Peak District - Climber's paradise

Learning to lead outside - Thanks to JLR ELS funding & Red Point - Birmingham. Stanage, Peak District. May 2014.

Living in west-midlands may make you feel envy of people in Scotland or other places with easy access to better outdoor pursuits. However it has great advantage of being a midland! One can reach most of the wales, peak district, and lake district by driving about 200 miles. Peak district is even closer. Although it lacks the 'I dropped my hat' height, makes up by a fantastic grit stone which is often lovely to climb. It has grades for newbie scramblers to experienced climbers. It is also a lovely area to explore on foot.

Wind has defined the characteristics of the many trees and peaks here. And when the light is right it does show why it houses the Derwent Valley.

Although the first leading course I attended was a good experience I struggled a lot due to poor footwork. After a year long practice with Coventry Mountaineering Club's fantastic team my last trip to Peak District was a joy! We went to Froggatt-Curbar edges which are like Siamese Twins on the eastern rim of the famous Derwent Valley. Mental Note - This area is full of different compositional possibilities for both painting and photography. 

From Steve Ashton's book Gritstone. As you can see there are many possibilities to park your vehicle and climb in the area.

Mark and Andy starting with the soft option to lead on the famous three pebble slab (E1, 5a).

And yours truly getting desperate to hold onto that tiny pebble.

This climb was a baptism by fire for the day for me. It is quite a struggle to hold on to the pebble in the middle where you see a squarish hole. Most of the pictures are made with iPhone.

The view from above though was superb and a very satisfying feeling after having done it.

A relatively warm day meant the crag became a jamboree for the climbers!

Trapeze (VD) was a fun climb, here Mark was leading.

Slab recess direct (4c HS)

Watch this crazy video of Johnny Dawes on adjacent Downhill Racer E4 6a. It is to be honest featureless. Look how easy this master climber makes it look! He has literally climbed it with one hand.

There are still two climbs I would love to do from this area, Tody's wall, and Froggatt Pinacle. Some day.

The Froggatt Pinnacle

Rightly called Valkyrie is a HVS, 5a route. You start on the the left and pitch where the chap is. Narcissus (E6, 6b) route starts at pointy end of the triangle, which I'm not sure whether I will be able to make anytime soon.

Tody's Wall

Mark ready to belay after my climb

Overall a fantastic day of climbing with quite a few VD+ climbs bagged and one E1.