Some recent stuff...

Rothley:

Two 5s from Rothley.

Once again it was blowing a gale at Rothley. I've been there twice previously to boulder, once with B when I managed to jump the car on a humpback bridge just before the crag, and it was too warm to do The Long Reach - it looked quite hard to me then. Once on my own when it was blowing the obligatory gale and I couldn't even get warmed up to climb. This time I didn't jump the car and I did put up with the wind, for a while anyway. It was satisying to do The Long Reach, the crux is a very short slap to the jug but it took some working out with the feet, especially not using any of the cleaned footholds other people use. Sitting Arete was also great, the trick being a little swing before moving up to the jug. Going right out on the prow with bad hands and good double heels was really nice.

Shaftoe:

fiend shaftoe2015

Once again it was both boiling hot and blowing a gale at Shaftoe. I've been there several times to boulder previously and it's either boiling in the shelter, freezing in the wind, or both. This time I started at the sweltering South sector, had a look at the previously appealing Butch Catch-Me, but decided that an impending line of relentless razor crimps on gritty, snappy rock with a landing consisting of 1m of flat ground and then a 45° ski slope of dirt and rocks made it less appealing for a solitary project. Little And Often went fine, as did Duvel 8.5 (I had to wait till the next night to get a bottle though), sticking to the Shaftoe theme of being ridiculously graded. Pocket Rocket at the Cave area was a bit warm and seemed ridiculously hard and unpleasant. Conversely, after exploring the baltic Summit area, Little Font was cool but tolerable as the wind dropped, and the previously offputting Surprising Solution went surprisingly easily. A few grades easier than PR? Obviously *rolls eyes*

Edlingham:

fiend edlingham2

More good weather and bad information characterised a return trip to the underrated Edlingham. I went to Bob's Cave area armed with 3 pads, 1 rope, 1 harness and a lot of brushes - everything there gets the (H)ighball rating and looked to be dirty and unclimbed at the finishes. It turns out that yes it did need a good scrub, and no nothing warrants the (H). I'm pretty sure anyone who can do V4-7 off the deck can cope with with VS climbing at 5m above a good landing. I'm also pretty sure that anyone who can do V4-7 off the deck will be as confused by the grades as I was, they're all screwy one way or the other, although the climbing is fun. Osathingy also had a delusional description but good moves. Finally the arete at the end - pictured in the book, captioned as something else, and not actually described. Ho hum. 

Eagle-eyed views might notice an ongoing theme of Northumberland bouldering. This is entirely correct. More waffle about that when I can be bothered to write it.