane.

La Riba Crag

Topped up with fresh water at Font Pasqual — “flavour of the rock, pine, lavender and rosemary from the depths of the mountain”

Font Pasquel

The track now left the forest road and headed straight into the thick, prickly, undergrowth. Seemed to just plough it’s way through on stony ground — not very pleasant at all. There were signs of wild boar activity but unfortunately [or perhaps fortunately] one never see them in the day. Hot and sweaty, with few views.

After about an hour of this I came up against a rock spire given the name of Castell Dalmau.

Castell Dalmau

This was apparently one of the first climbing venues in the Prades mountains, over 50 years ago. There are the remains of rusting bolts and pitons visible, and some of the largest name plaques I’ve ever seen on rock. Suspect a lot of the climbing would have been artificial in those days.

Wouldn’t think anyone ventures here nowadays.

Battling on through the never ending forest I eventually came out at a col onto a forest road which dropped into a valley and a confusion of other rough roads. None of these seemed to fit with the map so I needed to be careful not to miss the faint waymarks at junctions. Came past an isolated holiday house and a handy font somewhere along the way. Didn’t see a soul!

Expected to keep following the forest road out but the path kept heading off into the scrub and re-emerging onto road. I’m fairly sure it was the same rough road all the way and I could have followed it. The day seemed to be getting longer and I was glad to see the church spire on its hill at Mont-ral. Here there was a climbers’ refuge [Refugi Muste Recasens] which I knew was open and it didn’t take long to find it in the small village.

Refugi Muste Recasens

A friendly warden and it looked like I had the dormitory to myself. Rested up and then enjoyed a simple refuge supper of omelette, beans, salad and chips. Just as I was going to retire two young French climbers came in for the night so chatted to them about the climbing in the area. Not a noise in the night.

FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW.

2 Replies

The weather had remained dry for over a week, a rarity these days, and latterly the temperature had started to creep into double figures! Most days, whilst it was still cold, there was lots of bouldering activity up at Craig Y Longridge. Almost a party atmosphere at the busy weekend.

From the easy to the hard

The forecast for Tuesday was even better with the promise of warm sunshine after a frosty, misty start. Motored leisurely over to Settle with the temperature showing only 3degrees. When we arrived the mist was still down, so we retired to the cafe for coffee until hopefully things improved – had we made a mistake, or rather had the forecasters?? No shortly before 12am the sun appeared and it was a rush up to the crag – Giggleswick Scar South. This is a low lying, limestone, scar just above the road and golf course. It is well sheltered for visits in the winter and gets all the sun going after late morning – perfect. The parking lay-by was already full, partly because of some selfish parking, and from there it was a simple stroll up to the climbing areas.

There has been climbing here since the 70’s when a number of traditional routes were done by likes of Allan Austin and friends. The crag subsequently became unpopular and slipping into obscurity as the vegetation took over. However in the 90’s further exploration and extensive cleaning in the search for new rock, along with the use of bolt protection on the blank walls, has brought new life to the place. Sports climbing became of age. At first the older recorded routes were spared the bolt gun and new harder routes were created in the blank spaces between. This meant that some of the classic, albeit, easier lines were ignored and unclimbed. Inevitably, as exploration continued this distinction became a little blurred without any great detriment to the crag – some would use the term improvement; purely in the climbing experience.

I personally have embraced the idea of bolted routes in the correct environment. [What is the correct environment however is a big topic for debate!]

Four decades of guides.

Climbers were already swarming up the routes in the sunshine as we walked along the edge to our chosen sector at the far left of the escarpment.

Sector Golf

Sector Golf

The area we arrived at is called Anchor Buttress after one of the original climbs. The steep face is under 20m height but is clean and fairly solid with relatively lower grade routes. Since our last visit here several “new” routes have been cleaned and bolted mainly based on old 70’s lines. This gives us some extra purpose for the day to climb these old classics in a modern bolted style. Now it just so happens today that I’m climbing with Dave Miller who actually shared the first ascent of one of these with Allan Austin in 1972. To be precise March 5th – exactly 41years ago to the day! We hadn’t realised that coincidence when we set off.

QUIVERING TIMBER Dave Miller Allan Austin [alt] 5.3.72
From the 1974 guide.

We did a few smaller routes and then Dave re-led Quivering Timber, now sadly renamed the inferior Bramble Jelly in its new bolted guise. Started by a fierce layback and then more delicate climbing to the top lower off. 5 shiny new bolts. Now given a sports grade of rather stiff 5+

Dave high on BrambleJelly. 5.3.2013

The afternoon was pleasantly warm so we continued climbing the routes on the buttress till well after 5pm. On our way out we came across more teams including Dave Cronshaw and Angela Soper who had also been active here in the 70’s — yet more coincidences. Great to see these people are still active and enjoying their sport. Perhaps the modern bolting policy here is helping!

GRAN CANARIA CLIMBING – TRES

2 Replies

Following on from yesterdays failure we were determined to get some climbing done today. Deciding it was better to stay in the south of the island we headed back up to SORRUEDA where we knew from our last visit there were lots of good routes to do.

Sorrueda

We headed straight into the barranca for the buttresses on the left side. Goats were being herded up the river bed. Dropped our sacks under an impressive slab, sector Salon, but as it was in full hot sun we looked around the corner and found another good looking buttress, sector Charco. This gave us an easy V blocky wall and a strenuous but short 6a.

Primera Base V

When we returned to our sacks the place was full of climbers – all friendly locals. They were cruising everything, some of the girls were rather impressive. What a difference it must make to be introduced into climbing on warm rock with bolts! [Wash my mouth out] One can see how quickly, if one has a bit of talent, you will progress into the higher grades. I well remember my early days on rock – gripped up on some poorly protected VD in the rain. Character building but not conducive to good movement. Anyhow I’ve survived and can now enjoy all these lovely bolted routes in the sun in my dotage. I’m digressing. Back to some climbing. Watch the ladies….

