Wasdale – 20th to the 22nd of June 2025

The early summer trip to Wasdale was organised by Oli B and twelve club members made the journey to the far side of the Lake District, spending two nights in the brilliant FRCC hut at Brackenclose. The venue was excellent for mountaineering and the hut gave perfect access to many very impressive and classic climbing routes.

Dave M Lee G and Stefan I were able to drive across on Friday morning and spent an afternoon in the hot sunshine at Hare Crags in Eskdale. Four single pitch routes were climbed including Pleasant Slab S 4a, Celebration VS 4b, Birthday Boy HVS 5a and Jugged Hare VS 4b. The crags were very easy to approach, all around 30m and generally slabby with good rock but lacking protection. An ideal situation to warm up before the main event on Saturday.

Everyone had arrived at the hut by late evening. Planning was finalised and an evolution of climbing partners and sensible objectives was somehow resolved ready for the next day. Food preparation for Saturday's dinner was supervised by head-chef Stefan. The weather on Saturday was expected to deteriorate after lunch-time so an early start seemed to be a reasonable plan.

Charley S and Lucy A opted for a V Diff **, 80m, seven pitch route up the left hand ridge of Pulpit Rock. The climb went well, achieving a three raindrop rating on the final pitch when the weather closed in. The shower didn't deter the pair from continuing upwards after climbing to join the melee at the summit of Scafell Pike.

On the opposite side of Mickledore on Scafell Crag Jenny and Emma set their sights on Moss Ghyll Grooves. The VS 4c *** route proved to be a testing and rewarding climb. Testing the laws of physics, various items of equipment were dropped but thankfully all recovered by the end of the day. Testing the laws of navigation was the final element of the climb but Emma and Jenny made it safely back to Mickledore for the descent. Thanks Oli.

Oli B and Tracey H climbed slightly to the right of Emma and Jenny on Pisgah Buttress Direct. This was a slightly longer, S ** route and gave Tracey and Oli a ring-side seat to see what was going on around them. Abseiling off at the end of the route the pair conducted their own unsuccesful experiments with gravitational forces on the opposing end of a rope. The rope was safely retrieved.

During their climb, Oli and Tracey were able to see how Dan S and Stefan were progressing on their climb which was just to their right. Dan and Stefan had been over-enthusiastic to their scramble up to the start for Slingsby's Chimney Route VDiff ** and had over-shot the pitch to the right which led to the chimney and the correct route. Tracey sent them a WhatsApp message to put them right.

However, by the time Dan and Stefan had abseiled their way back down it started raining so the pair decided not to press on with their climb. Instead they made themselves useful by redirecting tourists in sandals away from certain death.

A common feature of club trips have been the epic days out of Ewart and Derek and this weekend did not disappoint. A big route was on the cards with a walk-in via Black Sail Pass to the Northeast face of Pillar, climb the six-pitch S 4a *** route North Climb and make their way back to Brackenclose by Wind Gap, the most direct route.

The planning had taken account of the daylight available on this day, the longest day of the year and our intrepid pair stepped through the front door as the sun was setting. A very satisfying day out.

Lee and Dave M left the hut just after 6am for Tophet Wall HS 4b. The SAR helicopter and Wasdale MRT were already busy rescuing a casualty from the summit of Scafell Pike. The walk-in was already warm and it took almost two hours to reach the crag via Sty Head and the climbers' traverse.

The rock was warm and dry with good protection so the climbing throughout was great fun. Well worth the walk-in. Swinging the lead, the four-pitch route was completed in relatively quick time, however, the cloud was already beginning to close in. After descending Great Hell Gate it was decided to head down rather than push the limit of our luck with the weather.

Everyone enjoyed the vegetarian curry dinner that had been provided by Oli and prepared the night before. There was, as usual, plenty of it so when Derek and Ewart eventually arrived they were treated to a gastonomic version of Pillar in honour of another grand day out. Outside the thunder, lightning and rain continued for a long time into the evening.

On Sunday morning the weather was cool, cloudy and windy. Quite a contrast to the previous day. Five of us went for a shortish walk south along Wastwater and then east up onto the Illgill Head ridge to make our way, with the wind behind us, north back to Brackenclose. The path along Wastwater had several boulder fields to cross but the path along the ridge was very easy to follow, mostly grassy terrain. The rain showers were continuous for most of the time we were on the higher ground but provided a realistic testbed for jackets, overtrousers and other kit that has not been exposed to real weather so far this year.

Before leaving for our walk everyone had helped to clear up the hut and tidy everything away. Those that didn't walk volunteered themselves to provide the finishing touches to the domestic harmony. Thanks to all for doing your bit. Derek and Ewart went to Ambleside on the way home. Retail therapy. Tracey, Lucy and Jenny went for a big fryup.

Thanks to Oli for organising another fantastic trip. The venue, food and thoughtfulness about plans was very well received by all. So many good routes were climbed over the weekend despite the rain coming early to add a bit of spice to the technical grade. Well done eveyone for being sensible with objectives and for bringing so many happy tales to the war story session at the end of the day.

Look forward to the next one!

Cheers!

Dave M