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Description: A local climb for once. We hadn't been out for ages - partly because of holidays and also because I was concentrating on my bike test and getting my motorbike.
Because of the miserable weather forecast, and lack of a car, Steve and I decided to aim fo r a climb, but pack for a hike (just on case!). We thought we'd go to Laddow Rocks - above Crowden. Long before the likes of Froggatt became popular, Laddow was THE prime climbing venue in the Peak.
Good to see you again Steve... and yes - I did eventually get home.

No specific routes - just climbed what we could with the damp lichen covered rock making most of the climbs impossible

Unfortunately, by the time we got back down it was raining fairly heavily... and I couldn't find the key to one of the bike locks!!. After about 30 minutes of looking, Steve persuaded me to ring the AA. I did and they told me that someone would be with me within about and hour and a quarter. So I convinced Steve to go home and I would wait. After some argument he left - then I found the bloody key under the bike - I must have dropped it there when I locked it up.

So that was good - however the long, wet, cold trip back was a bloody nightmare. It was blowing a gusting gale and took me over an hour to get home. Fortunately, Clare being the best wife in the world - had a heap of warm clean clothes and a nice meal for me after a hot shower.

All in all a damn good day

LEFT - This was the second pitch. A slippery book-end corner with enough soil on the top ledges to please Alan Titchmarsh. Steve lead - I seconded. Cams are very useful on peak rock due to the nature of the vertical and horizontal splits.

Steve and I also spent much time practising crevasse rescue techniques. With a swingcheek pulley and a Wild Country Ropeman (to use as a locking pulley), we created a Z-pulley with 3:1 advantage.

It really was a good exercise and good practise for Steve ready for his PYB Alps climbing trip.

(Left) Steve demonstrating the abseil technique which has become the modern version of the "classic" abseil. The rope is looped around a suitable bollard spike (or sling/krab) at its half-way point and the tails thrown down the cliff. Standing between the two, you cross the two sides around your back, then step into the tails so that they run under your crotch. Grab the two ends together (in the right hand as shown here) and let the friction control the feed through as you descend.

It's more compfrtable than the traditional method you may have seen in books, and it equalises the forces much better.

Believe me though - it makes you glad the modern sit-harness was developed!. Anything "classic" means painful!..

(Right) Steve belaying at the top of Pitch Two. It had just started to rain at this point - rith on cue. The weathermen were spot on (unfortunately)

I would say that Laddow is a good climbing venue - PROVIDING it has been hot and dry for days!. Being north facing, it fils to get the afternoon sun and thus takes some drying out. The lichen is LETHAL!! - it really is so slippery. Damp in the air makes keeps it that way.

The walk in certainly warms you up ready for the climb.

A long day. I couldn't have the car so had to go on my KLX300. It's a bit of a pain in the arse with a big sack on your back, but apart from an aching arse by the time I pulled into the car park at Crowden, it wasn't too bad.
With bike theft on the increase I had brought 3 locks instead of the normal two, and chained it to the thick fence... (I was to regret this later on). It was good to see Steve again. He'd been on a pre-Alps trip weekend with Plas y Brenin and was bursting with new techniques :)
The weather had forecast 70% chance fo rain coming in from the West by mid-afternoon. We reached Laddow Rocks about an hour later and found that the whole face was covered in lichen as as slippery as soap with the damp air. That was a blow. So we decided to try out Steve's new techniques to give him practice.