Category Archives: Climbing

Chilling in Peaks with the Australians

Ben and Amanda are over for Chris’s wedding, so what better way to warm ourselves up for the big occasion but to spend a week in the Peak District.  Amanda did a great job and hired us a little barn near Rushup edge in the middle of nowhere. 

We met them in Hathersage and after going for a quick bite to eat in the Outsider shop (we didn’t manage to get out with out buying some new stuff – that shop is never a good idea to go into) we went up to Burbage North to do a spot of climbing and bouldering.  Below are Ben and Amanda reacquainting themselves to Gritstone – this was done with rather a lot of swear words and grunting ( I have to raise my hand and confess I added to the obscenities as well).

The Next day Ben and I went biking whilst the girls relaxed in the sun, I forgot how good the biking is in the peak district.  It was a littel odd having to make sure what we where riding on was legal (in scotland we can ride anywhere and have much better access rights).

It was great riding with Ben again, my old riding buddy and best mate had returned from Oz to once again ride with me and try and better each other on the ups and downs ( neither of us acknowledge this though! )  we returned to the girls grinning ear to ear and then quickly changed to get going back to stanage to go bouldering for the afternoon (after lunch and a couple of cheeky pints).

I forgot how rough gritstone is on the old finger tips and all my finger tips fast turned a nice shade of pink and everything became super sensitive to touch ( washing up that evening was a sore affair!).  Another realisation that the bouldering really isn’t that good up in Scotland near us and we really enjoyed it and wished for better bouldering near to us.

In the evening the girls went out for a bike ride whilst Ben and I cooked for them, when I say Ben and I, I really mean Ben cooked and I sat and drank beer watching him chucking in the odd supportive comment on his spice choice.

Ben and I spent quite a bit of time with the girls explaining the route we had for them on a map and in words for them to follow, when they got back (which for a start was a surprise as we were expecting a phone call to come and pick them up from somewhere lost) but on asking how got on they sheepishly told us that it wasn’t till they were half way round that they realised they had ridden the loop the wrong way around!  The girls claim it was down to bad verbal explanation of the route!

The next day we took it in turns to do a big loop from Hope, up over to Ladybower via “the beast”.  The girls went first, then Ben and I did it.

The Beast is am awesome rock strewn decent that tries at every opportunity to throw you off the bike if you let your concentration slip.  Once at the bottom smiling like a special child, we both recount stories of near death and how awesome we were, we set back off back up and over into the edale valley where we thought a mid ride pint was in order for.

After said pint we had a large road climb – having not realising what a mid ride pint would do to us we both steadily weaved our way up a steep climb wondering when we both become such massive light weights!

We got to the top and rode up Rushup Edge and by the time we had got to the top we had both sobered up again for the amazing decent back to the farm and the girls.

I spent the rest of the evening playing with Baby Ellis who had been a great baby and enjoyed being dragged all over the Peaks with us.

We all agreed it was a great few days and we all thoroughly enjoyed having our love of the peak district rekindled.  Shame it is so far away.  We packed up our stuff and headed East to the Wedding of Chris and Vicky, our excitement levels rising for the big day…

Enjoying the long nights up here in the North

There are many good and bad points about living where ever you live, one of the good points of living in Aberdeen is that at this time of year it doesn’t get dark until around 11pm.   This makes it possible to go out and play in the hills after work.  Over the last few days the “loving wife” has let me go out and play.  A few days ago, Andy and I ventured to Clach na Beinn to go climbing .

The last time I climbed outside was when Lara was 4 months pregnant on afterthought arete, tonight was to be a bit of a mission to get my head back into it.  Was great fun but I soon remembered why it had been so long since I had been up to the crag to climb, it is the roughest rock in the world and the climbing is not that pleasant!  Alot of jamming your body into cracks and wriggling up etc. 

Still Andy was very patient and was very encouraging, it was a great place to be after work up there on a hill top, the clouds where rolling in and out over adjacent hills and we were lucky not to get them where we were.  I led two climbs then Andy had a turn at leading a route of his choice.

A lovely night was spent swearing at rock and getting disco leg.  When we looked at our watches wondering what time it was …… we were stunned to see it was nearly 10pm!  Time to pack up and hot foot it back.

Just as we packed up the cloud came in over the hill and we jogged down the hill back to where we had stashed our bikes and went home to bed.  A great evening.

