Castle Naze

I was struggling to think of somewhere new, somewhere quiet but with good routes to try. The usual names kept jumping into my head and then from nowhere appeared Castle Naze. I'd visited this place once before......and hated every second of it! That day, we managed one route before retreating, wind battered, to the pub. It is very exposed to the elements is Castle Naze, perched high above Whaley Bridge so with the weather being perfect (sunshine and no wind!), now would be a good time to give this place a proper looking over.

The 2 'classics' of the crag are Scoop Face HVS 5a and Nozag VS 4c. I knew Nathan had Scoop on his tick list and so I had in my mind that he would lead that and I would give Nozag a go.

Nathan being Nathan, he was straight away gearing up for Scoop, no warm up route here, straight into the deep end! I have to say this route looks a lot easier than it is! It is also deceptive in terms of the type of climbing required. It looks for all intents and purposes like a nice gentle slab climb, which it is for a couple of moves or so, but there is much more to it than smearing! The start is quite steep and unprotected, up a short wall on polished slopers (I slipped off one hold just as I managed to latch onto the next!). This brings you to the slab section and the first gear. An offset in a shallow crack and a good friend in a break and then a pad across the slab to another thin crack. Up this to another break and gear before moving back left and a finish up a short steep headwall. I won't spoil it for you but the crux is right at the top and the top out itself.....well let's just say if you're harassed, a lunge for the top might not yield what you hope for! It's a marvellous route though and well worth its classic status.

Unlike Nathan, I need a warm up route, not necessarily for the body but for the mind! I chose Studio as my first lead., HS 4b. Steady at the grade really, a mid height crux and good gear throughout, a nice little route.

Next up and Nathans lead again, was Nozag VS 4c. Now as I mentioned earlier, I'd had my eye on this to lead for a while but I'm actually glad I didn't on this particular day if I'm honest. Fairly straightforward climbing brings you to a crack slanting off diagonally to the right. Nozag climbs over this and onto the slabby head wall above. Here the route becomes more technical and balancey, on slopers for the most part. It felt bold even seconding and as with Scoop, the crux is right at the sharp end! A great route which felt harder than Scoop to me, definitely top end VS this, but one I'll be back to lead for sure!

Last up and my lead was Scoop Arete VS 4b. I wanted to lead something a bit bolder and so chose this, the first few moves being completely unprotected. Nice route although I ended up finishing it up a corner as I'd got myself completely on the wrong side of the arête!

A decent day all in all and my faith in Castle Naze was restored! On still summers days, this is a cracking little crag!

A Dream of Wild Camping, A Nightmare of White Horses

This is my first post for a while, no climbing due to injury still (complete rest now for 6 weeks, 3 of which are up) and a lack of opportunity to get out anywhere. It's all been very frustrating, the enforced rest coming after a disastrous (for me!) visit to Witches Quarry with Nathan ( who creamed everything but then had to ab and strip his own gear, my arm having just simply given up). There have been a cracking couple of club meets I've had to miss aswell, one on the slate in Llanberis, which I've never climbed on and so was just gutted to miss it and the other at Gogarth.

Now I have climbed at Gogarth before on a few occasions but one route I've never done and the one route in the country I just have to tick, is Dream of White Horses HVS 4c. Ever since seeing the Ed Drummond 1st ascent photo, probably in High Magazine or something like that at the time, it has been at the top of my wish list! I first went to Gogarth as a 14 year old with our school climbing club and one of our team was lucky enough to accompany a lone climber who'd asked for a second on the route. I didn't know the route at the time, then I saw the Drummond pic and I was smitten!

So, when I learned my regular climbing buddy Nathan and another member of our club, Rob, had done the route, I was sent into this weird state of being both supremely happy for both of them to have done the route and at the same time very low at having been stupid to try and climb through an injury and then having to miss this!

