[Nigel]

In response to a thread from a few weeks ago, "Is the UK climbed out?", comes this answer:



(New highball arete, V8+, Apiary Wall, St Bees, THE LAKES.)

[Avoiding the Traitor]

nice looking problem

[Nigel]

Thanks, it is. Along with Greg's Lateral Mindset (same crag!) it is probably the best problem of its grade in Britain! If you are a boulderer then you *must* visit the Lakes this summer to sample the quality.

[irish si]

yeah me too, whats the score nigil?????

[Nigel]

Dunno, it works OK for me, but here is the link:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=13990

A thing of beauty...

[squeek]

Here you go:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=13990

[irish si]

looks ace, funny looking rock???? looks like mars!! might go some weekend soon

[Bubba]

Yeah, the rock at St Bees looks mighty fine - is it a good venue for a day out with a non-climbing girlfriend?

[Nigel]

Yeah, the rock is red sandstone exactly like the stuff I saw on my last visit to Mars.

St Bees would be a lovely spot on a warm sunny day, all the boulders are on a clean wave-cut platform of rock about 20 metres from the sea, although very high tides do encroach on to the platform a bit. Sometimes. So nice for a picnic.
The only discouraging factor for a non-climber would be the descent paths which can be a bit steep. Best to take the furthest right (looking out to sea) Apiary Wall approach as it the most amenable, all the others have knotted ropes on!

[Si O'Conor]

...

[chappers]

nigel, how long do you recon it takes to get up there from lancaster? never been, but it looks fooooking superb and rumor has it i live quite close!

also, aside from that, who grabbed the first ascent of this beauty? you nigel or niel Kershaw as photo?
chris

[Bubba]

you nigel or niel Kershaw as photo?

:D

[Nigel]

From Lancaster, which is where I start from aswell, it takes around 2 hours. It will take less if you have a fast car and the roads are clear, more if its a busy bank holiday scenario. The way to go is bomb up the M6 to Penrith then "turn left" on to the big green (on maps!) road that goes over to Whitehaven. Pretty quick roads and nice scenery plus you drive fairly near to places like the Bowderstone (in case it rains), as opposed to going "along the bottom" via shitholes like Barrow, which is an epic!

I did do the first ascent and I am Neil Kershaw, but God-knows-why everyone calls me Nigel, so that's my "name".

[Doylo]

Its all a bit confusing but Nigel and Neil are actually the same person. Can't remember why we started calling him Nigel, defo suits him though!

[irish si]

I began to call Neil Kershaw not nick kershaw (dont let the sun ......) Nigel, four years back because a six year old kid of our friends renamed him that.

[Nigel]

So there you go. What about my poor problem, it seems to have been left out of the discussion!

[squeek]

So there you go. What about my poor problem, it seems to have been left out of the discussion!

Well if the FA describes it as 'poor' then no-one else is going to start raving about it!   :wink:  

Looks ace, too hard for me though, although next time I'm in lakes
I'm heading back down to St. Bees again, lovely place.

[chappers]

thanks for the beta Nigel/Niel
Back to the problem: ill defo get up there and try it out. it seen many more ascents since?

[Nigel]

No problem at all, all part of the service. It was unrepeated when I left the crag the day I did it, and I expect it has remained so in the week since then! Go to it.

P.S. Will be back this weekend on my tod, is anyone going out to the Lakes?

[clm]

Mmmmmm, the big green!!