26th May.........Dow Crag,.... climbing now!

With some great Bank Holiday weather predicted the rock on Dow Crag in the Lakes seemed like a good idea.  Not having visited these cliffs before it was always going to be a real treat and I wasn't disappointed. The cliffs are the demain of true rock climbing, but there are a couple of options for the "enthusiastic" scrambler.  The gullies, which are really at their best when in full winter conditions, and a climb to the summit via Easy Terrace.

The climb to Easy Terrace up the open gully gets progressively steeper but has plenty of holds, after arriving at the Terrace.  From there pick your own way up, but keep to the left of the crag with Great Gully for company and soon you'll be on the arete that leads to the summit. 

It is very exposed in places on the top section, so definitely take a rope if you're not totally confident. 
Better to have it and not use it rather than need it and not have it!!

The path towards Goat Water

Easy Gully, A Buttress, Great Gully, B Buttress

B Buttress and Easy Terrace starting point

Easy Terrace start

A Buttress with climbers on the overhang

A Buttress from Easy Gully

Looking up Easy Gully

Looking down Easy Gully

Dow Crag with the Great Gully in the centre

20th May...........Limestone and Waterfalls

Its always a good fortune if the sunset is as good as you hope but as we drove over to the Dales it was looking good, for a while anyway....Once onto Twistleton Scar it was obvious that a glorious sunset wasn't going to happen so we concentrated on getting some shots of the hawthorns and the limestone pavement.

11th May......Saltwick Bay.....

Space and Time...........

With long "summer" evenings its now possible to get out and about for some fresh air after a hard days toil, and with poor weather in the Dales I decided to check out the sunset possibilities on the coast.

The sunset didn't develope into anything special so I started to take some images of the action of the waves as they washed up the beach.  As the waves advanced or receded they produced significantly different images, as did the length of the exposure.

As I watched the motions of the water and its effect on the sand and rocks I could see a relationship between them and the Universe, the vastness of space filled with minute specks.

Tide coming in (2 secs @f22)

 

Tide going out (0.8sec @f22)

DIFFERENT WORLDS

THE PLANETS

METEORITE

DEEP SPACE

And finally a Sunset!

2014 Calendars

I'm finally putting the finishing touches to next years' calendars, and hopefully it won't be too long before I'm on may way up to Alverton Press to pick up the first ones hot off the press.

They will only be available online from www.escape2thewild.co.uk 

Click on the side bar link for a preview of all the images ----

£12  including p+p

 

£12  including p+p

April 27th ....Great Gable, ......great views

A short walk to the summit of Great gable from the farm at Seathwaite.
Still some snow drifts in the sheltered gullies, but superb summer conditions now..

Images in no particular order....

Kirk Fell from the summit of Great Gable

Great End and the Corridor Route

Wasdale from Great Gable summit

Scafell Pike, Scafell, Lingmell and the Corridor Route

Scafell Pike, Scafell, Lingmell and the Corridor Route

Great End from Windy Gap

Ennerdale from Windy Gap

April 20th ....Back walking again

.Grisedale Pike, Hope Gill Head, and Sail

All the climbing snow has disappeared from the open fells now and only pockets survive in the north facing gullies and a few patches on the sheltered crags and cliffs.

Th e long approach climb up to the summit of Grisedale Pike

Looking north back to the summit of Grisedale Pike

Grisedale Pike from Coledale Hause

The "path" to Sail :(

The National Park Authority has a way of just making a bad situation into an eye sore.
Another example of an uninspired "path erosion project" planned a dept with a pen and no idea about the visual impact of their work.
This project is a few  years old now and still looks as bad as the day it was installed,
Its hard to imagine what these people are thinking about when they approve these kind of works!

April 13th ...The Final Climb..

Central Gully.... Great End.......the very last climb...........probably....

With the warmer weather already here it was doubtful if we would be able to make a final ascent of Central Gully on Great End as planned.
There was plenty of snow on the walk in and an early start made us hopeful that the snow pack would be just firm enough to get up.
Initially the snow was quite soft and sugary and with some evidence of an old avalanche we considered backing off, but plodded up to the first pitch where things improved enough for us to go on up.

The top of Ruddy Gill

 

Allen Crags and Ruddy Gill

The snow pack was softish for most of the way and became very soft (as expected) on the exit.

All in all I guess that by the end of the weekend it won't be possible to make forward and upward  progress through the gullies.  What ice there was sounded a bit hollow in places and will be receding fast today.

If it does refreeze then it'll be amazing,....

The start, conditions looking promising

Pitch One

Left Branch ice looking very used

Fisheye view of Left and Right Branch in the Ampitheatre

Tea break in the Ampitheatre

The upper exit slopes

Then the rain came

South-East and Central Gullies

THE END

2014 Northern Heights calendars

A great set of first proofs from the printers and all is starting to come together for the
2014 NORTHERN HEIGHTS and NORTHERN LANDSCAPES calendars.

This image was taken only a couple of weeks ago, what a great winter we're having.

The Buttermere pines at their most reflective.

Available soon from www.escape2thewild.co.uk

April 6th Catsty Cam and Helvellyn

Perfect Winter.......Still all white

The perfect conditions still persist in the lakes.

Catsty Cam Gully had more snow in it than a few weeks ago when and Red Tarn is still fully frozen over.

No. 1 & No. 2 gullies on Helvellyn were in great condition all the way from the tarn to the summit.

Nethermost Gully also looked to be in.

Striding Edge is still looking awesome with its white coat.

Catsty Cam Gully

Red Tarn Cove, Helvellyn and Swirrel Edge

No.2 and No.1 Gullies, Helvellyn

Striding Edge

Nethermost Gully

Fairfield and Dollywagon Pike from Striding Edge