Rocks, ropes & conquering fear with Lakeland Ascents

To say I was out of my comfort zone is putting it mildly. Rock-climbing and abseiling are things that in my mind other people do. However, when the opportunity came to spend the day with Lakeland Ascents I decided to give it a go. They do everything from rock-climbing and abseiling to gorge scrambling and winter and ice climbing. My friend Peter was in the Lakes on holiday and I persuaded him to keep me company on this adventure.

Ready to climb

We met Si from Lakeland Ascents in the Stickle Ghyll car-park in Langdale and headed to Scout Crag a short walk away. Scout Crag is for beginners. It still looked pretty high to me though and impossible to climb! As Si got the ropes ready, I stepped into my harness (really not the most flattering thing I have ever worn but for this occasion I did not care – it felt robust and secure and that was all I was after!) Equipped with hard hats we headed over to the crag to begin rock-climbing.

Scout Crag - my first rock climbing challenge!

The first lesson was in knots (which were all checked by Si) and then we were off. Peter went first and pretty much sprinted up the side of the crag then scaled elegantly down. Well that didn’t look too hard. I took my first tentative step on the crag and then another. I was probably all of six feet off the ground at this point but was starting to feel a real sense of achievement. It is all about keeping the weight on leg muscles rather than on your hands and arms. When I was half way up, I found it much trickier as obvious foot holds were not apparent and I began to put trust in some of the tiniest pieces of rock. But it worked. My adrenaline was pumping and my legs were shaking live Elvis at one point but I made it to the top. Yay!

Me on a rock

Then I had to descend. Technically this is the easy part. I somehow managed to get it wrong though and found myself spinning around and dangling on the rope in mid air! I recovered a little bit of elegance but only a little as I got back down to terra firma. However, I was surprised that at no point as I was hanging in mid air was I afraid. I had complete confidence in the ropes and Si and it was well placed. I was never at risk.

I tried the ascent again and this time I was faster as I had a better technique and more confidence. I also managed to get back down more elegantly. Buoyed up with this success, we tried a higher and more difficult part of the crag. Peter went first again and I was in charge of belaying for him, which is where I was holding the rope and controlling the slack etc. Si had another part of the rope as back-up in case I did something wrong. This was demonstrably a more difficult proposition.

Cathedral Quarry

Peter took two attempts but did get to the top whereas I took about ten minutes to get onto the first grassy ledge about a foot off the ground (much to the amusement of Peter and Si) and it didn’t bode well for the rest of the crag but I started making progress with even fewer footholds than before. I only got two-thirds of the way up as my muscles were starting to feel really tired but I was really pleased with what I achieved. I started my descent and once again got my technique wrong. This time I span about six feet around the crag and dangled again. I was unscathed but I did demonstrate the importance of hard hats!

Next we headed off to Cathedral Quarry near Little Langdale. This is an amazing place that I did not know existed. It is a large cave with extensive mining tunnels around it. It is a real attraction for people abseiling and as we arrived it was already busy. The lower crag was full so we decided to head straight for the high crag that meant an abseil of 160 feet. 

The high abseil descent

Again, Si set up the ropes and I watched person after person descend just further along the crag. No-one seemed to struggle. I was feeling very nervous though.

Peter went first again and hopped over the crag and made his way down. No problems at all. I was clipped on and took my first tentative steps towards the edge. My heart was racing. Si gave me the instructions and I stood with my back to the wide expanse below me. I was standing on the tiniest of ledges with the calming words of Si encouraging me to lean back and take the first steps down. I really wanted to but I was shaking and quite literally terrified. Si was very patient and deserves a medal. 

I tried about four times to descend. Peter came back up to give me encouragement. I had full confidence in the ropes (after all, I had spent a good amount of time dangling from them that morning) and confidence in Si but I just couldn’t do it. Peter even went down the crag again to show me the technique. In the end I admitted defeat. I was so frustrated I could have cried.

Me finally braving abseiling

Si had a solution though. We headed off to the lower crag that was now empty. He set the ropes up again and I was absolutely determined. I got into position, leant back straight away and off I went! Hurrah! I had quite a good technique for much of the descent (unlike this morning) and so was very happy. As I got to the bottom my smile could have rivalled the Cheshire Cat. At last!

