Say Hello - Wave Goodbye

Chamonix was great, and the journey home was very steady, the Zeebrugge to Hull crossing was calm and another complimentary upgrade came our way - which made it all the sweeter.

Then it was four days in the UK and off again. There was the usual rush round to do jobs, pay bills, sort stuff, see friends, pack the bags, book hotels, car-hire etc - and away.

Left: White Cat saying "Can I be your friend, please?" ("of course" is the answer)

A couple of days on the grit were as pleasant as ever, good company, great routes and even feeling like I was climbing moderately well - the 70+ last month in France/Switzerland must have done the trick.

So it is off the Ariége for 10 days, then home for a week then back to Kalymnos for the rest of the autumn.

Cats are waiting and they won't wait for ever!

The Road Goes On

The 10 days in Ponte Brolla were great, good weather (apart from one wet day), superb climbing and a really lovely part of the world. It amazes me that the area isn't better known to a UK audience, it has that great blend of easy accessibility, loads of routes across the grades, good weather and a fantastic ambiance.
Camping again after several years of the Good Life proved 'interesting' - or should that read 'hard-work' - especially the time between sundown and bed, a few hours to kill in the dark and the cold, though we managed well enough!  Eventually though we gave in and made the five hour drive back to Thorbjørn's superb pad in Chamonix. So far the weather has been fantastic and the climbing excellent. The season has already ended (when we were here in June it hadn't started) so everywhere is quiet though on the downside, most of the cable cars are shut.
Already we are already thinking about heading back to the UK so we can initiate the Autumn Regime - that will be Ariège and Kalymnos for starters then!

Mountain Weather

Swiss September

On the plus side - there are no crowds, it isn't too hot, the campsite and the towns are almost deserted.

On the minus side, and unlike other years when we have been here in the autumn - the weather is best described a bit mixed.

It has been one day on and one day off at the moment and the forecast doesn't look too sparking - come on or we will have to run away to the seaside!

Left: Sherri belayed halfway up Azalee Beach - on the only dry route on the crag

Update: An afternoon and evening of rain (just after we put the tent up) decided it for us, upsticks, over the Susten Pass, through the Gothard Tunnel and into sunny Ponte Brolla - brill!

Late Summer Dreaming

Right: Steve abseiling off Boulder Climb, Robin Hood's Stride, Derbyshire

Summer in the Peak - same as it ever was; half decent weather, days out with good mates, venues old and new and of course too many people around. The 1st signs of autumn are on the way, so it is time to think about heading off.

Work on Eastern Grit 3 has gone well, the photography has progressed (despite the heat and the neck-deep bracken), and although not finished it is pretty well on down the line. Certainly there is enough to keep me busy for several months where-ever we end up at.

Ferry booked for a week today, Hull > Zeebrugge - lets go!

Peak Puntering

Left: Colehill Quarry 

We have been back in the UK for about 10 weeks (well always excluding a quick flier back to the Ariege in June) and it has been OK - though we both have been getting ichy feet. The main aim was to photograph the Eastern Grit crags in preparation for a new guidebook due out sometime next year. The previous volume has been Rockfax's best selling guidebook of all time, but already it looks a little dated, a full refresh is in order.  Of course it was a rewrite of the book that really broke the mould - Peak Grit East. When it was 1st published way back in in 2001 the effect was electric and guidebook production was changed for ever, certainly in the UK and probably further afield too.
Most significantly it gave me the chance to pack in teaching and take up writing full-time - which also freed us up to travel as and when the urge took us and that has been fantastic - we have become a right pair of nomads.

Other than getting on with the photography there has been plenty of climbing with the usual team, and pleased to report Colin has been down a couple of times and he is climbing really well.

Right: one more day photographing at Rivelin

A ferry is booked for early September - Hull to Zeebrugge, so it is back to Swizerland for a bit of autumnal time in the mountains. Last time we locked the door and sailed away, we were gone for 8 months - I wonder how long we can last this time?

Ups and Downs in Scotland

The heat in Sheffield got so unpleasant we finally decided to head north in search of cooler conditions. Anthony Welsh, who I hadn't seen for about 30, years had invited us up to his place in Gairloch in Northwest Scotland. The drive up was much easier than anticipated, the A9 has changed out of all recognition in the 20 years we were last that way.

Left: The Best Diff in Scotland?

Below: Big Sandy Beach - typical North West

The week in Gairloch was great, lovely weather, fantastic beaches and no crowds. The social-life was cracking and we manage to unwind in style. Of course there is always the downside: the midges were the same as ever though - no problem by the sea but unpleasant in land, especially as the whole week was marked by a bizarre lack of wind. That made climbing pretty much a no-go - but there are plenty of chances of that coming down the line. Switzerland is 1st in line - can't wait!

The Heat is On

Left: BMC sponsored sheep spying on us on Derwent Edge

Almost three weeks back in the UK and most of that has been hot and blue - all very strange and the forecast is for more of the same. There has been plenty of good routes with the usual suspects plus the photography for the new Eastern Grit has gone very well though the amount vegetation on some of the crags has been a bit of shocker - we will have to come back in the spring to finish the job.

In the meantime we have been wondering about squeezing in a short break, but the schools are about to finish, flights have become very pricey and Europe is hot, busy and expensive. There are a few other options though, Pembroke and Scotland being top of the hit-list, so it looks like loading up the cruiser and heading north or south - lets see what the weather has to say about it.

And there is always Norway!

Right: The road goes on, we will follow it if we can