Windy Wharncliffe Wanderings

May Bank Holiday rolls around again and for the 2nd year on the trot we headed to Wharncliffe Crags to avoid the crowds. (An aside: When I used to teach Chemistry at the nearby High Green School 'Wharncliffe" was my nick-name - it could have been a lot worse!).
It was 'fresh' with a brisk north westerly, and the crag was quite busy. It turned out that Steve had only been there twice in the previous 20 years, so we ticked a few of the classics.
Scarlett's Wall Direct (photo) was the starter, S 4a in 'the Definitive' guide, my book gives it a more accurate HS 4c - nice one guys!
Monday we had to pack the car and get ready for Sweden - looks like it is time to head off again.

Burbage Summer Bumblings

The hottest day of the year so far; 28C or thereabouts. The shady recesses of Burbage South was the chosen venue (nice one Steve) - the crag was the busiest I have ever seen it - by a mile. Many routes were occupied and there were boulderers by the dozen scampering over those small rocks down in the valley. Our jolly group of almost a dozen sampled some of the full-on mini-classics that the Edge abounds with.
Everymans' Misery was the most striking - it has long been given VS 5a, though ascents by several members of the team (excluding yours truly!) suggested a grade of E2 5a might have been nearer the mark.
When the sun finally came round we adjourned to the Norfolk Arms at Ringinglow for a pint in the beer-garden - mellow!

Back to Blighty - Briefly!

The French month was good though hectic, now it is time to settle down and get stuck into the less glamorous side of guidebook writing - the donkey work of writing the text, sorting the shots, drawing the topos etc. It needs some long days in front of the computer though the bulk of the book is already in the bag. A day on the grit with the usual suspects plus another photographing for Peak Limestone broke the week up nicely.
Then there is the summer - current plans centre around southern Norway, possibly accessed via a freight boat from Immingham, or maybe Harwich > Esbjerg and southern Sweden. I'm looking forward to it already.

Cote d'Azur - final touches

After three weeks of steady work from the Verdon down to the coast we met the rest of team RockFax/UKC for a week on the Cote d'Azur. It was a busy seven days with hot days checking routes on the rock, late nights quaffing in the pad and much quality socialising.
The glorious weather helped in making the week a success and many of the excellent crags in the area got a visit. Most of the team were completely new to the area and the feeling was that crags as varied as St Victoire, the Calanques, Chateauvert and Chateaudouble were excellent venues despite them currently being pretty much a blank on the map for UK climbers. With the week over, it will be good to get back to get back to a bit of peace and quiet!

Calm before the Storm - Troopers

Well Colin got away - on the TGV, though it sounds like he might have got caught in the huge logjam at Calais, where the ferry companies were charging 60€ for an 18€ ticket - ripper!
After dropping him off and watching the train whizz away we had a very pleasant walk round the harbour at Antibes - talk about some spectacular boats; my how the other half live!!

We have only had a couple of days of peace before it is time to move again; enough time for a final session sorting out St Jeannet, and a lovely local walk.
Tomorrow it is off to Brignoles for the UKC/RF spring jolly. Drafting in the 'big-guns' should give us a useful week of checking and photographing a whole variety of cliffs, the book is coming along really well, looks like we should be fine for an autumn publication.

Stuck in the Middle......

Friday we headed back towards Peillon but due to a rather threatening sky we side-slipped to Le Trinite. Colin was a bit bemused, a quarry AND north facing AND under the motorway AND in the rain - but Carrière en Fer à Cheval this wasn't. Great routes on amazing juggy rock, steep and long, plus with the added attraction of loadsa bolts - the French do things so well!
Mind you the big news is the ash - thanks to Iceland's latest export almost all flights in Europe are cancelled. Colin was supposed to be heading home tomorrow - but that ain't going to happen! Current best bets look like:
1) wait a week for the next EasyJet availability
2) get the train - nothing for at least three days
3) hire a car and drive

Time will tell!

Nice Work If You Can Get It.

We escaped the grandeur of the Verdon and wound (bloody roads) our way down towards the coast. We are in a superb pad close to Vence and spring is well on the way down here, unlike up in the hills; it is a good four degrees warmer in the day. We have visited a new cliff each day and a couple of them have been real belters; Peillon and Gorbio are outstanding venues - how come we have never been there before?
Colin is climbing as well as ever, and I am bobbing along in his wake - same as it ever was!
The contrast between the coastal area with its traffic, and these superb mountain villages is amazing. Once away from the car parking it is like stepping back a couple of hundred years.