La Placa del Godo 6a+

Lajilla Town 6b+

Back to our own efforts. Two straight forward V’s despatched after lunch. Then we moved onto the impressive slab of sector Salon. Rod pulled out all the stops to get up a V+ up the centre of the face using an insecure crack.

Nameless V+

Nameless V+

Another insecure V to its right and we were ready to call it a day. Crossing the river Rod fell in and we were able to relax in the hot sun while he dried himself out! Another good night in the hotel and we were ready for our last days climbing.

Decided on another trip up the motorway to the north coast. The sea was still rough with surfers out catching the waves. Now we knew the way we were soon at BARRANCA DE MOYA. Had my eye on a few routes on sector Cantonera Grande. When we reached it there were two German teams in situ. But soon we climbed a IV, V and a 6a above the water channel. Satisfied we returned to the car to drive to another crag. With a bit of luck and intuition we found ourselves at QUINTANILLA. This was a series of buttresses above the north coast road. I took the opportunity to follow the new staples on a fine slab, Quintanilla V.

Quintanilla V

We did another V just to the right, this seemed more serious with suspect rock but was a satisfying route in the end. walked back to the car and retired to the bar on the rocky coast. Sat and enjoyed a cortado overlooking the wild Atlantic. This area is a backwater, tourist wise, but the bar was doing a great trade in Sunday lunches for the locals fresh from the carnival in Las Palmas..

The next day was our last. Spent the morning wandering round a small underdeveloped coastal resort, Arinaga, south of the airport. Relaxing in the warm sunshine we walked along the sea walls and promenade. People were emerging and getting the best spots on the small beaches. At the end of one quay were some ancient limestone kilns which were being upgraded to an interpretation site. Found ourselves a sea front bar for lunch, lovely pez espada [swordfish] with salad for me and Ropa Vieja [mixed meat with chickpeas] for Rod. Great end to our Gran Canaria Trip. Only then we couldn’t find our little hire car parked up in some long forgotten side street!! Panic over and back to the airport for destiny with the four and a half flight back to a chilly Manchester.

Thoroughly enjoyed this winter climbing trip. The barranca crags gave excellent climbing but we would soon run out of routes at our grade. The climbing up at Tamadaba is certainly worth a revisit in better weather, but I would stay up at Artenara for a few days to make life easier. Gran Canaria is a very scenic mountainous island and there must be lots of good walking trails. The lure of a temperate climate will I think be too much to resist in the future. Anyhow back to the climbing walls in the UK.

GRAN CANARIA CLIMBING – DOS.

Leave a reply

Looking out of the hotel window this morning its dull, the palm trees are waving in the north wind, unseasonal weather and the locals are ‘muy frio’. After a good breakfast we decide to head up to the north coast to a low lying crag. The motorway quickly takes us up and through Las Palmas [looks a nice city] and on along the north coast. The sea looks dramatic with high waves breaking onto the rocky coast. New roads mean the guide book description is out of date and frankly useless. Lost – calling in at a cafe for coffee and info they can’t help, but send us up to Moya to a tourist bureau. The people here draw us a lovely map to reach the parking for BARRANCA DE MOYA. We quickly retrace our route and find the way. Park up below the new roads which must have cost a fortune!

A short walk up the barranco alongside the water channel brings us to the first buttresses. The rock looks rounded and smooth! Start on a IV which proves to be awkward and ends with a jump to the chain! Not what we were expecting. An easier IV and a slabby V restore confidence. After a lunch we walk up and out of the wild barranco on a rather indistinct track through prickly undergrowth to drop back into a sector, Paraiso, with lots of good climbing. Climb a lovely rounded slab at a IV grade and then a steeper V wall. This end of the Barranco is like a lost world.

The weather had changed and it was overcast with the odd drop of rain as we walked out of the barranco to the car for our trip back to Vecindario. Before supper I had a walk along the main shopping street in town. This is when the Spanish do their promenading, shopping and cake eating. All the bars were busy and long queues were forming outside the panaderias and pastelerias selling delicious sugary concoctions, all smelling irresistible. Not so sure about the buns displayed below and there affect on your digestive tract!

Further along the street every evening the older gents gathered to put the world to right, though they are not having much success with the Spanish economy.

According to the guide book there is a very extensive and quality climbing area in the mountains in the NW of the island, TAMADABA National Park. This is an extensive pine forest at just over 1100m with several canyons within giving the climbing areas. To quote the guide book – “climbing here during the summer can be very hot. The best season is winter,but it can be very cold if covered by clouds“ So despite the fact that it had been cloudy yesterday we imagined from the forecast that the weather was improving and set off on the long drive up and over the central mountains. Within half an hour of departing we were driving up the beautiful Barranco de Guayadeque with its famous cave houses. The scenery became more dramatic the higher we went until suddenly the road gave out [despite being marked on all the maps and directed there by a local] so back to the start to find another route. Driving in Spanish towns is never easy as direction signs are very rare, especially where you really need them. A lot of circling around and backtracking is usually needed to exit a town on the correct road. We quickly gained height this time on a narrow winding road but unfortunately we just drove into the cloud. This made driving difficult and we lost all the views. Having started at sea level in 19degrees we watched the temperature plummet and when up at 1700m a scary warning bleep was heard from the dashboard as the temp was down to 3.5 – possible icy roads! The way then went downhill and some blue sky appeared, our spirits were briefly lifted. The scenery being dramatic.

Roque Bentaiga

When we arrived at the parking spot the cloud was down again. With no hope of climbing we nevertheless went off in search of one of the climbing sectors, Lomo Caraballo, which took some finding in the trees on the edge of a steep canyon. The rock looked great and the views down the canyon and out to the Atlantic would be stunning! Another time. Now it was time to retreat to a warm bar in the nearby village of Artenara for a hot coffee and some tasty Truchas de Navidad. These are little pasties with a variety of filings – potatoes, almonds or fruit. They were being made fresh by two girls in the back room of the bar. Traditionally eaten at Xmas and the carnival before lent.

