[mark s]

I was walking up to the skyline from the back of the roaches at 8am. Early start as on 12 hour nights so need a few zzzz's
Went to doxeys pool and did a few probs there up to v4. I flashed staffs flier which i was chuffed with. Not hard but im still 97kg and its fucking hard work when heavy. I got out of the wind on the main ridge near san melas. Soloed mantis, an hvs which now gets E1. Felt ok, went for a vs 5a crack but the top was round as a cows arse so reversed.  The went gib tor. Managed get off the ground on stall but that was it. Surprisingly according to some cocks on fb and ukc who thought the mrt teams were going to declare a major emergency, i survived my climb.
How did your day go?

[gollum]

Wandered up to Buckstone this morning. Pottered a bit on easy stuff. Car park shut but loads of lay-bys. Nobody else climbing. A couple of folk dog walking, a couple who seemed to be making use of the being able to meet someone not from your household, although definitely not 2 metres apart.

On way home went to West Vale just to check out the parking. A couple of folk there on there own and looked like plenty of space. Definitely going back soon.

[ashtond6]

Burbage dead, no chalk on anything, car parks 1/3 full

[SA Chris]

a couple who seemed to be making use of the being able to meet someone not from your household, although definitely not 2 metres apart.

Know what I mean eh? Nudge nudge wink wink.

[Johnny Brown]

Figured I'd grab a chance to do the plantation circuit before every hold is a biohazard. Very quiet, absolute max ten boulderers (though two had come from London), no chalk on most stuff. Hardly anyone tradding either, a couple of pairs below the crag, saw one person off the ground all day.

[gme]

It was raining here this morning, pretty much the 1st time since lockdown, but just a shower.

Had a couple of hours close to home in total isolation as I suspected.

People have been climbing a fair bit though over the last weeks as loads of chalk. Not from today so I guess the last few weeks.

[Bonjoy]

I took Spike out climbing (I'm out tomorrow). He wanted to go to Lees Bottom so we went there. Was dry and some probs chalked. Nobody else there when we arrive. A climber arrived late in our session. We spoke briefly and he opted to have his lunch in his van and come back in a bit as we were nearly finished. All very easy, amicable and socially distant.
Drove past various crags on way there and back. Not many cars at Gardoms, or Froggatt. A fair number at Burbage S, but given Longshaw carpark still closed I would guess a lot were walkers.
All surprisingly quiet given how good the connies were.

[Bonjoy]

PS -The garden centre at Calver was queuing and had a full carpark.

[tc]

PS -The garden centre at Calver was queuing and had a full carpark.

I'm glad to hear the garden centre is open again. I've been living on borrowed thyme.

[mark20]

Had a wander along Stanage yesterday evening, cleared up a carrier bags worth of rubbish from below the edge. Mainly beer bottles and crisp packets. Quite a few rocks that had been thrown off the top and made a bit of a mess too. But encouraging to see grass growing on some of the paths again, in fact some of the lesser paths have almost grassed over completely.
Looking forward to a bit of a potter somewhere at the weekend 

[Adam Lincoln]

Drive past Kilnsey on way to Yew Cogar. Dead, and same on way home. No one at yew either.

[Stabbsy]

Northern end of Stanage - lucky I didn’t heed the advice of Will “Stanage Local” Hunt. Not only was social distancing not a problem, the only people I saw from where I was climbing were a runner and a couple of walkers on top of the edge. Nice to be out.

[JamieG]

All surprisingly quiet given how good the connies were.

I suspect this is because quite a lot of people are still torn about going climbing. I’d love to get out to the crag but still not convinced it’s a great idea. Even if is now ‘allowed’ I don’t fully agree with the government’s approach and think they’ve started easing things too early. In the same way I started self isolating a good week or so before official lockdown. I suspect many other climbers are similarly torn over what is the best approach. I’m fairly happy to wait a bit longer. But also understand (and definitely don’t judge) those heading out.

[T_B]

Some of us have become institutionalised and the prospect of outdoors seems quite scary. I know where I am with my local runs and garage board.

Or maybe people are at work?

I came downstairs this morning to find a note that said “too excited to sleep so gone climbing”.

[shark]

I came downstairs this morning to find a note that said “too excited to sleep so gone climbing”.

 

[Doylo]

English cunts.

[tomtom]

Some of us have become institutionalised and the prospect of outdoors seems quite scary. I know where I am with my local runs and garage board.

That’s kind of where I am - with a bit of what JamieG wrote...

I figured I’d at least wait a day or two or three and see what reports of how it was working (or not - though all seems fine so far) were.. I’m torn about where to go if I do go out as well... Most of my usual haunts are usually quiet/dead in terms of other climbers - but parking/approaches less so...

[ali k]

Malham was nice and quiet. Perfect cons. And a few friendly locals waving and shouting encouragement

[shark]

5 degrees and low humidity so rare late season grit connies. Ben was keen for Suavito but dissuaded him as it’s highball. He highlighted on Mossatrocity and sold it on the basis that I could do the 7A stand. Left the house at 8.30. Surprised at how quiet the roads were and how few cars parked. No other cars at Grindleford station. Lovely place. The stand was nails. Heel hook, slap, slap off for me. Boys got higher.