Last night was of course “Thursday night boys bike night”.  With these long nights, again it is great to go slightly further into the hills and explore new trails.  We parked at Pass of Ballater car park and set off up to below Morven,  the views where great climbing upto Creagan Rhiabhach looking over to Lochnagar and Mt Keen

From here we followed a path below Morvern Eastwards and then spent a little time trying to find the path we wanted to get on to descend.

Amazingly when we left Aberdeen it was being bombarded with massive showers of biblical proportions but we managed to avoid all off these and it never rained on us once.  Once we found the descent it was awesome apart from the odd bush jutting out into the path at head height that you just had to go through and take the whipping!   After this we climbed back to the top of Cnoc Dubh and went down the ‘roller coaster’ to Loch Kinord and then back up through Burn O’Vat to the van – a good 35km ride after work.  We just managed to get last orders at the local once back in westhill, tired we happily drank beer.

I love these long nights!  only another 2 or three weeks till the nights start drawing in again though …….  Better make the most of them!

A blinder of a weekend

Being a BP employee,  I am blessed to get every other Friday off, so I spent the morning in the woods with my mates on my bike jumping off stuff.

The afternoon was spent in B&Q choosing Ellis’s paint colour for her nursery – unfortunately I took no pictures of that as it would have been to much for you to take in!!!

Saturday was our first outings as a family to go climbing, we went down to the sea cliffs by Boltsheugh

Baby loved it – has been a long time since either Lara or I have climbed so it was rather hard going but great to be back out.  It was a lovely sunny day and Ellis was more than happy to be there in the sun, feeding as and when need and just being a good baby and letting mummy and daddy play!

Sunday was spent relaxing for Lara as she is still in recovery.  So I grabbed a chance ot go skiing.  I have been reading reports on the interweb of the snow being good in Lochnagar, immediately another decent of Black spout got my attention!  Scott, Matt and Emma were all game to come in with us.

A glorious day, the sun had some heat in it and when we got up to the snow line it felt like I was in the Alps!  We rode form the car park as far as we could and dumped the bikes in the heather.  It was soon evident that the snow was far too hard to ski.  Above is us longingly looking at where we should have been skiing (the prominent gully coming out the cloud spot.  Oh well, it was still a great to be in the hills.  We stashed the skis to take the weight off our backs and set off in search of a easy snow gully to climb.

Red Spout seemed to tick the needs of everyone, and off we went – It is an easy snow climb but gives you some good exposure near the top.  We all got up it and then walked back to the bikes for a speady descent back to the cars.

A great weekend.  Scotland is great when the weather is like this!  Can find all the pictures by clicking here

Three idiots go climbing

Miles and old friend from our Chamonix days was passing through Aberdeen on his way offshore and stopped in for a few days as he had a weekend to kill.  We all went down the climbing wall as it was hoofing it down outside.  Lara managed to climb which she really enjoyed.  She still is constantly tired from the pregnancy and is a little fed up with not being able to do anything,  so for her to get out and do a little was great.  However, it did mean she was straight on the sofa leaving the boys to cook….

I think I excelled myself and looked further than the can of baked beans and the tin opener – and even went to tescos for the ingredients to make Fajitas!!!!  I thought if I was going to cook then I might at least go all out and invite more around to witness this rare phenomenon.  Knowing that both Euan and Andy where home alone with respective partners away, I would save them from their tin openers and beans.

Dinner was a success which led to a few beers which some how led to Poker.  I showed an early promise and soon collected the majority of the chips only to redistribute them to everyone else.  Miles came out the winner and with his winnings we marched him down the pub and made him buy us beer.

In the pub with many hero beers down us we decided that we would go climbing the next day.  At the painful and fuzzy time of 7:30 we went around to pick Andy up and off we went to Lochnagar to climb Eagle ridge, it is a 250m 3 Star Severe and rated as one of the best in the country at that grade. 

It can be seen above – what also can be seen above is the small queue that was forming at the bottom of the route.   We were behind 2 other couples.  Even though we were climbing as a three were way faster than the other two groups.  We sat around at the bottom waiting our turn.  I amused people with having to run off and hide behind rocks – blamed the beer and not my cooking!

Miles and me half way up.  We spent a lot of time sitting on belay ledges waiting for the other climbers, but it was a lovely day and we were in no rush.  We spent a lot of time playing eye spy and debating each others sexuality.  Word of warning, Miles is a whizz at eye spy, don’t play him at it.

The climbing itself was brilliant, easy enough that I could do it, but hard enough to keep me concentrated.  The exposure was huge in places

It then became a gun show showing all and sundry what real mighty men we are!

