[Fiend]

As the title suggests...

Am wondering firstly what it will be like after the current "long dry period followed by some mixed up rain and cold" weather, and secondly what sort of current weather / recent weather is required to ensure it's dry over there and not waste a 4+ hour round trip??

Ta for any beta!

[andy popp]

Routes or bouldering Fiend, and which routes? Either way I should imagine its good to go, never really seen it wet. I may well be talking to Nick tonight anyway so will ask then.

[Fiend]

Routes, Marlene and maybe the E3s near where you walk in.

I went there in the early summer during a showery but windy period - was a brisk and sunny day but had rained the night before and was totally damp in the morning as the sun wasn't coming round to the crag yet...

[andy popp]

Yes, afternoons are always best and the normal caveat about climbing on damp sandstone applies. The Northumberland block will be mint today.

[notbadforafatlad]

Marlene stays dry longer than almost any other route at Nesscliffe. It's a 3 star E4 that would probably get E2 on grit. The E3's are nothing to write home about, but almost all the E5's are. The gear is better than it first looks - lots of hand placed pegs or tri-cams in the pockets.

[Fiend]

Good conditions on Saturday - dry, breezy, and cool air. Not quite winter crispness and a bit of drizzle at dusk, but still good.

I had intended to warm up first and then do Marlene, but spent so long being cowardly on Bruce Factor - a good route in itself (made somewhat amusing by Nick Dixon abseiling past after I've finally done it and was belayed at the top, and telling me just how dodgy the old bolts are...) - that we ran out of time for me to do another lead.

Very SYKED to go back during the next dry spell.

[grimer]

There's a really nice, fairly easy, E3 5c handcrack left of Yucan II. And a very nasty E3 6a to its left, up a groove. Innocuous, but grim.

[Fiend]

There's a really nice, fairly easy, E3 5c handcrack left of Yucan II. And a very nasty E3 6a to its left, up a groove. Innocuous, but grim.

The former is a stonking line (although perhaps not so specific to quarried sandstone), it was something I'd considered. The latter is E3/4 in the graded list and apparently people rate it on UKC Logbooks,  it does look a good line.

I'm rather taken by Pot Noodle, the thin crack right of Bruce Factor - great line and looks good climbing. That to warm up and then Marlene would make for a very happy day :wheresthefingerscrossedsmiley?:

[Fiend]

Finally went back today. Rained off Mid-Wales but Nesscliffe was bone dry. Finally did Marlene - 3rd time lucky  . Took a bit of faffing around but pretty easy and very good, really nice climbing and position. And then did....

There's a really nice, fairly easy, E3 5c handcrack left of Yucan II.

...Straight Talk as well, and I'd beg to differ with "nice, easy". Despite being a clip up it felt as hard as Marlene, hard crux to start and distinctly out of control laybacking above. Good though.

Next plan: Learn to climb E6, return to crag.

[notbadforafatlad]

Good effort in getting Marlene done (were they your tick marks on the footholds of the traverse)?

There are plenty more gems to do before you have to lead E6, such as Cones and Current, trouble in Toytown and Nonsense, but I guess you are eyeing up Full Sun in the quarry?

[Fiend]

Ta. Yeah they were my dabs of chalk, hopefully not too offensive, I wanted to mark places I'd lightly brushed to avoid standing on the too sandy bits.

I like the look of the routes on the wall left of Marlene, I might come back for one of those if I'm feeling fit.

[Johnny Brown]

Marlene is great innit.

Cones and Current ain't too bad, plenty of gear but a bit of a stopper mono move at 20ft, then another long move higher with the potential to get pumped. Good route.

[Fiend]

Yeah it was a lovely route.

Is C&C the one on the right, just by the corner?? That one looked good, like a sport route with well spaced gear. Got a summer to get fitter...

[notbadforafatlad]

Cones and Current is the centre of the wall to the left of Marlene. Usually well chalked. About E4 5c/6a I think and highly on-sightable.

[Johnny Brown]

No way that mono move is 5c! More like 6b, top end of 6a anyway.

[notbadforafatlad]

Whatever the grade (and you're probably right) it's a quality route in a under-rated venue.

[Johnny Brown]

I wouldn't say its underrated, just overlooked. I'm pretty happy for it to remain that way, it'll always be a special place for me anyway.

[clm]

I wouldn't say its underrated, just overlooked. I'm pretty happy for it to remain that way, it'll always be a special place for me anyway.