Shepherds Crag, Borrowdale

The weather forecast is very good. Sunset is at 19.35: I hope to be at the crag by 15.30.
Cars can be parked at the National Trust car park at Kettlewell, or at the Borrowdale Hotel (with the expectation that you will buy a drink before leaving). The foot of Brown Slabs is probably the best place to look for a partner. There will probably be a car share from Great Clifton/Cockermouth. My phone won’t accept WhatsAp. Cheers, Jonathan C.

Sorry. You can contact me at colesjonathan3@gmail.com or texts to 0753 132 6438.

The sky was cloudless and we climbed in tee-shirts. Less than three weeks before the equinox, members with proper jobs may have felt that the evening was too short to justify an outing. However, Aileen, Ann, Geraint, Mark W, Matt, Mike, Phil, Simon, Tina and Jonathan between them had the crags almost to themselves and enjoyed Chamonix, Crescendo, Ardus, Eve, and Brown Slabs Direct and Arete (at least). Despite bold type warnings in the guide books, the descent to the S of N buttress seems quite manageable for locals. Most cars had been parked south of the crag and we found ourselves outside the Borrowdale Hotel when it was almost dark, so we went in there for a drink. Taking care not to scratch the table legs, we piled our rucksacks on the thick carpet, and were warmly greeted by the bar staff. Before setting the world to rights, we wondered whether we were welcomed because the hotel residents were visibly only third-rate beer drinkers, or because, as Geraint suggested, our presence added to their ‘mountain experience’. If the latter, perhaps we should go in nailed boots and carry alpenstocks?