M - More Fair Head. The glorious weather continued and I was feeling a bit more lively, so got on Salango (E3, 5.11a). A bit of try-hard was employed at the start of the second pitch and a few puffing noises were heard but I felt like I had a little in reserve. Followed it with the magnificent Equinox. “Climb the massive fucking corner”, which I did, in one 55m pitch. It’s never very hard but there is a lot of climbing (E2, 5.10c).
T - Battered. Rest day. Walked 7-8km around the cliff top.
W - Late start. Went in search of Dark Forces. Failed to find it so did The X-Men (E3) instead as it’s next to the An Bealach Rúnda abseil. An excellent route: pitch one is an epic hand crack (5.10d) unlike anything else I’ve done in the UK. I led p2 which was the shorter but more technical of the two (5.10d, and not UK6a). Celebrated 63rd birthday and West Ham’s victory in Prague with a glass or two of Côtes du Rhône. Should have been a Claret!
T - Getting weary by this point. Back to The Hustler, another E3 banger. Simon led the slightly hollow first pitch and I took on the top pitch. This is a bit run-out at the start, not bad, just not a plug-cams-at-will crack. Then there is an unobvious step into the final crack off a too-comfortable ledge. This needed some encouragement from my belayer to get started but went OK with a bit of try-hard once I committed (F6b/5.10d?).
F - Last day, not the best day. Fell off following Simon up the first pitch of Ocean Boulevard (E3, 5.11b?). Tired, not concentrating, I’d done it before with no major problems, and I wasn't even on the hardest bit! Led the top pitch. Long drive-ferry-drive back to Sheffield.
S - Leisurely start and drive down to London. 30C. Someone has switched-on summer in my absence. Hip seized-up completely after all the travel.
S - Hobbled around. Legs conditioning: frog squats, single leg squats, heel raises. Shoulder and elbow conditioning: handstands, press-ups, side planks, lock-offs and so on.
A great trip: nine days on, two days off, 14 routes, 40 stars, not a drop of rain, the only misty day turned into a glorious cloud inversion. Good company and the Fair Head meet is always very enjoyable. It's not that cheap now and, entertaining though they were, I'm not sure it needs guest speakers that (reportedly) cost €2500.
Hip doesn’t like sitting in cars and has stiffened up again. Unfortunately this is probably more than a tweak. I clearly need to find more E2/3 cracks to grovel up as it seems relatively happy with this, less so with long journeys or big walk-ins.
Plan: quiet week, a little easy climbing to keep things moving.
T - Battered. Rest day. Walked 7-8km around the cliff top.
W - Late start. Went in search of Dark Forces. Failed to find it so did The X-Men (E3) instead as it’s next to the An Bealach Rúnda abseil. An excellent route: pitch one is an epic hand crack (5.10d) unlike anything else I’ve done in the UK. I led p2 which was the shorter but more technical of the two (5.10d, and not UK6a). Celebrated 63rd birthday and West Ham’s victory in Prague with a glass or two of Côtes du Rhône. Should have been a Claret!
T - Getting weary by this point. Back to The Hustler, another E3 banger. Simon led the slightly hollow first pitch and I took on the top pitch. This is a bit run-out at the start, not bad, just not a plug-cams-at-will crack. Then there is an unobvious step into the final crack off a too-comfortable ledge. This needed some encouragement from my belayer to get started but went OK with a bit of try-hard once I committed (F6b/5.10d?).
F - Last day, not the best day. Fell off following Simon up the first pitch of Ocean Boulevard (E3, 5.11b?). Tired, not concentrating, I’d done it before with no major problems, and I wasn't even on the hardest bit! Led the top pitch. Long drive-ferry-drive back to Sheffield.
S - Leisurely start and drive down to London. 30C. Someone has switched-on summer in my absence. Hip seized-up completely after all the travel.
S - Hobbled around. Legs conditioning: frog squats, single leg squats, heel raises. Shoulder and elbow conditioning: handstands, press-ups, side planks, lock-offs and so on.
A great trip: nine days on, two days off, 14 routes, 40 stars, not a drop of rain, the only misty day turned into a glorious cloud inversion. Good company and the Fair Head meet is always very enjoyable. It's not that cheap now and, entertaining though they were, I'm not sure it needs guest speakers that (reportedly) cost €2500.
Hip doesn’t like sitting in cars and has stiffened up again. Unfortunately this is probably more than a tweak. I clearly need to find more E2/3 cracks to grovel up as it seems relatively happy with this, less so with long journeys or big walk-ins.
Plan: quiet week, a little easy climbing to keep things moving.
