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

Summer's Here and So Are We

As has become the norm we return home and the sun comes out - the forecast for the next 10 days is great - in fact probably too hot for us, which is weird as we came 'home' to escape the heat.
Almost a week since we left Ariège and already doctors, dentist and garage visited, and we are good to go - we just need a destination.
I have cracked on with photographing Eastern Grit - another couple of weeks should see that in the bag, except for the few cliffs that are tree covered. They may require a special visit in the spring, from where-ever we may end up wintering this year.

Left: Steve on Sunset Slab (HVDiff 4b) 

A Friday of Froggatt was pleasant and quiet, we did half a dozen routes before it got too hot. The rest off the team pushed off home so I pressed on to photo a bit of Curbar and Baslow too.

Cherry Picking

We brought the summer back to the UK with us (some things never change) and work has been progressing pretty well on the next edition of Eastern Grit which is due out sometime next year, with a good % of the photography already in the bag.
A poorer forecast for the UK, some availability at Chez Arran plus cheap flights courtesy of RyanAir (£28 each) and we rolled back into Tarascon sur Ariège for a 10 day 'break'. Nice weather greeted us (though there have been some huge floods on the Spanish side of the mountains) and as ever the whole area is very quiet, which suites us just fine.

Walks in the mountains and a very social BBQ with a bunch of the local ex-Pat climbers have been the highlights so far. Also helping John and Anne build their new swimming pool passed an interesting couple of days (and counting!). The plans suggest two people could do it in a day - it is taking six of us a lot longer!
The local cherry trees are bending under this years crop of fruit - we have been out cherry picking a couple of times - how apt some cynics might say!

Where did the Time go?

Back in the 1980s I studied with the Open University for eight years and when that all came to an end I looked for a way to fill my time. Regular articles for the climbing magazines proved to be a good of learning the basics of writing/photography/publishing trade. The guidebooks all started with Cicerone Press back in 1990 in the form of a small (128 pages) guidebook to the Costa Blanca, with a 3000 print-run; much to Walt Unsworth's surprise it sold out. Other small guidebooks followed to Andalucia and Mallorca as well as Belgium and Luxembourg plus my 100 Best Limestone Climbs which the late Paul Williams described as a 'real belter'.

Ten years later (and after writing Bamford, Stanage, Derwent Edge, Gardoms, Chatsworth, Birchen and Willersley for the BMC's definitive series) I fancied writing a guide to my beloved Gritstone. Cicerone were initially keen but after some skulduggery by 'the establishment' they pulled the plug on it. With little to lose I approached long-term rival Alan James of Rockfax and together we produced the revolutionary Peak Grit East - perhaps the Genesis of modern rock climbing guidebook production. The acrimony surrounding the guide has passed into history but the ripples continue spread out down the years. Western Grit followed (it and PGE both won Guidebook of the Year award) followed by Northern Limestone (along with Alan and Mark Glaister) covering the Peak and Yorkshire and also the solo project of Northern England.

Alan had already produced several Spanish guides so we cooperated on a new Costa Blanca guide in 2005 and the full colour treatment proved popular, revitalising this well known area. Thorbjørn Enevold of the Nord Norsk Klatreskole was so impressed that on a visit to the magical Lofoten Islands he sidled up to me in the shop with a copy in his hands and asked if I could do one like that for him! We went one better and the magnificent Lofoten Rock which won the prestigious Banff Guidebook Award in 2008. Ariège had become another of our favourite spots and seemed ready for a UK guide. Anne and John Arran, who had lived in the area for a number of years and were much better climbers than I had ever been, were keen. We moved into Chez Arran for the spring of 2012 to work on the book, having it in the shops by the end of the year was probably some kind of record.

So what's next? Swiss Granite, Southern Norway, Canaries Rock, Corsica Climbs, or maybe as my 63rd birthday approaches we could just go climbing. 20 books in 23 years seems like a fair monument to my obsession!