Voted one of Britain’s top 100 climbs, and done on about the first fine day in this Cumbrian summer. Used to go up after work, but now struggle up in the afternoon, returning today to Goat’s Water at about the same time we used to arrive on the way up. Harder than we thought when done on a colder day eleven years ago. Such is aging. Lovely mountain golden rod, starry saxifrages and sea, yes sea, campion, see photo, on the high rocks. The crux, where a pinnacle was once perched (Rochers perches, pitch 3) is hard for a 68 yr old with relatively poor balance, as the hand hold is a damp, flat, slightly sloping ledge, but done with a little help. Some climber posted on the UKC logbook that he’d linked pitches 3, 4 and 5: magic ropes, as 5 goes sharp right after a left traverse, then straight up. First time we had done the easy pitch above this of Arete Chimney and Crack, but today finished as per the book. Lovely. Very odd to be descending in sunshine, even odder driving home in it!
Left click on the photos as usual to enlarge. The leader on all pitches was Ian Chadwick.
The end of pitch 1. Pitch 2. The Rochers Perches crux, pitch 3. Beyond the Rochers Perches crux. Pitch 4. Start of pitch 5. Towards Torver south. Sea Campion below some belay or other. The summit.
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