The view from Napes Needle
By Mike Bayley - April 2006
Saturday 20th August saw Martin & I heading for the Lake District to collect some Classic Rock ticks and as many other routes as we can. We left Ipswich mid afternoon and after an uneventful journey enjoyed chips in Keswick before putting the tents up at a busy Hollows Farm in the gathering gloom.
Sunday dawned bright and warm. After a leisurely start and gear faff, we drive up to Seathwaite and walk up to Gable Crag, our targets being Napes Needle & Needle Ridge. Unwisely we chose the shorter but scrambly path and the walk in takes about 3 1/2 hours. At Styhead we pick up the climbers path that contours around Great Gable, passing under the impressive looking Kern Knotts and Tophet Wall before arriving at Napes Needle.
I'm staggered that there's nobody on the route. After some lunch and a final check of the instructions for making ourselves secure on the top and getting down again, Martin tackles the first pitch - a polished offwidth crack. I join him at the belay, take the gear and start the very short second pitch. There's an obvious break above the belay for gear and this takes a friend and a nut. A couple of surprisingly easy moves later my feet are in the break and I can traverse left into a more exposed position. The holds are all obvious and fairly well used but some more gear would nice. A couple of moves later I get a nut in just below the top and before I know I'm on the top of the pinnacle, feeling rather insecure as it's far from flat and quite polished.
The view from Napes Needle
Right, time to see if I can recall the instructions. Drop a loop of rope under the overhang and clove hitch into the harness. Drop another two loops down to Martin and tie each one back into the harness. Still not feeling that secure but it will have to do. Martin comes up and we exchange the gear so that he can place more pieces to protect my descent. Martin down-climbs and re-attaches himself to the belay at the top of the first pitch before I too down-climb and remove the gear from the top pitch.
We then change the gear over again and I down climb the first pitch, placing more gear as I go before Martin comes down. What a performance! It must have taken at least twice as long to get down from the top as it took to get up there. The guidebook gives an overall grade of HS; the ascent almost certainly isn’t that but the descent probably is.
Needle Ridge starts right behind the needle and as we’re feeling confident in our abilities, we decide to take coils and move together. This proved to be a good move and we cover the ground very quickly, progress only being limited by the two teams ahead of us. By the time we get to the top, the weather is beginning to change with the wind picking up and cloud lowering. We scramble down and then lurch down some scree before picking the walker’s path back to Styhead. We return along the better path to the valley but it’s already started to rain and we’re quite wet by the time we get back to the car at around 7.30. Good day out though, with two routes ticked.
Back at the campsite a group of chavs are in residence in poorly pitched tents and seem intent on making as much noise and being as oiksome as possible.
We’re somewhat fatigued the following day; we decide an easier valley day is in order. We start off by walking up to Black Crag for the tick of Troutdale Pinnacle. The first three pitches are despatched in short order. The fourth pitch starts with a downward traverse across some slabs, which required some thought, and then a steep step up onto the pinnacle. Easier ground follows to gain the top of the pinnacle on which I sit, semi-astride, with plenty of air on both sides. An airy step off the pinnacle follows and then a groove with an awkward move near the top to finish. Another tick ticked.
We then walk round to Shepherds Crag and Martin points me at Brown Slabs Crack ‘So we can nail that mountain VS thing’. The main feature of the route is a polished corner that can be either jammed or laybacked. I go for the jamming option and although it’s quite strenuous there’s enough gear to keep it safe. The corner is soon ascended, as is the easier ground to the top. A visit to Shepherd’s Crag wouldn’t be complete without going to the café, so that’s our next port of call. Being late in the day, they’re keen to sell that day’s cake so we get extra large portions. Result! Better still; we get to bask outside in the warm sunshine.
Back on the campsite, we’re chilling out and nibbling when Martin’s friends Dave and Chris appear. ‘Oh’ says Martin, ‘I wasn’t expecting them until tomorrow!’ Tents are soon pitched, beers exchanged, tea drunk and food prepared and eaten on a warm evening only spoilt by uninvited midges and the chavs.
Tuesday starts grey and gloomy. Undeterred, we drive up to Honister Hause; Martin, Dave & I walk into Gillercombe for the tick of Gillercombe Buttress whilst Chris walks back to the campsite. On the approach, the cloud base is dropping but we apply mountaineering judgement and decide to go for the route anyway but to climb with rucksacks so we can walk straight out from the top. With the weather looking threatening, we elect to climb in waterproofs. I also choose to wear waterproof trousers and was I glad I did!
Martin takes the first pitch and it proves to be jolly exciting for the grade, with an awkward struggle into and out of a square notch. I led the second pitch but don’t recall much about it. I do, however, recall leaving the belay and moving round into the full force of the wind and rain now battering the buttress. Dave led the fourth pitch in increasingly foul conditions and I led the fifth, which wasn’t too difficult despite the conditions. And so it fell to Martin to take the 6th and penultimate pitch. We thought the difficulties were over and this was now a romp to the top but there was a sting in the tail. We should perhaps have realised this sooner, this being a Classic Rock route.