Fortified we set off all the way back to the different world of Vecindario and our hotel. In retrospect we obviously chose the wrong day to go high, but it must be difficult to judge the prevailing mountain conditions when you are down on the coast. Mountains the world over have their own micro climate. I think on a future occasion, if there was more settled weather, it would be preferable to stay up at Artenara for a few days to give easy access to the Tamadaba crags. Watching the news that night saw that Spain was having quite a lot of snowfall in the cold weather. So it still is an awful lot better here!

GRAN CANARIA CLIMBING – UNO.

3 Replies

Sitting here this morning watching the snow come gently down – no I’m not in the Canary Islands, but just back home from our most recent climbing trip there. Got the fire lit so the house is beginning to warm up. Following on from our visit to Tenerife before Xmas I realised that these islands offered far better climbing weather in winter than our usual haunts in southern Spain. So another flight was booked. Not sure about my carbon footprint these days, more of a boot-print. Landed in Gran Canaria airport the first week in February and drove off in our hire car down the motorway to the town of Vecindario on the East side of the island. This busy, non-tourist, town is a maze of illogical and confusing one way streets. Getting to our simple hotel [hotelavenidadecanarias.com – to give it a plug] proved difficult and time-consuming throughout the week we were there! A bonus was the free underground parking.

The next day dawned sunny, bright and warm, we were in high spirits driving to the nearest crag. What looked like a quick 25k drive took almost an hour as the roads into the mountains were narrow and twisty. Beautiful scenery around every bend.

Thankfully we parked up in the valley, the guide book directions were accurate, and strolled down the dirt track to enter the barranco of SORRUEDA.

Found ourselves a sunny slab area to get started on a few easy IVs, good to feel warm rock again after all those days in the climbing walls. There are only the two of us on this holiday so difficult to get decent climbing photos.

La Rampa IV

After a pleasant morning on the slabs on slopy holds we crossed to the other side onto steeper walls where I had a fight to get up a steep pocketed wall at V+. The pockets were all sloping with a hard move into an overhung recess – some continental pulling on quick draws was needed to get to the chains! Retired defeated. Back to Vecindario.

The two star hotel turned out to be excellent, very friendly staff and tasty Spanish food in the evenings. There was a mixture of businessmen, groups of workers and the odd tourist. Again in the morning the ‘desayuno’ was more than ample to fuel us for a day’s climbing. Off we went the next day to another crag up in the mountains, some great views from the miradors on the winding mountain road. Having parked up above a dam in a steep barranco we could see our crag below, FATAGA.

Crossing the dam we made our way down the far from solid concrete steps on the dam wall to follow the dry water channel to the base of the routes. They were already in shade, which was good as the sun was strong. The rock here had a reddish hue to it and was much blockier and rougher than yesterday, making the routes feel more secure. Spent a good day here on lots of routes from IV to 6a. There were several other teams doing the same, mainly locals but also a group from Holland and Germany. We never met any Brits all week.

La Princessa IV

La Pachorra V

By 4pm we’d had enough and all we had to do now was climb back up the dam stairway to reach the car. Huff and puff!

Fataga dam.

Soon back at Vecindario. We’ve had two great days climbing to start the week with the temperature in the low 20’s – perfect for February.

Tenerife – Climbing under Mt. Teide.

5 Replies

It’s the weekend and we want to avoid the crowds. The forecast is still a bit mixed with cloud and possible showers so we are putting off our trip to climb high. Our last visit to the gorge of EL MARTELA was cut short so we decide to give it another go. On the way in we have a look at a smaller crag on the rim – but decide it wasn’t worth climbing. So down into the gorge with the sun still on the left hand routes. This warmed the rock and made the place feel a lot more friendly.

Rod started up a 20m buttress which gave continuously absorbing climbing at 5+ Likewise a similar rounded route on the other side. Two other climbers appeared and guess what – they were from Manchester! Finished the day with a couple of awkward 6a s led by Dave. The climbing here reminded us of Borrowdale with the volcanic rock and vegetation.

Mencey de chasna V+

Well satisfied with the days climbing.

Sunday was a fantastic day, hot and sunny from the start. We therefore motored up the mountain to the climbing area below Mt. Teide at 2000 metres. The scenery was spectacular with every form of volcanic feature and Mt. Teide [3,718m] brooding above us. On arrival we popped into The Parador hotel to enjoy a coffee on the sunny balcony. The white stuff on Teide is a pale ash – not snow. Various map boards showed long distance paths across and over the island – gave me some ideas for next year!!

Mt Teide

The climbing of CANADA DEL CAPRICHO was the first area developed for sport climbing on the island. The rocks are a labyrinth of weird shaped towers behind the Parador. The pyroclastic rock is much rougher than the other areas we had climbed on. Well made paths lead one up to the rocks and boulders.

Canada del Capricho

Little paths wind in between the formations and we took some time to orientate ourselves. We were attracted to an obvious layback corner which we identified as El Diedro del Clavo Rojo, 5+. This gave steep climbing up large flakes – classic easy laybacking.

The wall to the right gave a much harder 6a+ up very steep hold-less rock – thank heavens for bolts. You can see it on the above photo if you click to zoom. This area was quite shady and cool in the morning and attracted other climbers, including our Canadian friend. Moving out onto the south facing rocks we had difficulty locating our next route in the maze. By now it was surprisingly hot considering the altitude and I was able to top up my Vitamin D levels whilst having lunch. Not a cloud in the sky.

We eventually decided on the last climb, a 30m 5+ Placa Kantosa. This went up rather broken rock to start with spaced bolts but finished on a white slab/block in a terrific position. All the while Mt. Teide acting as a backdrop.