We got to the top and the sun was shining still.  we walked back down to collect our bikes form the heather and had great fun hurtling past all the other climbers and walkers on the downhill back to the van.  A great day out

The rest of the photos can been seen if you click  HERE

Climbing at the Graip

Lara wanted to go out and do some climbing on Sunday.  Fair enough, and my legs were sore from the previous days race/cramp.  We decided with Matt and Emma that we would meet and climb at the Graip which is half an hour North of Aberdeen.  We met up with them and Scott and Anna and her two dogs at the car park and walked along the coast.

The crag is the right hand side bit of rock jutting out into the sea.  We got there and set up the abseil rope playing the normal ‘paper scissor stones’ with Matt to see who went first.  Matt did.  Once at the bottom (at a controlled speed) we got our stuff sorted and laughed at Anna’s mental dogs running around everywhere.  This is Diesel

He is lovely and was great fun to have around, Anna’s other dog ‘Isla’ is mental and was too quick to photograph!  It started to rain so we set about bouldering on the sheltered rocks and waited for the shower to pass – which it did and Chris led Elbow Groove.  The clouds were forming a rather dark ominous dark shade and we all though it was best to try and get up this route before the heavens opened.

Above is Lara seconding Chris.  As Matt went up it the heavens opened.  Climbing was over for the day.  Even though we did not climb much (which suited me as I was knackered) it was still a lovely day next to the sea laughing at Anna’s dogs!  We all got a good soaking on the way back to the cars.

Bitten Belay Bitch

Mt Inglis needed an idiot to go and help him work a route he is trying at Cambus O’May quarry.  I had nothing better to do.  He failed to add a few bits of vital information……  IT IS FULL OF MIDGES!!!!!!!!

thank god I for some reason packed a midgy net in my bag last week and had not taken it out.  Thankfully the nidges were biting Andy as he climbed – so we didn’t last too long.  God bless the “Scottish Air Force”

Afterthought arete – Stag Rocks

With our successful climb on fingers ridge under our belts, Lara and I were both keen to try and get another mountain route in before the baby bump is too big and climbing comes a no go zone.  So looking for more classic easy mountain lines we chose ‘Afterthought Arete’ A 150m Mod on Stag Rock next to Loch Avon in the Cairngorms.  Matt and Emma were keen as well so we headed off to Aviemore on Saturday night.  Poor Scott looked sad to be left behind but ‘sicknote’ (as he is now called until he is fixed) was in no state to come climbing.

We met M&E for a few pints in Aviemore before we drove up to the ski station to sleep in the car park and hit the sleeping bags for a good day the next day – and it was to be a good day!

So up and out, managed a fast walk in to Sneachda and up goat track gully we went.  I had never been up on the Cairngorm platform properly in the summer, I had only been up there in winter when it was white outs after climbing or on skies in awesome blue bird days.  Was great to see what was under the snow.

As we walked down into The Loch Avon basin, I was amazed at how pretty it was, have ski’ed past it a few times in the winter, but in the summer it was very impressive lovely to be in.  We traversed around the bottom of the Crag and got to the bottom of the route. 

 Lara and I were to climb first and M&E after us,  It was to be Emma’s first trad multi pitch route so there were a few demons in her head to contend with at the bottom. 

The lower climbing was a Little stiff i thought for the grade, it is supposed to be a complete walk, but the guide book does warn the direct start is harder and I think i went up this unknowingly.  Emma followed up after me confirming that it was not just me!  Thank god!

Lara at the First belay.  From here the arete was brilliant climbing, nothing hard, but enough exposure to focus the mind

From here on up the climbing was easy and was again lovely to be climbing in the mountains in great weather.  I even think I got a bit of a watch tan!  We had another 3 pitches to the top which pasted with no difficulty and some lovely climbing,  a few moments of self dialogue to keep me going when I was unsure and my mind started the ‘What if’s’.

Once at the top it was time to don the mighty rucksack once again (remember Lara is pregnant so is not allowed to carry anything – a very lucky thing for her!).  We walked back across the plateau and down the Coire Cas ridge back to the van.  A great day out, lovely weather and climbing.  Emma did great for her first multi pitch trad route and is eager for more!

Applecross

With The fast approaching Fred Whitton (a road sportive in the Lake district which will kill me) and a good forecast on the west coast, we decided it would be a good a time as any to try and get over there and do the Applecross peninsula.  It is a ride that takes in the Bleach Na Ba pass which is the longest road climb in the UK.