The technically difficult moves were very thin and reachy above a big drop and would be interesting on a still, warm day. But in the wind and streaming with water they were much more difficult. The moves above were considerably easier but no less demanding due to the runout. So demanding that Martin had to take a five minute break mid pitch to gather thoughts and recover sufficient mental energy to finish the pitch. Meantime, Dave and I were getting progressively colder & wetter on the belay. Dave feels the cold anyway and with soaking poly cotton trousers was suffering. I lead the 7th and final pitch; by the time we’re all at the top it’s about 5pm and time for some lunch. After a nibble we navigate across the tops through cloud and eventually get back to Honister Hause at about 6.30. With the food and movement, Martin & I have warmed up a bit. Dave however was moving very slowly, feeling sick and had gone very quiet.
The wind and rain kept up all night; if anything they got worse. The weather forecast was for torrential rain and gale force winds and we certainly got all of that. Despite the exertions of the previous days I slept only fitfully but when I finally surfaced, just as the rain was abating, there was tent carnage at Hollows Farm. Our tents were undamaged but there was evidence of several groups packing up and leaving during the night, with their trashed tents and paraphernalia dumped by the bin. The chavs had left sometime during the night, their weak erections evidently not man enough to resist all the weather could throw at them. Stereotypically, they left a trail of rubbish behind them for others to clean up.
Flooded River Derwent
A little later we found that a swollen River Derwent had cut us off from Keswick. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the rain stopped completely, the sun came out and it turned into a good drying out day. Our climbing gear and wet clothing from the previous day was soon spread around the campsite and we salvaged some guy lines and a tent pole from the bins to make a drying line.
Norman arrives mid-morning and with the flooding has to walk the last mile or so to the campsite. Being made of stern stuff, he and Dave team up for a day at Shepherds Crag. Meanwhile, Martin and I loaf around the campsite until lunchtime then head into Keswick for gear fondling and food shopping.
Drying out at Hollows Farm
Unsure of the weather for the coming days, a call was made to the ever-reliable Culverhouse weather centre. Part of the plan for the week is to walk over into Ennerdale and wild camp for a couple of routes on Pillar but this is very much weather dependent. The forecast isn’t too good so we cook up an alternative plan – an early start the next day to do Tophet Wall on Great Gable and if time permits walk into Ennerdale for a recce of Pillar and maybe a route as well.
Wednesday evening saw the late return of Norman & Dave from Shepherds Crag, and the arrival of Adrian and Kearton, the Chandler family and Nick Willis.
It was about 8.30 the following morning that we parked up at Seathwaite and started the walk up to Great Gable. This time we chose the easier valley path and make good progress. With a bit of prior knowledge it takes us around 3 hours to walk up to Tophet Wall. As we gear up, a cold wind is blowing up the gully and we’re out of the sun but at least it’s dry. I launch up the first pitch, which is steep and thin, but there is enough protection that was particularly appreciated through a technical section. Martin comes up to the somewhat uncomfortable hanging belay at the end of the pitch where we swap over and he leads through.
The second pitch starts in much the same way as the first, but without the welcome gear! Fortunately there is gear a bit higher up and we both make fairly light work of the pitch. From the guidebook it looks as though the third pitch is the crux; the wording in the guidebook is “Semi hand traverse right in a sensational position”. It certainly is a good position but the holds and protection are both generous. I’m left wondering what the fuss was all about! We swap over again and Martin leads through for the fourth and final pitch. It starts easily enough, climbing up to a pinnacle before stepping round an arête and then easier ground to the top. What neither of us had banked on was the exposure – huge! - from stepping round the arête. At the top, both of us were giggling like a couple of schoolgirls at the position.
By the time we’ve scrambled down and lunched it’s mid afternoon; too late for another route but just right for a recce into Ennerdale. We regain the climbers’ path and contour round Great Gable in good time. We then head over Kirk Fell, steep but steady, before dropping down to Black Sail Pass. Big black clouds have been rolling in and as the descent steepens, rain starts to fall. As it looks like it’s fairly well set in, we stop to don waterproofs. Whilst faffing around we’re approached by a father and son team who have been sitting nearby. ‘The boy doesn’t want to tackle the steep descent; can we help them? Martin uses a couple of slings to make sit and chest harnesses into which we tie a rope. With his father in front and me providing a waist belay as required from behind, his confidence soon returns and whilst maybe not skipping down like a mountain goat the descent that had previously appeared very daunting now posed little problem. We leave them at Black Sail Pass but it’s taken us a couple of hours to get here so although our destination is in sight we take the mountaineering decision to turn round.