Placa Kantosa 5+

Ropes down and a pleasant walk back to the car in still warm conditions. On the drive down across the floor of the volcano and on twisty roads through the forests we had glimpses across the sea of La Gomera and Gran Canaria with their wreathes of white cloud.

The next day we fly home, but not till the evening so another short day’s climbing is possible. Because of it’s ease of access we chose Arico again, as do lots of others! It’s a very warm sunny day when we arrive. We had spotted a good line on the right on our last visit and walk straight to it. Unfortunately it is occupied by a group of 5 Spaniards who are top roping everyone up and down accompanied by much loud banter – they stay on it for hours – we retreat.

Climb a steep, pocked, sweaty wall typical of this gorge and find it hard work in the hot sun. Bypassing the happy Spaniards we discover a good looking line further up the gorge. This turns out to be one of the better routes we have done in the holidays. A steep groove leading to an awkward move round an overhang to land on the top slab – all great fun.

Monkey 5+

Crossing over into the shade we climb a rather poor route and decide to pack up for the day and enjoy the sunshine in the gorge with hawks flying overhead. Meet up with the Mancunians again, they seem to be enjoying themselves and have another week on the island.

We drive back to the hotel for a last swim before packing to leave. Have thoroughly enjoyed our stay on Tenerife – the climbing has been varied and relaxing. We have only really scratched the surface of what’s on offer, there are lots more crags to discover. Certainly would return for the settled weather of mid-winter.

Guess what – it was raining in Manchester when we arrived home!

HAPPY XMAS AND GOOD CLIMBING:WALKING IN 2013!

Tenerife climbs part 2.

1 Reply

The next day looked a little dull as we walked into the restaurant for breakfast. So we were happy to prolong the morning’s repast. After muesli, fruit, nuts and yoghurt there is a lady who cooks the loveliest of omelettes. Dallied over croissant and coffee. Pocketed a roll and banana for lunch!

Breakfast

After yesterday’s dampness we decided on going back to Arico for some more open gorge climbing. Now we know the area we were able to make straight for a decent sector on the right in the morning sun – Sus Villa. Climbed a couple of straight forward V’s to begin the day. Both were fairly steep but on good positive pockets in lovely volcanic rock.

No hay colega sin taco. V

By now Dave was wanting something harder so we crossed to the other side of the gorge to Sector Vivac. To start we climbed a lovely slabby piece of rock at about 5+ – this was a combination using the easiest parts of two 6b routes up a steep buttress and gave a very satisfying route.
We followed this with a couple of excellent 6a’s – one was curiously called ‘Sick English’

Sick English 6a

The day had changed and there was rain in the air – so back down to the sunny coast for a swim before dinner.

Friday promised better weather and we headed up to a new area, EL RIO, another gorge but more open. The walk in was short and soon we were looking down at the rocks. The reservoir below was empty.

El Rio Gorge

As we walked in the cliffs to our right looked very impressive and frightening, giving mainly high 6’s and 7 climbs. But the volcanic rock looked superbly sculptured.

El Rio

Bypassing this desperate area we made our way on the path up the gorge to sector El Acebuche and climbed three pleasant Vs on a quarried like wall. Another pair of climbers arrived – a Dutch lady and her Swiss partner. Then a Canadian girl whom we had met yesterday turned up alone. This was typical of the multinational ambience of the climbing in Tenerife.

Rod on Las Cazoletas V

Held the rope for Terrie, the Canadian girl, as she cruised a couple of 6a+s. She was escaping the Canadian winter by travelling in southern Europe and climbing where ever she found herself. Good for her!

Found the guide book a bit difficult to follow as it kept changing the orientation of the route numbers as shown on the topo. This was a criticism of all the areas in the book, probably needed better editing. But the guide always got us to the crag and the numbered photos were good, so no big problem.

Finished the day on a good 6a, La encrucjada. A new route downloaded from the web before we arrived.

La encrucijada 6a

Walked out quite satisfied with the day’s climbing just as showers blew in.

No problem at the coast, the sun was shining for the usual refreshing swim back at the hotel pool. Realised how close the planes are when coming into land above the hotel.

Enjoyed a local Tenerife wine with our evening meal. Perfect end to the day.

First days’ climbing in Tenerife.

Leave a reply

Wake up, wander down for breakfast and walk out to a beautiful clear sunny morning with the temperature already 20degrees. Must be dreaming! Then I remember the the four and a half hour flight to get us here. Getting immediately lost in our hire car, in the dark, on the the strange road layouts from the airport.There was a quick rush for a bite to eat and then sleep.
The apart-hotel we have booked into proves every bit as good as the brochure said. The three of us have a two room apartment with kitchen and bathroom. There is a large restaurant providing us with buffet breakfasts and dinners, why cook when on holiday? Our terrace leads straight onto the pool area and catches the sun. We are situated in the middle of some golf complexes on the SE corner of Tenerife – never expected to be here.Instead of a pre Xmas climbing trip to southern Spain, the weather can be dodgy in Dec, and encouraged by a newish guidebook we have opted for a look at the climbing on the Island of Tenerife.
http://www.roxtar.es/topoindex.htm

The first morning we headed out to an area that promised easy access, good climbing at all grades with sun or shade all day. Parking up we realised from the number of cars that everyone thought the same. ARICO was a rocky gorge composed of volcanic rock. A short descent into the gorge and climbing was possible on both sides.

Arico upper gorge.

Reading the guide book there were some low grade climbs on sector Los Quintos, a buttress on the right a short distance up the gorge. Quickly identified and with the sun shining my enthusiasm was high for the start of our climbing. OK they did look a bit steep and polished.

I chose a IV+ [La Guarra] and immediately found the climbing hard. The wall was vertical and one relied on small pockets to make or not make progress.

La Guarra

The adjacent V- was no better and we ended up top roping the next V! Not a good start. Made the usual excuses of jet lag, under grading and polished popularity. Then moved quickly up the gorge to some easier angled V grade climbs which restored our confidence in the grading system. When it was too hot on the right side we moved over to the shady Pena del Lunes sector where a longer V+ pocked wall completed the day.