To finish the day we headed along the caves and tunnels right through the crag to get back out to the car. The tunnels are pitch black so you need a torch and are low so you need a hard hat ideally. I cannot believe I have never been there before.

So having been out of my comfort zone all day, would I do it again? Actually yes I would. I really enjoyed the rock-climbing and would like to get better at that. Abseiling still holds a lot of fear for me but I think if I did the low crag a few times to get confidence in my technique I would be brave enough to do the large crag. I am certainly going to try it again one day.

Si and Lakeland Ascents were fabulous. I put my confidence and faith in his skills, experience and knowledge and it was well placed. Si was calm and encouraging and I achieved things I never thought I could. 

Now, when I see other people rock-climbing I can look and say “I did that”. Maybe ice climbing next?

With Si before the abseil attempt

A few more natural wonders of the Lake District

To avoid a blog as long as Tolstoy’s “War and Peace” I have been selective and will start with....

Easedale Tarn

Easedale Tarn – a deservedly popular destination reached easily from Grasmere. The last time I was there I came via the summits of Silver Howe and Blea Rigg on a beautiful sunny day. The emerald green grass sloped from the surrounding fells into the crystal blue tarn that glittered in the sunshine and tiny fish swam just beneath the surface. It was a day for paddling so that is just what I did – wading out to a large rock and watching the world go by. Easedale Tarn is all the more worth visiting for the walk alongside....

Sourmilk Gill

Sourmilk Gill – which epitomises all that is right with rainfall as it’s at its best when the cascades are gushing fiercely over the dark rocks and crashing in a cacophony to the water below. The famous waterfalls of Aira Force and Stock Ghyll Force may be beautiful and attract people from far and wide but for me, the cascades of Sour Milk Gill top the bill.

From waterfalls to caves – starting with the Priesthole Cave on the higher slopes of Dove Crag above Brothers Water. It is a cave you can genuinely describe as having “jaws” as the jagged rocks around look like the jaws of a shark. The views across the fells to Ullswater are superb and there is a book for visitors to sign inside (and sometimes even a chocolate bar to provide sustenance as it is a popular place to wild camp). My last visited ended up with me doing a rather elegant but unplanned roly poly but that's another story...

Priesthole cave

Inside Rydal cav

Rydal Caves are at a much lower level and within easy reach of Rydal Water. I found these on a low-level walk about ten years ago and have returned on several occasions, most recently with my mum. The largest cave is the type of cave that fairy tales are written about. It is dark and vast with a pool of water inside that has stepping stones across it and every word and movement echoes. I can’t wait to take my nephews to see them on their next visit.

I am addicted to climbing mountains so once again I had to include one. This time Seathwaite Fell. The lowest fell you can get to from the hamlet of Seathwaite in Borrowdale. Whilst others head to the giddy heights of Scafell Pike or Great Gable from the same destination, much less effort gets you to the summit of Seathwaite with its stunning views across Borrowdale and Derwent Water to Skiddaw and Blencathra and the intimate views of the more adventurous fells that surround it. Never underestimate the lower fells – they can be just as captivating as the higher ones.

The view from Seathwaite Fell

Once again, this is subjective but that is the beauty and joy of the Lake District - there are so many wonderful places to choose from. If you have others then please share them.

Read A few natural wonders of the Lake District here....

The Pike O'Blisco Adventure

Our walking group (photo by Daxa)

There are always three things guaranteed on a Twitter walk: fun, adventure and chocolate brownies. The Pike O’Blisco walk had all three in abundance.

Our starting point was the Three Shire Stone on the Wrynose Pass and as well as some of the usual crowd, there were new people as well. It is always nice meeting people on these walks and whilst we are all very different and come from different parts of the country, we all love walking the fells. There were nine of us on this walk with five dogs in all shapes and sizes including Tilly. Phil brought along his new puppy Molly and her and Tilly became firm friends.

