On Sunday the 27th of May the MOB were out in force again. In attendance were Derek, Dom, Jordan T, Mark, Rick and me. Our destination was Sergeants crag slabs in Borrowdale.
Mark and I set off from Fallowfield at 6:30 to meet the others at Derek’s. Upon setting off we both realised that we had no idea where Derek’s house was, and after driving around Bury in circles we decided to meet up at Forton services.
After meeting the rest of the boys, we headed over to the lakes taking one of Derek’s scenic routes! We parked up at around 9:30 and made our way over to the crag.
A lovely 45 min walk through the valley found us at the bottom of what looked like an incredibly imposing crag. For a slab it was steep and tall, up to 45 metres. The lowest grade climb was VS so we knew we would have to pull our fingers out. I’m sure Derek chose the crag to get us to push ourselves, and in hindsight it was a cracking choice of crag.
When we actually started climbing, I realised that my initial impression was unfounded. The rock was fantastic with positive holds and more footholds than you could shake a stick at.
Check out that blue sky! Jordan T on Lakeland Cragsman, HVS 5a.
The climbs felt a little over graded but the routes were of great quality and we had an excellent day out. For the first couple of routes the crag was nicely nestled in the shade, then the sun moved round and we climbed basking in the sun. Fortunately a good wind kept us cool otherwise it would have been a little savage.
Dom cruising Between the lines, E1 5b
All in all I managed to lead 4 routes which were, Revelation – VS 4c, Endurance – HVS 5a, Lakeland cragsman – HVS 5a and Holly Tree Crack – E1 5b. Cracking climbs, with good protection and character.
Derek on Quicksilver, E1 5b
We finished off the day with a quick swim in Black moss pot. Dom refused to go in as he had no shorts but nothing could stop Derek jumping in with his under crackers on! The water was surprisingly warm and after a nice dip we walked back in the evening sun discussing next week’s trip to the Gower. Bring it on!
Any recommendations for Lakeland climbs that are near a good swimming spot for this warm weather?
*Sits back and waits for sarcastic replies of, “It’s the lake district, there’s swimming spots everywehere!”
Please comment below and let me know
A nice spot for a swim!
VerticalThoughts 