A quick drive down the motorway brought us back to the hotel just as the sun loungers were being vacated. The outdoor pool turned out to be heated so the evening swim was refreshing and became part of the holiday routine.

Evening swim.

Having a kitchen was ideal for brewing cups of tea whilst we relaxed before dinner — must keep up the British tradition. The restaurant was quiet, most people seemed to be speaking with an eastern European accent. We have become experts over the years at an evening grazing hotel buffet suppers. Start with a bowl of gazpacho soup, a plate of salad before a little fish or shellfish course, a selection from the main meals and to finish some fruit or flan. This hotel produced a better than average selection and had a chef cooking meat and fish every night. Not sure all this is good for the climbing.

Expectations were high the next morning when the day dawned sunny and warm. After a good breakfast we headed up into the hills to the village of Granadilla where there is a climbing shop, Tenerife Outdoor, which promised topos of new areas. We eventually found the shop which turned out to have an amazing stock of climbing and walking gear. Who buys all this stuff? The pleasant lady provided us with a printed download to the new crag and information on others. We felt obliged to make some purchases. http://www.tenerifeoutdoor.com

Armed with the ‘guide’ to LA MARTELA gorge we drove further up the mountain to a parking spot. Small cairned tracks, through wild scenery, led us to the lip of the gorge and we dropped into its depths. This area is much more enclosed and composed of a more compact, smooth, basalt type rock. We left the sun behind and it was quite cool down here.

Somewhat chastened from yesterday’s warm up climbs we started on an easy IV+ [Carnaval Amargo] and all went well. Next up was the adjacent V+ which proved a bit trickier but excellent climbing on the smooth, hold-less rock.

The day had moved on and we had not noticed the dark clouds above [It’s always sunny here!] so when we felt the first few drops of rain we settled under an overhang and ate lunch. No one else appeared. Expecting things to improve, weather wise, we sat on and gradually everything around us became wet with no hope of drying out. Admitting defeat we packed up and climbed out of the gorge, contemplating on the seriousness of being down here in a real deluge.

When we arrived back at the road we could see we were under a nasty little black cloud producing the rain. Making the most of the afternoon we motored to another crag not in the guide book, Jama, near the village of El Roque. When we found the rocks they turned out to offer short routes in the the lower grades. For another day maybe.

Up the wall.

2 Replies

Looks chilly outside.

The days are shorter and recently much colder, there has been snow on the Bowland Fells, and the thought of climbing outside is well down on the list.

Wet Rock

I need to try and keep a bit of climbing fitness before a trip abroad before Xmas. Nowadays we are fortunate to have a large number of dedicated Climbing Walls in the area. Looking back a few decades ago ‘climbing walls’ started to appear in sport centres and converted squash courts. They were fairly basic but provided a place to go on winter’s evenings, after work, to do some traversing and short problems. Keeping climbing fit was almost secondary to the chat with your mates and a visit to the pub afterwards.

Two good venues at that time were Guiseley and Altrincham, ropes weren’t needed as the height was only 10 or 12 ft and good landing pads were in situ. Both were a fair drive on an evening so we were pleased when a wall was built in one of the large rooms at West View Leisure Centre, Preston and opened in the eighties by the legendary Pete Livesey, if my memory is correct. This was secondary to other uses at the centre and there was often physical conflict with the volley ball teams and fencers!

There has been great progress in the last 20yrs or so in climbing wall design and the Preston wall has undergone a gradual evolution and now taken over the whole of the original room. There are now high leading walls, areas for top roping and an extensive overhanging bouldering wall. As climbing standards have rocketed the walls have had to provide more and more difficulties as well as the basic learning areas. Climbing walls now cater for all and have introduced a whole new generation to the ‘sport’. The popularity even has led to the renaming of West View Leisure Centre…

Routes from F3 to 8a are available to cater for all abilities. There is a well featured 6m wall with ropes in place for top roping.

Top roping

The 10m high wall gives good leading practice, having to clip in the pre-placed quick draws as you climb. One is never going to fall far! Just lower off and start another route.

Lead climbing

West view was a purpose built sports centre but may other climbing walls make use of adapted older facilities. There are a great number in our area. To ring the changes we do a circuit of climbing walls in the NW and these include a Church in Warrington, an old milk drying factory in Kendal and a well-preserved 100yr old cotton mill at Stockport. By the nature of their original designs, each gives a different climbing ambience.

The vaulted ceiling and windows of the church at Warrington …

Warrington.

The walls at the extensive Kendal factory facility now reach a dizzying 25m high! But equally there are small dedicated bouldering rooms, including one for the kids.

25m at Kendal.

Awesome Walls at Stockport are housed in the engine room of the vast Pear Mill used for cotton spinning until 1978.

Pear Mill

Again because of the size of the building the leading walls are about 24m high.

So after all that stamina training I should be ready for a good week’s climbing in Tenerife — you can only stand this cold weather so long!

Adiós.

TOLKIEN COUNTRY. Stonyhurst, Crosses and the Hodder.

2 Replies

A beautiful day starts with a sharp frost, but bright and sunny again!

To keep this post topical, I had been listening to the radio about a new film on release, The Hobbit, which is sure to be a big success after The Lord of the Rings. The premier was in New Zealand where I believe some of the locations were filmed. However it is well known that J R R Tolkien, the author, spent many days walking around the Hurst Green countryside, whilst his son was studying at Stonyhurst College. The area was said to have given him inspiration for the fantasies of Lord of the Rings.

So after lunch, I don’t know what happens to the mornings!, I set off to drive up to Kemple End on Longridge Fell to take in some of the Tolkien rambles. The road up Longridge Fell had been quite icy and tricky even after noon.

Ground frost

Parked up at Kemple End [SD 688 404] and was rewarded with views across the still misty Ribble Valley towards Pendle and Boulsworth Hill.

