Yorkshire News - Spring 2009

Well, Spring is almost here. At least by the time you read this it will be almost Easter, the days are getting longer and, fingers crossed the crags are drying out. It has been one of the coldest winters for many years with lots of snow and cold winds so many of you will not be expecting that much will have been going on the new route scene. Wrong. Something like 200 new routes have been added to Yorkshire crags since Christmas and some of them are pretty impressive, particularly on the Grit.

First off the mark on New Year's Eve two good lines were added to the Narrow Buttress of Crow Crag at Brimham. Scarecrow (E4 6a) and Stone the Crows (E5 6b) were climbed by Matt Troilett and Neil MacCallum respectively. The pair also added a couple of impressive V6 boulder problems Bucking Broncos and Rodeo Rider to the Bovine Buttress area.

Bigger things were brewing, however, at Ilkley where Ryan Pasquill finally knocked off Yorkshire's most famous and probably longest standing Last Great Problem. Gerty Berwick (E9 7a/b) is the centre of the face left of New Statesman on The Cow and had repelled many of the best British climbers of the last 2 decades. The climb involves long reaches and tiny razor-sharp crimps with no protection for the Font 8a crux at around 7 metres. Amazingly, the route was repeated a couple of weeks later by James Pearson who confirmed the grade.

Another impressive repeat was made by Jordan Buys who finally bagged the second ascent of Widdop Wall (E9 7a) some 11 years after it was first climbed. Another gritstone guru, Dave Sutcliffe has been busy at Baildon Bank adding a couple of mere E6s with Zola Budd and Congressman Dilbeck. Jason Bowerbank added Brighton Lady and Brighton Baby here as well at the more amenable grades of E1 and E2 respectively. At Brimham Danny Coultrup squeezed another fine eliminate up Left Wall in the shape of ResErection (E6 6c), this is essentially a harder and more direct version of Resurrection. It is a fine compliment to Danny's last effort here, Si's Cheese Slice E4 6c, completed last year. The same climber has also found a new and amazingly obvious problem at Almscliff, Stallone's Stinking Banger (V8/F7b) above The Left Wing on Flying Arete. Left: Danny Coultrup on Si's Cheese Slice.

Embsay Crag between Deer Gallows and Eastby resisted all attempts to record its charms until a few years ago when Karl Bromelow documented the first three most obvious lines. John Hunt added several minor gems the following year but then forced Carmelia (E3 5c) on a cold day this January to bring the total to eight and make the walk-up worthwhile. Another, essentially bouldering crag to get the full treatment is High Crag Stump Cross where Malcolm Townsley has put together a useful mini-guide with around 30 problems and micro-routes Finally on the grit Phil Osborne and Nigel Wright added Vrecka's Arete (HVS) to the Little Greeny buttress at Earl Crag and Andrew James and Connor Brown added Widening Horizons (VS 4c) to Lord's Seat.   Right: Danny Coultrap on Stallone's Stinking Bangor. Photo J. Burrows

On the Limestone the sheer volume of new routes from Barry Clarke in the Ingleton area is staggering, with well over a hundred additions this year so far. The majority of the new lines are in Kingsdale in the vicinity of Tow Scar. The Escarpment known as Keld Head Scar now boasts 96 routes and Back Tow Scar, nearby, received another 18. Across the valley on George's Scar (a continuation around the corner from Twistleton), Barry has added another 22. On Raven Scar and its outliers, Southerscales and Crinna Bottom there are now over 120 new lines since the guide was published, though some of these are the work of others a couple of years ago. Barry has also added another new sector to the lower tier at Chapel-Le-Dale where around 20 new climbs can be found on the right-hand side above the parking area. He has also been busy on Winskill Stones and Buckhaw Brow. The routes are too numerous to describe in detail here but if Sub-HVS micro-routes amid the grandeur of some of the best Dales scenery is what you enjoy these may be worth checking out from our database.

Barry's activities urged that other North Craven pioneer Karl Lunt to put pen to paper and write up some of his earlier lines on Braida Garth Scar, another Kingsdale craglet, Karl and Tom Phillips recorded 11 routes here last year, mainly in the HVS 5b range and, on average, slightly longer than Barry's offerings.

So finally, on to the bolts. Moughton Nab, despite its high and apparently exposed setting has proved its worth this winter during the cold north westerly winds. Facing south east it has stayed relatively sheltered and the area know known as the Soft Centre on this face dries quickly as well, staying in the sun until mid afternoon. There are around 30 short bolted lines here now in the sub F6c range which should prove popular with climbers who have enjoyed the Giggleswick, Panorama, Robin Proctor's experience. Most of the latest offerings have been added by Bob Larkin, Paul Farrish and myself with occasional help from Nigel Baker, Keith Morgan and Mick Johnson. Worth checking out - the details are all in the database?

Dave Musgrove on The End is Nigh. Photo N. Baker

At nearby Foredale Quarry a few gaps have been filled on the Back O' Beyond Buttress which gets all the winter sunshine that's going. From the left the new routes are Palaentology (F6a+), Rubble Rouser (F6a), Play Misty (F6a+), Back Street Gossip (F6a). All before you get to the existing second route, Sunnyside Up. On the right-hand side is Eccles Cake Walk (F6b) and The End is Nigh (F6a+) both shorter lines but on excellent rock either-side of Go with the Flow. Bob Larkin ventured into the shady cold on the Hidden Walls but emerged having plugged the big gap between The End and All Along the Watch-Tower. His route became Ethical Nightmare (F6c), however, when he decided he needed to climb it twice because of needing to rest on the ledge between early attempts on the fingery crux headwall. He wasn't sure he could do it again - but did so in fine style (more than can be said for me!) Bob Larkin also had a busy day at Robin Proctor's Scar adding two more easy lines to the right-hand buttress, Appleoosa (F5+) and Pale Rider (F5). He also bolted the line just left of Central Gully to the existing belay of Just Cruising as Interloper (F6a).

Mick Johnson and Dick Tong, bolted and climbed a couple of easy-ish lines on an obscure buttress to the left of Sector Limelight at Giggleswick about 18 months ago but a couple of harder projects on the same wall defeated them then. Mick returned last month, spurred on by Nigel Baker and Keith Morgan to complete the excellent and technical Gee Gee Groove (F6c). So that's how it stands at present. There are the usual Spring bird restrictions for Peregrines in place at Malham (left-hand side), Gordale (top pitches of routes above Cave Route and trad lines opposite around Face Route). Blue Scar (the whole crag) and Langcliffe (the whole crag). These restrictions should be lifted by mid July. There are also Ravens nesting on High Stony Bank and Old Man's Crag, Troller's Gill which should be avoided until the 1st of June. The good news is that once the restriction is lifted at Langcliffe we have now negotiated access to the whole of the left side of the quarry which has been out of bounds for the last 3 years.

Keith Morgan on the 2nd ascent of Gee Gee Grove. Photo N. Baker

Dave Musgrove, 25th March 2009

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