Pennine Lines w/c 29 May 2023
It will be interesting to see if fashions change on this over time, and also what the next ten or fifteen years will bring for the ambience at Kyloe-In. Will young trees start to grow back where the mature trees were felled and make recent felling seem a little less brutal, will the atmosphere of the crag change and evolve again? We'll have to wait and see.
Pennine Lines w/c 22 May 2023
This week I’ve returned from the Isle of Skye to find that climbers’ access to one of the Churnet’s finest crags, Wright’s Rock in Staffordshire, has been completely removed. Anyone following this development can’t have failed to notice the accompanying handwringing and gnashing of teeth online on the state of climbers’ disrespectful behaviour; the fact the Churnet apparently gets busy with climbers up from London, or that everyone climbs stuff when it’s damp, or that the rock and crags here simply can’t cope with this level of traffic.
Pennine Lines w/c 15 May 2023
Another hotbed of poor mobile coverage is the deep dank dales of the White Peak, so I'm simply offering up here a few images of limestone bouldering to keep the psyche rolling until I get back and normal service is resumed.
Pennine Lines w/c 8 May 2023
You have to wonder that in a media-rich world, ultra-connected, if climbing is now almost too global, to the point where we don’t really value what’s on our doorstep? Are we are all now so accustomed to being fed an eye popping diet of cutting edge boulder problems that the humble glue-covered limestone of Miller’s Dale can’t compete with huge glowing-orange ‘king lines’ in South Africa? Live-streamed history-in-the-making from Finland and massive steep problems - or ‘rigs’ to use the correct terminology - in Switzerland with bottles of champagne being popped upon success are great, but where does this leave the monumentally unsexy shattered grey polished rock of the Tor? Out in the cold it seems (ironic given the crag is a sun trap).
Pennine Lines w/c 1 May 2023
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.
Pennine Lines w/c 24 April 2023
The woods at the north end of Froggatt were for too long overlooked, but in recent years have seen some new development attention and produced some really great lines. Despite relatively easy access and offering some chance of shade on a warm day it’s rarely anything other than very quiet there.
Pennine Lines w/c 17 April 2023
A great choice for this time of year lies further north, the until recently overlooked Bitholmes Wood - which is incidentally the current residence of the legendary Dragon Of Wantley
Pennine Lines w/c 10 April 2023
It would be remiss of me to allow this email to be the only one you receive over the Easter weekend to not contain some sort of egg or egg-related reference. I will spare you the puns and just offer up this image, which didn’t make it into Grit Blocs, although the problem did. This time next year expect an image of Easter Rib at Stanage, and the year after maybe Creme Egg Eliminate at Caley.
Pennine Lines w/c 3 April 2023
The narrative of modern rock climbing is often told in terms of the sponsored stars projecting on overseas trips, extended van-life tours, and famous trophy climbs. Which is all great, but climbing isn't all about the big names and big numbers. There’s a certain joy to be had as a local climber snatching a midweek hour or two at a local crag before it gets dark.
Pennine Lines w/c 27 March 2023
When the I started bouldering in the Peak at the tail end of the 1990s most of the problems I tried, and often failed on, were only afforded a grade. No names, because it was ‘only bouldering’. It wasn’t proper climbing, it wasn’t valued. Looking back, Cleo’s Edge was the first problem I managed to climb which warranted a name.