Distant Boulsworth Hill

Couldn’t resist a look into the quarry where there is some good climbing. A couple of Roe Deer ran off when I descended into their territory. The rock faces were dry as they always seem to be, sheltered from any prevailing weather. This quarry had provided stone for the village of Hurst Green and Stoneyhurst College.

I realised that photography today would be difficult with the low sun. One was either shooting into the sun or having your long shadow cast across the picture.

Birdy Prow

Walking through the delightful houses, that comprise the small settlement of Kemple End, I picked up a sunken track across the hillside. This was probably some constructed rail or sledge way to transport stone from the quarry down the hill. Dropping down lanes I came into the grounds of Stoneyhurst College which one is able to traverse on public rights of way. Putting aside thoughts of the privileged classes one cannot but admire the grandeur of the place. Building started in 1523 for the Shireburn family and from 1794 the Jesuits ran it as a college. Today it is a renowned, and no doubt a very expensive, RC boarding school. Girls as well as boys now attend. The college is very proud of some of its past pupils including a certain Arthur Conan Doyle, actor Charles Laughton and Mark Thomson ex director general of the BBC.

Stoneyhurst Chapel

Stoneyhurst College

Moving on through the grounds I dropped down through fields to arrive at the Lower Hodder road bridge which is sited next to the ancient, arched, packhorse bridge over the River Hodder. This is better known as Cromwell’s Bridge as it is thought that Cromwell’s parliamentary army crossed it before defeating the King’s men at the Battle of Preston in 1648. Sorry but the picture below is poor…

Now I embarked on the delightful path leading up river to the Higher Hodder bridge. The river was quite low as we had not had rain for a few days. Because there are few leaves left on the trees it was easier to spot the bird life. Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, flocks of Blue and Long-tailed Tits, a flash of a Kingfisher, a nod of a Dipper and lots of Herons poising patiently above the cold waters.

The path passed first the base of a damaged cross and then an intact relatively modern cross. These must be connected in some way to the college but I’ve been unable to discover their history. Any ideas?

The path through the woods next to the River Hodder is popular and well maintained with steps and good footbridges over side steams. Whenever I use these Lancashire County Council bridges I have to say a quick ‘hello’ to a deceased, dear, friend who worked in the bridge department of the council. He much preferred the challenge of a humble footbridge project in the countryside to being in his office.

Lancs County Council Footbridge.

Soon I was approaching Higher Hodder Bridge and the path doubles back and starts to climb in zigzags up the hillside to Kemple End. Pausing for breath gave me chance to survey the scene over the Ribble Valley towards Waddington Fell and Pendle — the changing light from the low sun was magical. This route up from the river is part of my Longridge Skyline Way [from now on LSW] which I mentioned whilst crossing Beacon Fell.

Pendle in Evening Sun from Kemple End

As there was plenty of light left I crossed over the wall by the road at Kemple End to investigate a nearby cross a couple of hundred yards away in the field. This is the so called Paulinus Cross dating from the 7th century when St. Paulinus, Bishop of York, was supposed to have preached here on his mission [1619-1633] to convert us heathen Lancastrians to Christianity. It is a rather strange looking cross!

Paulinus Cross

Quite a long post today, but for a short afternoon walk there was a lot to be included.

Nearby on a lane is another cross dating from 1934 with the haunting inscription — WATCH FOR YOU KNOW NOT THE DAY, NOR THE HOUR.

I’ll leave you with that thought.

Heart of Bowland – Croasdale. Bullstones bouldering.

4 Replies

The forecast was good for today, cold with lots of sun. Letting the ice melt from my car I set off to drive leisurely to Slaidburn with the thought of some bouldering high in Croasdale. Lovely blue skies were overhead as I left Cow Ark and motored over Marl Hill, but the usual view of Ingleborough never appeared. Always a joy to drop into the picturesque village of Newton.

Newton village

There were some road blockages in Slaidburn so I was forced to start walking further from my destination than I’d intended. Strange that when one is going climbing, parking as near as possible to the crag becomes imperative. Within a few minutes of setting off the day seemed to change, the sky darkening with definite rain in the air. Didn’t see that in the forecast!

Walked up the Hornby Road [Salter Fell track] that goes over to Wray eventually. This follows the former Roman Road from Ribchester to Lancaster, so has probably been in use for 2000 years. A few years ago this route was getting heavily eroded by the 4×4 brigade but a change-in-use order closed it to such traffic. Some effective restoration work on the worst stretches has made this through route much more pleasant for walkers or mountain bikers. Trail bikes still have access and can be a noisy intrusion, but they are an infrequent incursion. In fact you hardly ever see anybody in higher Croasdale.

Hornby Road and Croasdale Quarry

Hornby Road has had several surfaces added since the Romans were here, and in it’s first mile or so was tarmacked up to Croasdale Quarry. Peregrines nest regularly in this quarry. I’m not sure when this large stone quarry was last used [? stone for the M6] The surface of the road is now showing signs of wear and weathering. The road crosses many streams coming off the fell and the culverts used are said to be from Roman times with the original capstones buried under more modern material. They all seem to be functioning well which says something about the original build quality.

‘Roman’ culvert

As you proceed up the road there are views down to the right to Croasdale Beck, an alternative track comes this way. A shepherd’s hut, with remarkable and extensive sheep folds has been restored by United Utilities, who own the land. This can be seen in the valley bottom. A few years ago I bivied in it for a couple of nights with my young grandson. We spent an hour one evening, spellbound, watching a pair of Hen Harriers quartering in lovely gliding motions over the fellside above us. A rare sight nowadays as the species is on the verge of extinction in England. Bowland has been its stronghold but perceived conflict with Grouse breeding [or should that be shooting?] has reduced numbers. Harriers are ground nesting birds and the wet summer of this year has not been good for them.

Croasdale Bothy and sheep pens.

