Report by Keith Sands
Fifteen CCCC members headed to the Lake District, staying at the Barrow Mountaineering & Ski Club hut in Coppermines Valley above Coniston.
Friday promised good weather, and an early start and a relatively smooth run up the M6 saw me, Nick and Andy S arriving in Langdale around lunchtime, where the imposing crag of White Ghyll gleamed in sunshine high above the valley. A lung-busting scramble up the ghyll followed. Rejecting White Ghyll Wall’s wet and mossy first pitch, we set off instead up The Gordian Knot. Nick led the first pitch, a narrow slab with lovely holds and moves, and belayed under an overhang. An easy traverse led to the crux – a bridging manoeuvre over bulges to gain a corner crack, using a sidepull at arms length, and not much for the feet. I attempted to commit to this a few times, as did Andy.
Siege tactics won the day, with Nick eventually leading it. Grunts of effort were heard round the corner, then whoops of joy from above. Andy & I followed up this fantastic pitch. We topped out a straightforward third pitch to glorious, golden-hour views, with the sun beginning to set behind Bowfell. The best conditions, and best route, of the weekend for us.
Satisfied, we stumbled down to the Sticklebarn just after dark for dinner, before heading on to Coniston. The hut filled up convivially through the evening, Steven & Thomas arriving via Stanage, and plans were laid for the next day.
Saturday started clear, but the forecast was showery, so naturally a number of us gravitated towards the nearby, famously chilly Dow Crag, seduced by rumours of super-classic Diff mountain routes which “go in any conditions”. Wiser heads drove to Duddon Valley, to get some routes in at low-lying Wallowbarrow, and Scout Crags in Langdale, before the rain came in. Charles & Graham went further, to Trowbarrow.
Dow looked impressive and still dry after the long walk-in. Lydia & Nick attempted Arete, Chimney and Crack; George and I set up under C Ordinary; and Andy B, Pete, and Tamer went for Giants Crawl.
The rain started just as we did; the first two teams, faced with streaming rock, soon packed it in. We started down the scree as Andy B, Pete and Tamer intrepidly disappeared up the ramp of Giants Crawl into mist and drizzle.
The sun came out again in the afternoon and refugees from Dow and Wallowbarrow washed up at Raven Crag, Walthwaite. I did a half-hearted 4m of Route 2 there, before backing off damp sloping footholds. My ratio of walking to climbing for the day was roughly 7.5km to 4m, or 1875:1, a personal record. Others had had more success, and most of us could at least shower and change before the pub.
Twelve of us had gathered at our pre-booked long table at Coniston’s happenin’ Sun Inn before the Giant’s Crawlers rolled in, on the dot of 7.30, after a long wet day on Dow and a hike back over the Coniston Old Man. Impressive punctuality, but an even more impressive traditional mountaineering performance.
Sunday started cool and cloudy, but dry. Most of us headed towards Langdale to climb on the ‘other’ Raven Crag near the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, which has a number of classic, accessible, three-pitch routes. Dark rock suggested damp, and Paul, Kirill, Hao, Tamer and Charles turned round to head for Giggleswick in Yorkshire, for sheltered, harder sport climbing on the way home. But there was enough to go at in Langdale, and different teams ticked off more gems – Middlefell Buttress, The Original Route and Elevation, before final refreshments in the ODG and the journey home.
Routes climbed included:
- The Gordian Knot, VS 4c (White Ghyll)
- Giant’s Crawl, D (Dow Crag)
- Trinity Slabs, VD (Wallowbarrow)
- Malediction Direct, VS 4c (Wallowbarrow)
- Oh Heck Direct, VS 4b (Scout Crags)
- Jean Genie, VS 4c (Trowbarrow)
- Harijan, VS 4c (Trowbarrow)
- Coral Sea, VS 4c (Trowbarrow)
- The Original Route, S 4a (Raven Crag, Dungeon Ghyll)
- Middlefell Buttress, D (Langdale)
- Elevation, HS 4b (Raven Crag, Langdale)
- Rat Poison, 6a (Giggleswick)
- Diversion, 5c (Giggleswick)
- Lazy Days, 6b (Giggleswick)
- Chopping Block, 6a+ (Giggleswick)