Gimmer very short, shorts

 Saturday morning was looking good for members attending the climbing meet at Gimmer on Sunday, until events unravelled. It all started of with a vehicle break down and a mix up on which day the meet was happening. This was then followed up with 2 changing their plans and playing out locally. Saturday evening came around and on my evening dog walk, my phone rang! It was the Brayshaw, he and Steve were climbing in north Lakes and were due to meet us Sunday morning in Langdale! It turns out that Sunday was the day of a very big group of middle age men dressed in LYCRA!!!!![ AKA road bike racers]. This race was to maroon the pair in Borrowdale. [Borrowdale almost the best crags in the world. Poor boys]. Last of all my lovely Shirley messaged to say she had family duties. So 7 became 2.

All my sales talk of being the best crag in the world and FREE, jelly babies and an amazing weather forecast was not quite good enough.

So Sunday came and me and Antony set off before the dawn chorus woke the rest of the world. So we could miss the 2000 LYCRA wearing men and women burning rubber on the roads of the Lakes.

We arrived in Langdale with beautiful blue sky and the sound of the herdwicks talking to each other. we loaded our heavy packs for a slow and steady walk before battle commenced. One hour later we had reached our objective for the day!

As we scoured the enemy above us, we found a weakness in its armour!!! The HERDWICK BUTTRESS. this had a small scramble to start, then on to a left facing flake to mount in my new PINK 5:10’s. Once I over came this  then I headed up to, 2 thin cracks that had a small amount of precipitation seeping out of the enemies brow! I was beginning to make it panic. On topping out on the heather ledge i found one last obstacle in my way. This was the long green grass and heather ledges to prune my way up. Some long seconds later, i won Ash tree ledge!!! Now Antony’s turn. On his fast arrival in his very short shorts and very white knobbly knees hanging out below, we enjoyed a victory cliff bar and looked out over the beautiful views of the Lake district. (Photo to follow)

We found the abseil descent to find just one more line of weakness.

Ash tree slabs. This stared with a huge sauce pan size pool of moisture in the bay where Antony would need to cover my back, as i stepped once more into the breach. Three meters up the the right side of the wall there was a diagonal line to move out to the left. As i clicked my heals and tapped my toes along i found my self at a ledge. knowing my supper skinny shoe lases were 60m long, I take a minute and push on [brave i know!!!] grooves appear as i advance onward and proceed up like a cat striding along a garden fence. I made my belay and shouted encouragement to my prodigy we were soon both back at the abseil tat. This time Antony was encouraged [told to set up the abseil ] . Left to his own devises he made a fantastic job. I was the kind gent and let him go first. With total fear and panic in his eyes Antony loaded the gear and  set off  in style in his very stylish short shorts

Down safe back at the car we opted to have a refreshing pint at the stickle barn and fish and chips in settle on our way home.

Yet another fantastic day on Gimmer the best crag in the world!!! 🙂