Molly

We set off on the path towards Red Tarn and whilst cloudy, it looked like the sun could appear at any minute. We were all chatting and admiring the views and the dogs were running around happily. The path was getting snowier with each step but it was soft snow so was easier to grip and it meant Tilly had a great time playing in it as did all the dogs. Red Tarn itself was completely frozen, which upset Tilly as she had been looking forward to a swim but she contented herself with eating some snow instead.

Tilly waiting for me

It was a short but steep final ascent to Pike O’Blisco up quite a rocky path. Needless to say I was at the back but I was delighted to have Daxa for company who is a slower walker like me. We eventually joined the others on the summit and looked out over Crinkle Crags, Bowfell, the Langdale Pikes and the valley below. Beautiful. It was Molly’s first Lake District summit and she seemed pleased with her achievement.

Being "rescued" by Tilly

After a quick chocolate brownie (delicious as always) and coffee stop, we headed on across the slopes of Pike O’Blisco to head down to the narrow road in Great Langdale as our next target was Lingmoor Fell. This should have been fairly straight forward but with snow all around, it proved rather eventful but an awful lot of fun! The snow was thicker on that side of the fell and before long, we were all descending a snowy slope, digging our heels in to try and grip. I think Phil was the first to fall (not helped by having Molly tugging on her lead) and slide a few metres but several people slipped. At one point, there was a short but very steep section and having witnessed the less than elegant descent by some of the group (and noticing at least three cameras pointing in my direction), I decided sitting down and sledging was the best solution. Tilly had already run down it and was playing with Lassie at the bottom but seeing I was taking so long, she came back to rescue me. How sweet! She waited beside me whilst I got myself into position and then (not so helpfully) stood right in from of me just as I pushed myself down the slope so had to leap out of the way!

Tilly action shot from Phil

We got down unscathed and took our turn to watch the rest of the group make their descent. This was pretty much the way the next half an hour went – lots of slipping and impromptu sledging. On one slope, I decided to just sledge all the way and ended with a “ta da” moment with Gina capturing it for posterity. Dave did the same later on but on a rather steeper slope and his efforts to slow down using his walking pole ended in the pole having a 90 degree bend in it!

With all the hard work behind us (so we thought) we were now on grassy slopes but unbeknownst to us, the grass was frozen and Gina had a bad fall and hurt her knee. We did not think it was serious at this point though and just needed rest so we had a lunch break. The views were spectacular down into the valley and to the Langdale Pikes, Bowfell and Crinkle Crags. Molly and Tilly took turns posing for the camera and then Tilly went into “feed me treats” mode (those eyes though are simply heart-melting). Jim decided a traditional sandwich was not enough though and brought out a cooking device with a saucepan and rustled up some potatoes dauphinoise! I need to be a bit more creative with my walking lunches as a cheese and chutney sandwich just wasn’t the same after that.

Lunchtime

Tilly at Blea Tarn

We headed off but it was soon clear that Gina’s knee was quite badly injured so we had a change of plan. When we got down to the road, we split into groups. Some continued to the summit of Lingmoor, Dave, Terry and Adam headed back to get the car and Daxa and I waited with Gina. Whilst waiting, I decided to take Tilly around Blea Tarn as she had missed out on a swim in Red Tarn. We headed off and as the sun had come out she had a lovely swim and chased several sticks. The view along the valley to the Langdale Pikes was mesmerising and I could have sat in the sunshine there for hours. We headed back along the road to where Gina and Daxa were still waiting and before long, Dave arrived in the car (having had a long trek back up the Wrynose Pass) and we all met at the Three Shire’s pub for a drink and to laugh at our adventures.

A girl's best friend (photo from Gina)

Another great Twitter walk. Sadly Gina’s knee was quite badly injured but hopefully she can still run the London Marathon this year. Get well soon Gina!

Walking with a legend

David Powell-Thompson & me!

I have to confess that David Powell-Thompson is rather a hero of mine. As a fan of Lake District walking programmes I have seen him play cricket on top of Knott (one of the mountains behind Skiddaw that has rather a flat summit) with the crew filming Stuart Maconie and guide Julia Bradbury across Sharp Edge. David has such an amazing knowledge of the Lake District that any guided walk with him at the helm is going to be worth every step.

