Sleeping on Boulders

After a mad six crag trek with Liam on friday night - from Middle Head Crag to the Todd Intake boulders.

my hopes were high for finding something special - especially after trudging through neck high ferns - up and down dale - falling down a few holes along the way - the plan was to check the six areas and get on the best lines the next day! 

Camping on the Todd Intake Boulders (Click here for location)

We landed on Todd Intake at dusk - after a dangerous decent of Middle Head Crag (The Smaller one North of Kay Nest -  it's in the background of this photo covered in ferns and trees!)

Keen to scan the boulders I woke up at 4 am - the rock was excellent and one boulder stood out from the rest it looked like a pig or wild boar? when we finally woke it was straight to work cleaning and working a couple of lines - Liam headed for the Wild Boar! and soon found a fine looking line that would take a bit of work, but after a while breeched it in style..

 

Rassassier Font 7c*** 

Superb moves on Font like sandstone, toping out round to the left, worth a visit if you go to Kay Nest.

Soon after Liam sent the problem - the rain came so a retreat to Badger Rock - not having time left for a daylight visit to the Collar Ridge Boulders (Click here for location) across the dale to the north east - it had few problems there

Anyway on to the anomaly Badger Rock (Click here for Location) Nice looking with a good hand full of lines - a bit of a shame the best prow has a two inch crunchy layer of sandstone seam otherwise the rock is sound a climbs well with both added two great lines before leaving quite satisfied.

  Nocturnal SS Font 6b+*

Badgers SS Font 6b**

Oh nearly forgot Middle Head! where the journey began and the car was parked - sorry not much of a bouldering crag - Red Wall looked Ok - but as for the rest of the crag - the landings were too steep.

On the plus side there was a small boulder field just before you get to Middle Head with some low-ball stuff and a bulging wall with a bad landing - Dale Head Boulders (Click here for location) 

It was good to see Liam again -  he and his brother Brandon are always very psyched - they are both  moving to New Zealand soon so they are getting in as much UK classic rock before they go, It would be  nice to get out again with them both before they go.

Stormy Hall News

Martin Parker visited Stormy Hall (click here for location) and repeated body Torque, then also climbed the Dyno project to the right naming it Angry Bee Dyno SS font 7a+ good effort Martin.

Franco Cookson on the Angry Bee Dyno

Super Dry Bridestones

Oh well, until today! welcome back rain! 

After the last visit to the Bridestones (Click Here) with Rob - we worked what ended up as an unfinished project - so with two super dry weeks and Lisa keen for a climb - it was time to go back - when we got up there the rock was in the best condition i have ever seen - bone dry and hardly sandy! Wow!

I ran straight to the High Bridestones to see if it was possible to climb through the Tunnel that is usually quite damp

The Problem - Sit Start On the left and cross right once you enter the tunnel

A quick inspection of the holds and I was ready for an attempt (stay away from the loose ones!)

The Tunnel SS Font 6a**

Onsite Flash! a great roof problem using plenty of technique.

Next on to the project on the second buttress and some nice traversing from Lisa 

Lisa looking cool on a long traverse

The long reach from the sloping undercut

After a bit of time getting the long reach wired and the footwork for the swing out left sorted to gain the hand match (phew) - the moves all came together - It certainly needed a lot of petrol to get there! hence the name?  I was that psyched i forgot to photograph the buttress for a topo?! anyway.

Nürburgring SS font 7a***

What a great place to climb - plenty to do for any age or grade -  Plus Dolby Forest has loads to offer these days a new visitor centre - mountain bike tracks for all abilities and a 'Go Ape' (Click Here) an exhilarating day out swinging through the trees and flying along zip wires.  

Wainstones Map

This is the first draft of the Wainstones circuit, I will be adding a full orange circuit on a separate map.

Considering the rest of the bouldering in the area - It is turning out to be a great venue, especially as it nearly always breezy, a perfect day out in this heat!

Wainstones Circuit

Wainstones Overview

Cold Moor, Caves and Carvings

After last weeks romp, to the off piste White Stones, I could see the south west side of Cold Moor and the boulders along the lower edge, time for a look..... mmmm not much too see! oh well, onto the north buttress - and just before hitting the northern buttress a hole appeared! Maybe Hobbits or just small stocky boulderers lived in there? some very strange sandstone conglomerate mostly solid inside shaft (possibly some scope for some absolute horizontal bouldering madness!)

The north buttress looked good but in need of a clean - potential for some hard problems with reasonable landings adding to the already established routes/highballs.

North Buttress (Click Here)

With a nice view of the Wainstones on top of the Moor.

The Wainstones (Click Here)

With the East side of Cold more looking like a worthwhile visit, it was time to get the mat out - on a leaning face just up from the path from the Wainstones - using a mono to start with a big pull to a side crimp

Absolute Zero SS Font 6c**

with a thoughts of a return trip and good sunlight on the Wainstones, it was time to take some pictures for the topo - finding Ram-man's and Steve Dennison's paw prints all over the rock. Here are some of the the two Steve's previous days ascents.

Jason Woods - Fade to Grey Font 7a and Daily Bread 6c+

Oddly enough my day ended where theirs started - In Garfit Quarry, some quality crimpy lines not too hard - a good cool down. The best being the undercut flake on the left end 6b - the right hand corner arete 5+ with a knee bar and the central diagonal crack 6a+ and a hard problem on the right end from a small right-hand crimp.

One for Rob (Big Reach)

Garfit Quarry (Click Here) - Ram-Man's stone-masonery! maybe his perfect woman?