[Pantontino]

I heard it was pretty wet on Wednesday. We thought about driving over to Manor crag, but instead went for a Cromlech session, which despite some streaks of drainage and spitting rain was really good in the end - in fact the best laugh I've had at a crag in ages. It's amazing how you can turn a day around with some good humour and the right people (Jonny boy and CJD I salute your keenness, both for obscure classics and pints of frothy ale afterwards).

As for the prospects of finding dry rock on the Ormes this weekend - It isn't looking good. High temperatures and endless days of rain. That said, Saturday is probably your best bet as the temperature is lower, which should keep the dampness at bay. Seepage is quiet bad at the moment, although there will be things to do, there nearly always is.

[Pantontino]

GCW - did you check Carreg Hylldrem? That stays dry in all but the most humid and minging of weather.

[GCW]

Nope, had the wife and 2 kids to consider so only had a look here and there.  Cromlech boulders were soaked when I looked on Monday.  I plan a return visit at some point, so cheers for the heads-up.

[superfurrymonkey]

I was there that day Tom and had a decent sesh working left wall into the start of rock atrocity, which was also in not too bad nick and could have been rescued with some toweling dry etc............. it`s also very windy here at the moment.

[Doylo]

Its pretty windy but its just keeps pissing from the heavens, i'm not going back til it stops raining so i certainly wouldn't advise travelling to go there unless you want to work the Cave Life section that superfurry refers to. Even the new Pill Box, Breck Road is getting sacked. BTW this place is awesome and is not climbed out yet!

[BenF]

Even the new Pill Box, Breck Road is getting sacked.

Really?  Downer.

[r-man]

Cheers folks. That's saved my merry gang a not so merry trip.

Bloody rain.

[Doylo]

Even the new Pill Box, Breck Road is getting sacked.

Really?  Downer.

yeah it was climbable on monday but gettin proper mingin the next day

[BenF]

Thanks for the excellent update service!  Keep it up and we'll try to oblige with a similar level of updates when Woodwell returns to form (if anyone is actually interested of course).

[Jaspersharpe]

Johnny Brown will be for sure.

[BenF]

 

Yeah, I reckon we could text him the info straight to his mobile just to keep him informed at all times. 

[Pantontino]

I'm not sure you can get reception down at the climbing wall, so he might not get the texts. Maybe if we rang reception they could pass a message on to him.

And don't forget about dear old Houdini - even when he is out of the country I know his thoughts are rarely far from his spiritual home: the Marine Drive.

Where there's a will, there's a way. I'm sure if we all pull together we can keep JB and Houdini informed. It's this sense of community that keeps me coming back to UKB - keep it up lads and lasses, I'm proud of you all!

[Houdini]

Less of the old, fuckmush!   




My spies are legion.


(For the record, I've climbed everywhere but the Diamond on the Ormes.)

[Pantontino]

What, even Craig Pen Gogarth?!! You are my hero!

[BenF]

Wow Houdini, have you even been up to the elusive Badger Cave?  What are the routes in Dutchman's Zawn like?

[Houdini]

Find out for yourselves.




 

Now, I won't say too much as it upsets Doylo (and he's all right so we must be nice).  There's a difference in hating lime & hating poor quality rock.  Not in the same galaxy nevermind ball park.  There is the odd area I won't have been, but I didn't go there because I hated it;  it was lack of or better opportunities.  The only place I took trad seriously was not the Pass or Dinorwig but Pembroke (a place to push yourself on great gear) I have climbed much lime, I've been to the Frankenjura more than once;  I've climbed across the limestone outcrops of N. Germany too (places you may never have heard of . . . ) & a little Thai.  Can't wait to get to the NZ lime, I fizz at the thought.  I love steepness, I'm good at it.

Every now and again I like to go to the cave - just to remind myself that I'm doing the right thing by avoiding it and climbing higher quality rock.  I think (reaching) maybe this is why JB & others have better things to do also.

[superfurrymonkey]

Just had a report from the cave and there`s not a dry hold to be had anywhere including split infinity and the breck road area.

[Doylo]

Find out for yourselves.




 

Now, I won't say too much as it upsets Doylo (and he's all right so we must be nice).  There's a difference in hating lime & hating poor quality rock.  Not in the same galaxy nevermind ball park.  There is the odd area I won't have been, but I didn't go there because I hated it;  it was lack of or better opportunities.  The only place I took trad seriously was not the Pass or Dinorwig but Pembroke (a place to push yourself on great gear) I have climbed much lime, I've been to the Frankenjura more than once;  I've climbed across the limestone outcrops of N. Germany too (places you may never have heard of . . . ) & a little Thai.  Can't wait to get to the NZ lime, I fizz at the thought.  I love steepness, I'm good at it.

Every now and again I like to go to the cave - just to remind myself that I'm doing the right thing by avoiding it and climbing higher quality rock.  I think (reaching) maybe this is why JB & others have better things to do also.

it doesn't upset me Houdini, i just think your drum will be needing a new skin if you keep banging on it like you do. I appreciate that for you rock quality is one of the things that inspire you. It is for me too but i'm more inspired by the actual moves and lime (especially the cave  ) provides some damn fine movement.

[Houdini]

I respect your opinion, my friend.


I posted that extra stuff to make it clear that you were wrong to label me a lime hater: catagorically incorrect.

As for drums . . .   They're 10 a penny   



I feel for the Noden - every man and his dog has done Clyde now.  Is he still obsessive over it?

[Pantontino]

Went to the cave yesterday, more out of curiosity than anything else. It was the wettest I have ever seen it: not a single square inch of dry rock in the cave itself or up at Breck Road and maybe three dry holds in Split Infinity.

Did a litter pick, scoped some new lines and then went to the Plas y Brenin wall. This was the first time in over 2 years that I have failed to find dry rock, so it was quite a novelty going back to all that dusty chalk and sweaty ming. Unless this warm wet weather breaks I can see myself becoming a serious plastic monkey.

Actually my predictions are:

temp drop on tuesday - might be climbable

warm again on wednesday - wet

cold again on thursday - very likely to be dry and climbable

So keep the faith all you cave devotees, there is light at the end of this (very) wet tunnel..

[Monolith]

One feels a bit like a harbinger of serious doom posting on this thread in recent times. I could show you some footage of Pit of Hell in a practical bathtub. Needless to say, maintenance was hard work!

[Johnny Brown]

Was the lakes/ N.yorks dry again on sunday? I know northumberland was, bit far for a day though.

[Pantontino]

Thanks for your concern JB (very touching that you would care about our plight), but I couldn't travel on Sunday as I had other business to take care of in the morning. (I am mildly gutted though to know that others were out and about on the grit.)

Ironically, and keeping with the indoor theme, I was checking out a building for a potential training venue with Robins and later teaching my son to lower off at the wall. (I bribed him with a pair of new rock shoes and it worked!)

[Monolith]

Was the lakes/ N.yorks dry again on sunday? I know northumberland was, bit far for a day though.

Did Morecambe and Wise (aka Lee and Andy) have a good time? Went to get the train to meet up for the trip but it cost 55 quid return at the cheapest 

Actually cheaper return flight by 20 quid to fly to Bergamo from my doorstep. Has the idea of an economy of scale gone completely out of the window in modern times?

[Pantontino]

Here's a pic from yesterday, just to show how bad it was:



more pics here:

http://www.northwalesbouldering.com/newsitem.asp?nsid=324