This guided walk however had the added bonus of including Mark Gilligan, an award-winning photographer who I met recently when he was writing an article about me and my book. Mark’s role was to give basic photography tips for amateur photographers like me (and I need all the help I can get!)

View to the jaws of Borrowdale (photo taken with help!)

We met at the tiny hamlet of Grange in Borrowdale (which has two lovely cafes) and set off towards Derwent Water. The origins of Grange date back to medieval times when the monks at Furness Abbey built a monastic grange (a manor house that was used for food production). It has a double-arched stone bridge that was built in 1675 that I think is the only double-arched bridge I have come across.

The rapport between David and Mark was clear immediately and it made the whole day light-hearted and entertaining as well as highly informative. Here came the first comparison between one of my “point and shoot” photos of the lake and a photo that with Mark’s advice and taking just a little bit more time, looked so much better. It sounds obvious but it really is all about how you capture the light. 

Before

After - much better colour contrast

Using the same technique

After my first short photography tuition, we headed up behind the Lodore Falls walking beside beautiful cascades and waterfalls that were still frozen in parts and glittering as the sun came through the trees. I started to understand how to use light and dark contrasts on my camera at this point - I still have a  lot to learn (as you can see from the photos) but at least I know the technique.

As we were on a trial run for the guided walks rather than an official one, we decided to cross the river over some stones rather than continue up to the footbridge. It was an interesting few minutes. David hopped across like a mountain goat, I demonstrated that walking poles can actually be useful (thanks for lending me one Mark) and Mark demonstrated that his walking boots were in fact waterproof.

Same view......

....different light/dark contrasts

 Our next stop was Surprise View just above Ashness Bridge. It is a little clearing at the edge of the woods on a crag that looks across Derwent Water to Keswick, Skiddaw, Catbells and all the way down to Bassenthwaite. Another photography lesson followed and I bravely took my camera off its automatic setting for the first time... For me this is real progress. I was given my camera by a friend recently who was upgrading so it is the best camera I have ever had. I know very little about all its features and functions though so understanding even a small amount what it is capable of has made a real difference. The quality of the colour of the sky is so much better – it actually captures the colour and contrast I am seeing with my eyes much better, rather than the sky being too light.

Surprise View

Watendlath Tarn

The hamlet of Watendlath was our next stop and we followed a gentle rocky path. There is a cafe at Watendlath (which may or may not be open, it keeps its own hours) and the most stunning tarn. I chatted a lot to David on the way up the hill out of Watendlath. It was totally by chance David got into the research and filming side of the Lake District, starting with some programmes being made by writer and broadcaster Eric Robson. Every conversation I had with him I learned something new about the Lake District – particularly the literary links. As we made our way into Rosthwaite, David explained that William Wordsworth had once stayed at the Scafell Hotel and had had to share a room with a pedlar owing to a lack of space. Now that was definitely the random fact of the day. After a swift refreshment break at the Scafell Hotel bar, we headed back towards the jaws of Borrowdale along the lower slopes of Castle Crag and the river Derwent.

The weather had turned much colder and there were even a few flurries of snow at this point so it became a walk more about history and insights rather than photography (if it does rain on the walks though they have that catered for so photos can still be taken). I knew about the history of Milican Dalton, a hermit who used to live in a cave on Castle Crag but I had never found the cave. David of course took us straight there (albeit on a more adventurous route that usual) and lo and behold there was a two-storey cave with living quarters below and the bedroom up and to the right. Positively roomy! Inscribed on the wall of the cave by Milican Dalton himself is the phrase:

“Don’t waste words. Jump to conclusions”

A brilliant phrase!

Milican Dalton's cave

It was then just a short walk back to our starting point of Grange. The walk was about six hours but it was done at a relaxed pace to allow time for photography, to talk and for refreshment breaks. I ended the walk with a better level of photography skill based on a few basic tips and a much better knowledge of the area we had been walking in. More importantly however, I had an absolutely grand day out in a wonderful part of the Lake District and in great company. 

I would highly recommend this guided walk with photography tips. David and Mark have dates and locations set for the summer so go onto their "A view, a camera and you" page and book yourself onto one. I am definitely going on more of them so I might see you there.