Carrying on up the now rocky track the boulders I was hoping to play on became visible on the far hillside — marked on the map as Great and Little Bull Stones. The weather was poor by now, with a cold wind and drizzle, so hopes of climbing diminished. As I approached the watershed at 416m there was a herd of Belted Galloway cattle grazing on the rough pasture. These rough haired cattle thrive in windswept moorlands and they are said to produce very tasty beef. Their thick hairy coats are more like a Yak’s than a cow.

Belted Galloway cattle

Soon I was taking my familiar path up to the Bullstones boulders. They are a very extensive group of gritstone boulders spread across the hillside for over a kilometre. A few years ago my friends and I had a concentrated attack on these rocks and produced about 300 bouldering problems. [see THE BULLSTONES pdf1 ] In places the rock and the routes are of the highest quality but in view of their remoteness, an hours walk, few people visit them. That ensures a wonderful wild quality to a day’s bouldering here. Today wasn’t going to be one of them — with low damp cloud and a cold wind. Still I enjoyed my walk along the vague path below the rocks of Great Bull Stones with views first west across to Wolfhole Crag and Lunesdale; and then south-east down Croasdale to Ribblesdale and Pendle.

Pinnacle and Pendle

The fell lies on the southern slope of White Hill, 544m, one of Bowland’s highest hills. The views from this wild spot include Morecambe Bay, the Lake District and a full in your face Yorkshire Three Peaks. Once this whole area was out of bounds on a private grouse moor but since the 2000 CRoW act anyone has free access to wander — few do. It wasn’t worth the trudge up today.

Traversing the hillside I soon came to another group of boulders, nearby is a unique feature on these fells. A large stone trough has been hewn out of an in-situ boulder and left abandoned on the fell. It is about 5ft square and must weigh a ton. What value in a garden centre?

Stone Trough.

I walked below the 25ft tall slabby rocks of Little Bull Stones.

Little Bull Stones.

Arriving at the last boulders — the diminutive Calf Stones. There was a little sunshine and I was by now warmed up with the exertion, so it was on with the rock shoes and a few low problems sorted.

‘Phone Barry’ 4c

Satisfied with the day I set off down the heathery track to cross the ford in Croasdale Beck [a bit more water than I’d bargained for!] and down the Roman road into Slaidburn, arriving at the car just as it was getting dark.

Croasdale beck

Will be back up here on the first decent day!

For further info and a downloadable guide see — https://bowlandclimber.com/2014/02/24/bullstones-bouldering-guide/

and recently someone has posted this video, thanks — https://vimeo.com/183222521

Family Celebrations and a New Crag!

3 Replies

The beginning of this week brought some days of welcome warmth and sunshine. On the Sunday I was in Manchester to celebrate my youngest son’s 39th birthday. Eight of us went out for an Indian buffet meal, greatly enjoyed by the family with ages ranging from 4 to 94yrs. The waiters made a great fuss of the oldest and youngest, whilst the rest of us stuffed ourselves on the delicious curries.

The 4yr old!

I had only been back home 5mins when the phone went and one of my climbing partners was enthusing about the weather [we have had little to enthuse over this ‘summer’]. It was soon agreed to have a climbing day on the Monday. As we are both long in the tooth finding somewhere new to climb in the area is difficult. He mentioned that on a winter’s walk in the dry valley above Malham Cove he had noticed a crag with bolted lines, not in any guide book. This was news to us and a bit of detective work was needed to glean the necessary information. Monday dawned bright and sunny and after coffee we were soon walking through impressive Yorkshire scenery to Comb Hill.

Approach to Comb Hill.

On the approach we thought the cliff looked a bit short and scruffy but once below we realised it was about 16m [50ft] high. The sun was just reaching the crag as we arrived. Without all the full information, choosing a first route was a bit of guess work. Setting off up the promising line proved rather difficult and the rock was ‘awkward’ but led to a satisfying steep finale. Encouraged we spent a pleasant afternoon on the face relishing in the warm conditions and the superb Dale’s limestone scenery. It so happens that the popular Pennine Way path goes beneath the crag so we had a steady banter with passing walkers wondering how we had got the rope to the top in the first place!!!

Give us a clue. 6a+

It’s always difficult getting decent crag photos when there are only two climbing. Anyhow we’ll be back in the spring to explore further.

The next day, Tuesday, dawned sparkling again. This was the occasion for another family event — 7yrs since my characterful father passed away. To remember the date I took my mother, the 94yr old, out for a scenic drive into the Bowland countryside. We enjoyed a grand lunch at the beautifully situated Inn at Whitewell. Cheers Dad.

The 94yr old!

Three great days with something different to remember and take from each of them.

LONGRIDGE QUARRIES.

2 Replies

Following on from the last post I have found some old pictures of the quarries in Longridge.

Tootle Heights Quarry

At the end of the 19th century, a third of Longridge’s workforce was employed in the stone quarries. High-quality stone was used in Liverpool, for the docks, Blackpool and locally for housing. Quarrying was a dangerous activity as the two following shows. As bricks and concrete became more established, the quarries declined and the larger concerns pulled out. Despite this Copy Quarry [Green Bank] was reopened briefly to provide hardcore for the M55 motorway to Blackpool. Hence we have now inherited ‘Craig Y Longridge’ secured by the BMC. [British Mountaineering Club]

Craig Y Longridge. Pre 1970

Glimpse of sun on shopping trip!

3 Replies

Feeling cooped up after another miserable weekend and a foul dose of laryngitis/sinusitis. Even today started badly but by lunchtime there was a glimpse of brightness so a dose of fresh air was deemed essential.

Fairsnape across the wet fields.

I needed some vegetables and flour. My nearest shop is only just round the corner but to make the trip more beneficial I incorporated a six-mile walk to get there. Still aware of the dire state of the field paths I needed to stay on the tarmac. Normally any walk I set off on I try to avoid roads wherever possible – but needs must. I’m lucky that the local lanes are relatively quiet and give good views of the nearby fells within a hundred yards of my house.