But, head shake time! The route isn't going anywhere and I WILL do it one day.....in fact to spur me on, here's a couple of pics of both Rob and Nathan on it :)

Anyway, enough moaning, because this weekend, I HAVE had the chance to get and I decided to tick one of the requirements for my Mountain Leader course, wild camping!

I have wild camped a fair bit in the past but it has been a good while and never really anything adventurous. So I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, but at the same time, not put myself under too much pressure in terms of goals. Get out into the hills, walk a bit, wild camp, walk a bit more etc I planned a sort of route, a horseshoe if you will, over 2 nights and 3 days but I had no idea how the first night would go. Did I have enough food, water? Could I even carry my pack any distance as it weighed a ton!

The route I had planned started in Whinlatter forest and I parked up around 7pm. I decided I'd walk for a couple of hours and then set up camp for the night. I set off through the forest, emerging after a half hour or so, out onto Grisedale Pike. I had trouble finding a discernible path and with nothing showing on my OS map, I traversed the edge of the Forest until I reached a decent path up the fell. My first error of the day came here, not checking when sunset was to be that evening. Having got about 3/4 of the way up the fell, there was just a short steep section to go. the problem was, that then led onto a ridge and I couldn't see any place on the route where it would be remotely possible to set up a tent. Having not done this route before ( maybe another mistake right there!), I also wasn't sure what the terrain would be like after the ridge. It was by now 8.30/9pm ish and not knowing how much daylight I had left ( I really didn't want to be traversing that ridge in the dark!) and also where I was currently standing being a fairly flat section, perfect for a camp, I decided to stop here for the night. As it happens, I had at least another 1 and half hours left and probably could have seen off the ridge in plenty of time. I'd erred on the side of caution though and am pretty comfortable with my choice on reflection.

In no time I'd set up camp and Lester and I settled in for the night. It wasn't the best nights sleep I've ever had I've got to say. I was also a tad disappointed not to see a spectacular sunset!

However, the next morning reminded me exactly why trips like this are worth any effort and just why I love the outdoors so much. The sunrise was pretty amazing! Night clouds breaking up in the valleys and the sun breaking through the morning mist on the peaks, it really is just magical.

I ate breakfast whilst watching the sun rise over mighty Blencathra, burning through the mist and revealing its summit like a magician removing his cape, I could almost hear the 'et voila'!

It was just stunning and such a grounding experience, the simplicity of it all, it really focuses the mind as to what matters and just how lucky we really are.

 

 

I packed everything away mindful of the 'leave no trace' mantra of wild camping and set off to complete the fell. Low on water and with the heat and Lester to think about, I knew I'd have to cut short my intended route. A quick scan of the map showed me I could summit via a ridge line and then loop back down to the valley where the path would take me back to Braithwaite and a couple of hours later I was back.

 

 

 

So, all in all an interesting trip and definitely a learning curve with many lessons learnt. I now know I need to get my pack weight down and I need to seriously plan water stops. I also know that sun rise in The Lakes is one of the most stunning things I'll ever see!

 

*Adendum* - as a footnote to injury comments above, my shoulder has been feeling much better of late and so with the club organising an impromptu evening meet at Anglezarke Quarry this week and I decided to tag along with no real expectations other than to get shut down yet again. But to my complete surprise and delight, I managed to climb and climb ok too. I seconded Brian on Many Happy Returns E1 5a and then led Metamorphosis VS 4c, a 3* route which I haven't done before and so was really chuffed to get the o/s. It's quite a bold number too, which is what pleased me most, knowing that despite my lay off and injury doubts, my climbing head was actually still in pretty good shape.

 

The route starts at an arête for a few feet, nut placement, step up and then balance left and up to an old peg. More balancey moves lead up to a break and welcome gear before finishing on dirty but good holds.

 

The 2 Robs were just finishing off 'Wedge' HS and so kindly dropped a rope down for me to quickly skip up it and then I joined forces with Elliot on Terra Cotta HVS 5a after which rain stopped play. But happy days! I can climb again!