Pennine Lines w/c 1 May 2023
|| Milder temps || Bilberries in flower ||
Curving Arête || Climber: James Pearson
|| It's One Louder ||
Black Rocks
Travelling south through the eastern Peak the gritstone gradually fizzles out, the long snaking crag escarpments giving way to more isolated outcrops. And just as it seems all the rock has turned decidedly pale and chossy, one last big finale remains, one last huge island of dark gritstone in a sea of limestone. Black Rocks; its name enough to scare off many, but it remains something of a hub of the climbing scene in this part of the Peak.
Curiously imposing yet relatively accessible and even urban feeling at times, it’s a crag of contrasts, with the big full-bodied grit shapes - almost a caricature of the stereotypical grit roundness - sitting incongruously against a backdrop of crumbling quarries. It’s almost as if the crag is trying to compensate for the encroaching limestone by being as gritstone as it can possibly be. Gritstone dialled all the way up to 11. And fair play, it works.
Desert Island Disco || Climber: Kim Leyland
It’s also a crag drenched in history, big lines through the grades. And it’s not just the big hard lines we’ve all heard of - Meshuga, Gaia etc - Black Rocks has seen bold deeds going right back to the beginning of recorded rock climbing in the Peak. For all these reasons and more, despite fashions changing, Black Rocks has always had its local devotees. Mike Cheque’s superb Stonnis film from 2015 is a testament to this appeal, and stands as an affectionate portrait of both the crag and the climbers drawn to it.
The film went back up on Mike’s Vimeo account this week and can be watched, for free, here. This isn’t Instagram reels, this isn’t TikTok, this is something that requires an hour of your time, and hour of focus, and you will be well rewarded. If you’ve not seen Stonnis then get comfortable, grab a beer, put your pager on mute, and get immersed in the Black Rocks experience. And if you’ve seen it before, well, I’d watch it again anyway, because you’ll have forgotten just how good it is, I know I had. Thanks Mike.
The Terrace || Climber: Andy Emery
|| Focus on... ||
Ouzels
The arrival of spring means it’s nesting bird season, and all over the Pennines you’re likely to see a lot of bird activity at the moment. Crags, almost by definition, a safe spots away from predators so they make good nesting sites for a range of birds, including rare or endangered species like Peregrines. Hence when nests are identified temporary bird bans are often put in place to try and make sure the nests aren’t disturbed.
On the Eastern Edges near Sheffield this time of year has become synonymous with Ring Ouzels, and the spotting thereof. Ouzels are a sort of alpine blackbird who migrate to the UK from Spain or North Africa and arrive in March/April. As birds go Ring Ouzels are fairly rare, they only frequent mountainous or craggy areas, and seem to be very picky about where they nest. Back in the early 2000s a typical year on Stanage might only see one or two pairs nesting, if that. They have however become an iconic species around the Burbage and Stanage area, and represent something of a success story with the climbing community embracing and respecting the temporary bird bans on certain routes, boulders or buttresses to try and protect nest sites. In fact there are plenty of local climbers recruited as nest spotters every year too.
But you don’t have to be a bird expert to play your part, you just have to make sure you’re looking out for any signs up when you go out climbing, signs telling you where to avoid at the minute. These are usually wooden signs posted at ground level a safe distance from nesting sites. Within the last week a temporary ban has been put in place at the Terrace area at Burbage - no great loss as it's getting too warm for this now anyway - with more sure to follow in other locations in the coming weeks. So keep your eyes open for the signs, and keep eyes and ears open for the birds themselves - something looking like a small blackbird with a white collar is likely a male Ring Ouzel.
For a bit more info and background on the Ouzels, and to report any sightings, click here.
The Terrace area, scene of the first Ouzel restriction of the year
|| Recently through the lens ||
A golden Burbage evening, and exploring the steepness in the Amber Valley
|| Fresh Prints ||
By popular demand I am making a few select limited-edition prints available of the iconic Schoolroom holds - you can find these prints on sale online now. Perfect for injecting some history and a touch of class into your home training facility. Also, Father's Day is only a few weeks away now....just sayin'.