Tell that to the boy-racers.

Forest of Bowland Sign.

The road I am walking lies between the Bowland hills of Fairsnape to the north and Longridge Fell to the south.

Longridge Fell.

Longridge Fell.

Fairsnape across the wet fields.

Fortunately, there are many small lanes and tracks leading up to a series of farms at the base of Longridge Fell. You can see from the OS maps that they all lie along the 150m contour line, well above the present road, and I suspect this must be the spring water line.

Track to Longridge Fell.

The views improve as you rise onto the fell and today the sun shone adding improved the lighting to the fells. As you can see from the tree there was a stiff wind blowing, but in Longridge this always means that any showers soon blow through. It was that sort of a day, sunshine, black clouds scurrying across the valley and the odd drop of rain – quiet uplifting really. Once up onto the fell it is an easy downhill stroll into the small town of Longridge. This place has been known in the past for its cotton mills, its stone quarries and local reservoirs supplying the Preston plain.

The reservoirs are still there and provide a habitat for waterfowl which are easily accessed and viewable. Ducks, coots, water hen and grebes are a common sight. The stone quarries of Longridge were famous for the quality of their gritstone and used in many Victorian enterprises in the north-west. Many have been filled in or adapted for other uses such as the caravan site passed on today’s walk.

Tootle Heights Quarry.

No chance of climbing in here anymore! Did some routes here when I first moved to Longridge in the Seventies. But all is not lost as at Greenbank Quarry, the home of Craig Y Longridge, the BMC has funded the purchase of this site to preserve the nationally famous climbing. Even today, in not the best of conditions, there was some brave soul battling with the overhanging traverse.

Craig Y Longridge.

When the weather improves I’ll give an impression of a bouldering session at Craig Y. It seems that since I started to post that for one reason or the other I’ve not really done much climbing in Bowland!! Hopefully, this will be redeemed before long. In the meantime I feel a foreign trekking trip coming on, just to boost up my Vitamin D levels for the winter.

A gentle walk down the main street, Berry Lane, window shopping, brought me to my destination –

— other brands are available in Longridge.

Some climbing at last.

2 Replies

The forecast for Saturday 22nd was good. Cool in the morning but staying dry with sunshine and temps of 12 degrees. The definition of dry in case you have forgotten is “lacking moisture; not damp or wet” The night before Dave had said a trip was on – to do some climbing in Yorkshire.
It has been so wet this Summer that we doubted that anywhere in the south Lakes would be in condition. It is much easier to take the soft option and go to the more accessible crags near Settle which have the advantage of being bolted.
As the forecast was for cool in the morning, there was frost on my car at 7am, we had a leisurely start and drove over to Settle. Without any discussion I drove into the car park at The Watershed Mill, other cafes are available in Settle. Coffee has become an essential part of our pre-climbing ritual. It has the ability to stop the shakes from the previous night or start them for today!!

A few early shoppers were in the cafe on our arrival but when the cafe begins to fill up you know the coach trips have started to arrive. Coach driver X was having his free tea and chips after depositing his charges.

Avoiding the shopping trap in the mill we drove up the valley to park for the short walk into Moughton Nab.

Moughton Nab above the Quarry.

Leisurely walk in.

The steep ascent goes round the side of a vast slate quarry which is always busy with workings in the week but fortunately not at weekends.

Large slate quarry.

Moughton Nab – Penyghent in the background..

Once the crags had been reached we traversed below them to our selected area for the day. Penyghent was prominent in the background and brought a more scenic alternative to the industrial waste of the quarries. We started on a couple of F5’s to warm up. The rock was dry and the climbs were fairly easy.

Quarry Hill F6a

You can see from the photo the bolts that have been used to protect these climbs and convert the crag into a sport climbing area. Basically a lot of limestone crags were not getting climbed on and were becoming overgrown. Following a good clean up previously blank, unprotectable areas of rock now yielded new routes. There was some inevitable blurring of the demarcation of previous traditional climbs that had been lost to the invading vegetation. The popularity of some of these renovated Yorkshire crags says something about the possible future direction of climbing in the UK. A strong traditional ethic still holds on our mountain and gritstone crags but there is room for the Sport crags being developed. We would probably not have been climbing today on this small neglected crag if it wasn’t for the cleaning and bolting efforts of the local climbers. There is room for all sides of the sport without getting too bogged down in ethics.
The day progressed with a couple of F6a’s and an awkward F5+.
By now the sun had left the crag and hands were getting cold – time to pack up and head home, satisfied with some good climbing and the sunshine.

Kemple End – Hodder Buttress.

4 Replies

As it was dry today went up to Kemple End to do some bouldering and ended up on Hodder Buttress.

Traversing the break is fun. Trying the start to the right hand side of the wall, but having difficulty leaving the break. This would give a start to a hard route up the wall right of Ribblesdale High.

Ribblesdale High is a route starting right of the arete, climbing past pockets to the break, then moves off a sloping ledge lead hopefully to the top. Given E3 6a. That reminded me that I had pictures of the first ascent by Simon Nevett.

If you click onto the photo to enlarge, the sloping holds right of Simon would be the finish to my project – some hope.

PS. 3rd April 2017.

Probes has just crushed that problem at ?E3 6b Gin Rib.

Good effort.

The Lot Valley France

Leave a reply

A brief post.

Just back from a trip to the Lot Valley area of France. Stayed in a friend’s house near the beautiful medieval town of Puy L’Eveque.

Puy L’Eveque on the Lot River.

Hot and sunny all the stay, managed a few walks but mainly enjoying the deep red Cahor wines and food.

Too hot for climbing at this time of year although there are a lot of local crags which I’ve visited in the cooler months. Recommended!

Several GR routes traverse the area, the scenery is not mountainous but varied countryside with lots of well tended vineyards.