Name: Club Climbing Night
Start: 2026-09-03T18:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-09-03T21:00:00+01:00
Location: Dalkey Quarry

Top of the Lakes – The Lake District Meet

by David Craig

The annual meet to the Lakes has long been one of the highlights of the club’s calendar of meets, especially since the date was moved to the June weekend. I think every year since, we have been rewarded with actual sunshine. In 2017 we all stayed at the MAM hut in Coniston. I say ‘hut’ but it is closer to 5-star accommodation with hot running water, central heating and a drying room in case your gansey gets damp.

Sure, why would you go climbing at all if you can stay in that kind of luxury? Síle and myself, of course, forswore such comforts and slept in the back of our van. Mind you we cooked, ate and washed in the hut, just to be sociable though!

Before all that mind, we had set off on the Friday morning via the Dublin to Holyhead ferry. This is my favourite way to get to British crags as it drops you in Anglesea, only a stones throw from one of my favourite places to climb, Gogarth. After leaving the ferry we nipped up toward South Stack and the easily accessible crag of Castle Helen. This crag is situated directly below the tea shop at south stack and is very reliable if the weather is not looking great. We abseiled in and ticked off the Atlantis/True moments/Freebird combination before driving on up to the Lakes.

People arrived at the hut at all hours through Friday night and we were all a bit slow getting moving on the Saturday morning, a sure sign Gerry hadn’t made this trip. However, once movement was finally achieved the resulting momentum carried most of us to Borrowdale. This is one of the more famous Lakes venues, with many roadside crags. People scattered out along Shepard’s crag, ticking off the local classics. Little Chamonix and Donkey’s Ears proved popular and attracted several parties. It being Saturday, it seemed like every climber in Britain had had the same idea, but that’s the problem with roadside venues! The routes are a bit polished. As I sit writing this I’m contemplating the idea that this makes you focus (more) on technique, but in truth when climbing I’d prefer a bit more friction. Still a good day was had by all.

On the Sunday most people headed to Langdale. In typical IMC fashion everyone had their own idea about where to climb and once again we all spread ourselves across the many crags in the valley.

Some went for single-pitch crags down in the valley, conveniently placed near the pub (thought I’m sure that was just a coincidence). Some headed for Whyte Gill, another great venue if the weather’s looking a bit dodgy with some excellent short multipitch climbs at reasonable grades.

Sile and Doug chatting on one of the Crescent Slabs belays.

Síle, Doug and I went up to Pavey Ark to do some longer routes. Doug and I set up shop at the start of our route while Síle went for a dip in Stickle Tarn. We had a great day climbing Crescent Slabs (S), then scrambling down Jacks Rake and then climbing Stoat’s crack (VS). This makes a good long route of pleasant climbing at a very amenable grade. We even had the crag to ourselves, probably due to the longer walk in.

Doug and Sile coming up the first pitch of Stoat’s Crack.

The Monday was a washout and Sile and I had to get back for the ferry in Holyhead, so we decided to drive back down towards Anglesea. We parked up at South Stack and waited for the rain to clear. The next morning a heavy mist still hung over Holyhead mountain and the main cliff at Gogarth so we headed down the road to Roscolyn. This area is a fantastic sun trap, with good steep climbing and a great alternative when the crags at Gogarth are not in condition. I started off with a nice little E1 called little queenie, then Sile upped the ante and climbed The Sun (E3) topping off an excellent weekend.

The author heading out on the traverse pitch of True Moments (E2 5b).

The time between the meet and writing this has let a lot of the details escape me, so I don’t have specifics of who climbed what and where. However, it was a brilliant few days with a good-humoured group of messers, meandering through the Lakes. If it sounds like fun to you, this year’s meet is just around the corner.

*Gerry has organised the Hut in Coniston again from the 1st to the 4th of June, so book your place now!
Lake District Log 2013

(by Gerry Moss – June 2013)
2013 Lake District Meet – Trip Report

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Lake District report

(by Gerry Moss, June 2012)
The annual Lakes meet, with the usual sunshine.

Twenty-one members travelled to the Lake District for our June Bank Holiday weekend meet. In recent years this trip has been graced by fine weather and this year continued in the same pattern. Two of the days were warm and sunny, the other two cool and breezy – but all four were dry.

The opportunities for climbing afforded by this fine spell were seized upon with enthusiasm by one and all. I am happy to report that everyone, bar none, got to do some leading on the fabulous multi-pitch routes that the Lake District has to offer climbers of every standard. During these four days, those of our members new to multi-pitch climbing learned more about this aspect of our craft, simply by up-and-doing, than could ever be gleaned from any course. So much so, that they were all happily placing and retrieving gear, belaying, setting up good anchors and, best of all, enthusiastically leading, by the close of the weekend. All of which helps augment the club’s band of active climbing members while, at the same time, creating excellent ambassadors for the IMC.

We visited numerous crags, making the most of the wide variety on offer. High up in the hills we sampled the delights of Gimmer, Pavey Ark, Dow, The Napes and Combe Ghyll and, when the winds blew, we settled for the more sheltered climbing to be found on valley crags such as Wallowbarrow, Castle Rock, Sheperd’s Crag and Langdale’s Raven Crag.

As usual, we were based in the comfortable, well-located, Dunmail Raise Hut, and there is no doubt having such a fine base greatly enabled our activities. Sadly, it looks like this may have been our last visit to this fine hut, as the Achille Ratti club has decided to put it up for sale.

An army marches on its stomach and, at the end of each day, climbers need to replenish energy supplies. During the course of the weekend, besides indulging in some home cooking, members visited nearly as many eating houses, as crags. They now, between them, have a wide fund of knowledge on the merits, or otherwise, of many establishments in the area, ranging from the traditional greasy spoon to the more exotic and pretentious.

Needless to say, it was never a case of all work and no play, but there are others, better positioned than me, to report on the goings-on both on and off the crags. Suffice to say there were rumours of struggles with hexes, battles of the sexes, as well as some cheeky role-swapping between learners and tutors.

Top of the Lakes – The Lake District Meet

Lake District Log 2013

Lake District report