Unfortunately plans of going to Reiff were foiled by a poor weather forecast so we decided to head up to Aviemore and base ourselves there for the week, aiming to follow any good weather patterns developing. After managing to cram everything into McGeachy's Micra we ended up at Creag Dubh on the way up. This was my first time at the crag and I had heard some stories about the boldness of the venue and was sligthly trepidatious about doing anything bold on lead. Greg led up the classic HVS of the crag Inbred which I found to be okay, but certainly not worthy of three stars, perhaps I was missing something. Having lost most of my psyche I spent a relaxed afternoon sunbathing and taking photos.
With rain forecast for most places in the afternoon we decided to head to the mostly overhanging Huntley's Cave after another session at Creag Dubh. Greg and I did L.M.F. which I thought was fantastic with good gear where you needed it and brilliant climbing, especially over the second roof. Again I didn't have much psyche and took more photos of Greg and Neil going boldy where...some people have gone before...before we headed to Huntley's Cave for an evening session. I was keen to get on some more E1's and Diagonal Direct looked like a good contender as I knew the middle was straightforward as I have climbed Diagonal before. The direct start was quite interesting with green, polished holds and plenty of midges to keep things entertaining before pulling into the corner and moving up onto a big ledge under the crux roof. After plugging the crack above with plenty of gear I managed to work out a sequence and pull onto the face and rockover to finishing jugs. The route was totally brilliant and I was pleased to get the onsight. With the midges exceeding tolerance levels we scarpered quick and headed back to the house.
With a solid forecast towards Aberdeen we decided to head up onto the Moray Firth coast and see if we could get onto some more sea cliffs. We ended up at Cummingston which was home to some sandy but great routes. Neil and Greg had a good day climbing the amospheric and picture picture-perfect Prow, whilst I warmed up before attempting my first E2 The Prophet. This didn't go as well as I had hoped and after getting boxed on the onsight fiddling in wires, a foothold blowing on the lichenous mantle on a ground up ascent, and plenty of brushing after resting on the gear I made it to the top. Not the best style, of ascent or during the ascent it has to be said, but the grade seems a lot less intimidating now and I was happy to get up it! After plenty more of Neil's adventurous driving (he has a special liking for roundabouts) we made it back to Aviemore after another good day.
We managed to get up reasonably early this morning and heading down towards Glen Clova as a "on the way home" venue. This was again my first time at this crag, and it is a really cool place with lots of inspiting lines. We were all quite tired but McGeachy strapped it on for Cinderella which was very impressive, but also quite haggaring to watch from only a few feet above him! After a glorious ascent in the basking sunshine of the three star Wandered living up to its suggested quality, I again took to sunbathing and taking photos.
After some stunning weather, and plenty of climbing and general hilarity I am looking forward to Sarah coming home and having some chillout time on the beaches of Lewis and Harris, and hopefully getting out on my new bike a bit more!
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