We drove over on Friday nigh after work t finding a beautiful spot to sleep in the van just under Ben Eighe, no midges and a shared bottle of wine with a sun set ,we went to sleep in hope the weather forecast was going to be true.

We woke up to a perfect day, we drove to Torridon where we were to leave our van and start the ride from. 

The west coast is a stunning place when the weather is good, and we had one of those rare days when it was superb.  Our route was to take us 100km around the peninsula.  About 30km in we reached the bottom of the pass.

I had really wanted to do this route for a few years and we were so lucky to get it this good.  The climb started of pretty mellow and we could get into a decent pace and were happy being able to admire the place.  That was until it all got a little steeper and it was all we could do to not stop,  it was that gradient that it was not too steep to stop but not gradual enough to be easy.   This resulted in very heavy breathing and legs screaming for a rest.  But oh no,  We were not to be defeated tht easily!

Once at the top we were greated with a fantastic view of the Cuillins Ridge over on the Isle of Skye.  From here there was a long down hill and then a great ride around the coast back to Torridon.  A brilliant ride and one well worth the wait.

Come the evening, we met Matt and Emma back at the top of the pass where we were to sleep that night.  Matt and Emma had been at Emma’s parents and celebrating their recent engagement.  They were given some champagne from relatives, they decided that it was a good time to crack it open

We sat up again and watched the sun set drinking bubbly and was a great evening.

Sunday was another great day and the idea was to go and climb the Cioche Nose, a classic of the area.  The walk in was great, not too long and after a bit of scrambling we got to the bottom of the route.  Lara and I climbed together and Matt and Emma climbed together.  Lara led the first pitch with no issues,

I didn’t.  For me it was just one of those days that I should not be climbing.  Thankfully, Emma was in the same boat as me.  So we decided that Matt and Lara could carry on and we would stick our tails between our legs adn abseil off.  Which we did.

L&M had dificulties on the next pitch and all four of us where back together quicker than I had of thought.

We all walked back to the cars and drove home.  Still a lovely day even though we didn’t manage to finish the route.  West coast was brilliant, no midges, sun and no wind.  Not sure I will be lucky again to catch it like that whilst we are still here.

Rock On!

With a good weather forecast and a renew of thought and feeling for climbing since over the last two weeks we have started to get into the Batcave again, it was time to try and get out onto real rock for the first time this year.  A quick scan through the guide book to find a suitable venue that wouldn’t make us crap ourselves and sell all our climbing gear and ‘Greymare Slabs’ was found.  This is a sea cliff crag about 15 miles north of Aberdeen.

The weather was lovely, pretty balmy 12c which is an act of true kindness from the big man upstairs for this time of year up here in North Scotland.  We got there and did the normal faff around trying to work out why the harness is twisted and which way it goes on (only joking) and abseiled down to the bottom of the cliff

Before we abseiled we did the customary yank test of the anchor to check it will hold , with this satisfied off we went down.  The rock was really dry surprisingly after all the snow melt we recently had.  Lara took the first lead

With the attentative husband holding the other end of the ropes.  She seemed at ease and confident on the rock seeing that it has been a long time since either of us has climbed on rock (see previous months of skiing posts!)  When I asked her if she was alright she turned around

and gave a whopper smile, she was loving it.  With the first route in the bag we abseiled back down again (with the customary yank to the anchor) and moved around the cliff on a ledge, form here we anchored ourselves in again and Matt led the next one

He as well as us has been off rock for the winter and was loving it, the sun was still out and very warm.  With Matt at the top safe with no hassles, we both seconded him up

We did another route after and at the end it was getting close to five so we called it a day.  A good first day back on rock, no one had a hissy fit, no “watch me as i am going to f*cking fall” shouts, everyone was good.

I even managed to climb well even though my ankle is a bit messed up again from crashing my BMX in the skate park on Tuesday, it have me a few issues of randomly collapsing, but it is fast on the mend again.  I even had the excuses of being a wimp lined up, a pretty good one as well.  I have not eaten any meat for a week now, any man will tell you that is a huge challenge and will completely effect bravery and testosterone levels to enable tasks like this to be completed.

Well I am like a kid on xmas eve tonight, I will find it hard to get to sleep, I will wake up at 4am, jump on my bike to work and will be waiting at the door of the canteen to open – it is going to be a bacon sandwich eating fest!

Meat again, oh blessed meat!  I have missed you so – and tomorrow we shall be together again, it is going to be glorious!