Left them to it and walked up Padley Gorge. Really lovely. Came back. Boys said Nathan Phillips had showed up but went back to car as they were just finishing to wait. Good man. No tick of stand let alone sit for any of us.

Packed up and persuaded them it would be worth swinging by the Tor. Ben was guessing 12 climbers would be there. I wasn’t so sure. Two vans in lay-by and no one on the crag. Game theory innit.

One of the van lifers stuck his head out. Later saw Grimer had taken him to task on FB. He’s lived there the last few weeks.

Boys went and worked on Powerband. I went on Bens Without. Despite being half a stone heavier did two hardest moves. Tips too sore to try the third. Joined the boys but too tired trying crux of Powerband and Rattle and Hump. Gave up. Home by 3pm. Perfect.

Was weird to go out. Know what you mean about being institutionalised Tom. Feels normal again already.

[lagerstarfish]

I got out with the kids after work.
Burbage north was a lot quieter than I expected.
Ring ouzels everywhere.
I felt a bit emotional on the drive out. Kids first time in a vehicle since lockdown started. When the lad started running about and jumping for joy a little tear leaked out.
Final straw was when middle child hugged me to emphasize how happy she was to see proper scenery. I don't think they noticed me crying.
Some rocks were climbed.


Edit- on reflection, it's a good thing that it went well. All that emotion could have been used in a more destructive way if someone had challenged me about, well, anything at all really. Slightly concerned that I hadn't noticed the strength of emotions going on inside me.

[Will Hunt]

I went to Crookstones (AKA Hellifield). The Rylstone layby has room for about 3 cars and I was the third. Other two cars empty and no sign of owners. Walked up with a group of 3 hillwalkers behind me. I had a stick brush with me and used that to lift and replace the gate hooks, which felt like overkill but was not without a certain satisfying pleasure.

There was a bit of chalk on the Shark boulder and a stashed pad nearby. Did a couple of things and then moved over to the other side of the gill. Some great downgrades happened which almost brought a tear to my eye. Bobbed from boulder to boulder doing the crag classics. There's a huge amount to go at there of mixed quality. Tried the highball Roy's Arete and got to the tricky bit and reversed to the ground. In other times I would have had a go and got committed - quite glad that I didn't now having read the UKC comments! Did a couple of the easy highball aretes and more nice stuff in the 6s. Backed off a highball that was basically a crux mantel top out at 4/5m. Great rock quality up there, and very close to Faerie's Chest.

Throughout the day I'd been looking back at a big block on the opposite side of the gill which you pass on the approach but don't see from the path. Not in the book or online so headed back over at the end of the day. Unfortunately it was slabbier than it looked from the other side of the valley, but the rock was nice and I did 9 new/unrecorded problems. Most between 4 and 5 but one nice 6B+.

Saw three pairs of hillwalkers go past during the day.


To those who saw other people who then went away to wait till you'd finished - were these small crags/buttresses where you couldn't be apart?

I don't want to bring up the whole Stanage thing again. I was just surprised that Adam had listed it as his number one go to when the BMC guidance suggested avoiding honeypots. That's all. I'm not trying to judge.

Had More or Less on during the drive and there was some very reassuring chat therein about transmission outdoors. It would seem that provided you stay apart, the odds on getting it while you're exercising outdoors are two-thirds of fuck all. With that in mind, I'm very happy to enjoy myself and it's great to have a good excuse to get to the less popular crags that I haven't been to yet.

[Bonjoy]

Yes Will, Lees Bottom is quiet compact. You could have two sets of climbers climbing easily, but more than that would be fiddly.

[steveri]

Helsby in the woods, never been so happy to be so weak. Figured it’d be quieter than the hilltop. Clean rock, some recent chalk, couple of friendly stoners skulking in the nearby cave. Mellow hour pottering, couple of traverses, flopped on anything needing more oomph. Wandered up to the hilltop for sunset. No climbers, no chalk, a few couples up for a smoochy sit as the sun dropped under the Mersey horizon.

[SA Chris]

English cunts.

Amen bro'

[SamT]

Lawrencefield and Millstone.

Car park was open,  busy with walkers and one other team heading over to Millstone.

Lawrencefield decidedly dirty and getting even more grassy/ferny that it was before. Virtually every route, bar Billy Whizz had grass on it somewhere (maybe it was like that before).  Hints of chalk on suspense, BW and gingerbread slab.
Utterly Utterly deserted and lovely to be stood in the midst of the silver birch feeling very alone and isolated.


Went over to Millstone, only the one team on Bond Street.
Felt very solitary in Green Death area.  Connies were utterly mint. Not a breath of wind there, yet no midges, and the wind swishing through the silver birch combined with almost perfect silence at times was exceptionally good for the soul.
Close but no tick for Super Direct Start though. Never mind.

Interesting to see chalk on Edge Lane, Green Death and possibly on Scritto's , but I suspect it was someone abseil inspecting the lines as there didn't look to be enough chalk top to bottom, or for a top rope session.