Our exit from Ennerdale is obvious – Windy Gap between Green Gable and Great Gable. Rather than go back over Kirk Fell, we pick up a path that contours round Kirk Fell. The path to Windy Gap is now obvious but that doesn’t mean it’s easy! Well, the first part is easy but, joy of joys, we’re soon onto steep and loose ground all the way to the top. By and large it’s more of the same down the other side although the path has been partially made up. From leaving Black Sail Pass, it takes something like two hours to get back to Styhead Tarn. By now we’re both pretty tired and Martin is also suffering with a dodgy ankle. An emergency Genoa cake, saved for just such an eventuality, lifts our spirits and provides an energy boost. An hour or so later we’re back at the car, some 12 hours or so after starting out. A long day but what a day!
Back at the campsite it seems as though we had the best of the weather and I believe the words “However good your day has been, ours has been better” were uttered. Adrian and Kearton arrived back even later having had a standard issue IMC adventure on the Corvus that involved Kearton falling on the crux traverse.
An altogether easier day was called for on the Friday so Shepherds Crag is in order. Martin points me at the first pitch of Donkey’s Ears before he takes the second pitch. Then it’s back to me for the 3rd pitch, which I make a complete bollix of. The guidebook description is vague so I first try a low line that is far too hard for the grade. A quick retreat allows me to try a higher line but that isn’t going to give in easily either. That leaves the easy option to the right at more like diff than severe but given the fatigue from yesterday I’m really not bothered. With the security of a top rope, Martin tries the possible lines and finds an option that largely fits the grade but would be very bold on the lead.
By now it’s gone lunchtime so we sort food out. Having done so, the wind picks up and a rain shower rolls in so a massed retreat to the café takes place. The rain continues for a while so we have an early retreat to the campsite. Remarkably we’ve been here a week but haven’t made it to the pub so that evening we endeavour to put some more money into the local economy. The hotel in the village of Grange is only open to residents so we wander up the road to The Leathes Hotel, partway to Shepherds Crag. No problem with letting us into their very warm lounge but at over £10 for four drinks we only stay for one round.
That evening saw the arrival of Bob, Simon & Karen and Steve & Caroline.
Saturday sees us heading for Raven Crag for the well trodden route of Corvus, hopefully avoiding the falling off the crux traverse and descending in the dark experiences of recent ascents by IMC teams. Parking by the roadside isn’t an option and we have to use the NT car park at Seatoller – I’m still reeling from having to pay £4.50 to use their patch of tarmac for a few hours. The walk up to the crag is uphill but steady and somewhat surprisingly there’s no one else around. I get the first pitch, just to one side of a gully. It’s pretty wet and as a consequence a good deal harder than the grade – diff. By accident rather than design, I run the first and most of the second pitch together, not stopping until a dry belay ledge arrives. Martin than leads through and so we continue to the top. The crux pitch comes at about halfway; Martin leads it and I second but fail to find any difficulty in it but then we have been climbing routes a good deal harder earlier in the week. Almost before we know it we’re at the top and making our way back down. With the exertions of recent days, every step is hard on the legs.
A fine, sociable evening follows with previously hidden skills at juggling and with a Diablo being demonstrated by Simon.
Sunday starts wet and after extended faffing we undertake a mass exodus to The National Mountaineering Exhibition at Rheged near Penrith. The exhibition is OK, mainly about British attempts on Everest. One of the exhibits is preserved frostbitten toes. Hmm, nice. We also took in an American film about one of the climbers who lost their lives on Everest in 1986. It was so good I can’t remember the name of the climber! Whilst it was dry at Rheged, it certainly wasn’t in Borrowdale and another less than sociable evening confined to our tents ensued. Nick, Simon & Karen and Steve & Caroline all decide enough is enough and head for either home or sunnier climbing venues.
But wouldn’t you know it, the following day, when we are due to come home, was bright and sunny. We walk up to Shepherds Crag again and launch up the three pitches of Ardus. Martin gets the first pitch and after the rain of the previous day it is greasy and slippery. I lead through for the second pitch, starting with some awkward bridging off the stance before tackling the corner crack. It’s a bit strenuous and technical but that’s fine with me. Martin then leads through for the third and final pitch, an interesting traverse across a slab before taking a crack to the top. Although the line looked a bit greasy and polished, it proved to be all there and with sufficient protection.
Time for one more route before departing. Keen to end on a high note, we tackle the V diff route of Brown Slabs Direct in glorious sunshine.
Meanwhile, Simon and Bob, taken by tales of grand adventures on Tophet Wall, opt for the big walk in and by all accounts weren’t disappointed. They also got to see Dave Macleod cleaning and working the moves on Breathless, an E10 on the wall above Tophet Wall.
By the time we’ve been to the café and pack up at the campsite, it’s about 4pm. Keen to avoid the jams on the M6 of previous years, we head across to Scotch Corner and then down the A1, arriving in Ipswich at about 9.30 – a most satisfactory end to a great week.
Mike
