For once, the front pages of the tabloids got it right - 'Phew What a Scorcher!' Easily the hottest day of the year, here in the Lake District as a crippling heat beat down from a cloudless sky all day. Luckily for us, it coincided with a working rest day, so we'd planned to take things easy and not try and charge up into the mountains, despite the dry conditions.
After a delightfully slow paced morning of work, admin and a stroll around the village square (via the bakery of course), we set out on a gentle hike up to Devoke Water, which was the nearest remote looking place to swim. The combination of heat and summer holidays, meant that our usual spots so far were completely mobbed and a very different scene from what we've experienced so far here. The fifteen minute walk up to Devoke was enough to put most people off, so we had our warmest swim yet in the late afternoon sun. Afterwards, we didn't even get a shiver on, or need to don jackets. In fact I walked back across the moorland to the van only in sandals and shorts, it was so hot.
All the summits were clear to see and we looked over at out recent climbs on Gable and Scafell.
As it was our last night in the Duddon, we arranged to meet Matt for a final climb together, but incredibly, at 19:30, it was basically still too hot to climb! Plans of heading up to new crags and climbs were soon abandonded in favour of taking the shortest possible walk up, which led us back to the old favourtie of Stonestar Crag. The only porblem being that we'd basically climbed all the routes there!
There was still a climb that we'd not done and the guide said it was good, to optimistically Matt set off up into the vertical undergrowth. He soon disappeared into the brambles, ivy and ended up stood in an oak tree. It had not been climbed in years and it's 'star' point seemed a little ambitious. He pressed on and did find us some good moves on the upper slab after a slightly harrowing bold finish. Definatley harder than advertised!
After bringing up Clare and I, the final two challenges were the hardest on the crag. The main slab that they ascend, was literally radiating heat, so conditions, although dry, were far from ideal. However, we were there, so having just finished a 12 hour shift on the wind farm, Matt decided that he might still have some strength left.
All was going well until just after placing the final bits of protection on the slab. The heat was sapping energy and sweat was dripping off us, resulting in an almost inevitable energy crisis half way up as the rock baked out the heat.
A few moments higher than this photo, unable to maintain friction between sweaty hands and rock rock, Matt was off. The two cams held fast and his sudden downward progress was soon halted. It was a good effort and had we done the climb a few nights ago in the usual cool of the evening sun, it would have been a different story, but for today, we all decided that enough was enough and we should return to the square in Broughton for an ice cream at the pub!
A quick abseil got the kit back and we packed away in the glow of the last light.
This final photo makes it look like we're in Thailand rather than the Duddon!
As we drove off, the van thermometer was reading 22 degrees still!
Stonestar Crag Climbs:
- Hungry Planet, HVS (5a)* - (very overgrown! and easily E1 - bold top moves)
- The Breech, E2 (5c)** - to half way up the slab!
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