I think I’m going to need a day off climbing tomorrow, I’m pretty knackered now.

Today Kiri and I discovered the Sunday bus that runs out to Hathersage via Burbage and Stanage. £2 for a return ticket with stops by the major car parks is brilliant. I suggest you all use it to make sure they keep running it! It goes from B4 at the Sheffield interchange. I’ve added the timetable at the bottom of this post. Click on it for a bigger version you can actually read.

We decided to start on a HVD called Recess Wall. It was nothing special tbh, but I did rather amusingly get my helmet trapped behind one of the overhang rocks above it. It was quite a fiddle to get around it with the extra inch of so of helmet in the way. We were intended on climbing the HVD next to it, but decided not to after not really enjoying Recess Wall and it looking similar. When I got home I discovered that I’d already seconded it with Rich and Jen last year!

Instead, we hopped over to Plate Glass Slab, which was quite busy with top roping kids, but had the interesting looking HS 4b climb called Plate Glass on it. I eyed it up and hopped on and then spend most of the next hour creeping my way up it as I swapped bits of gear in and out of the really poor ledges and pockets on it. Every single bit of gear I seemed to place was the bit that would fit into the next hole further up the wall! It genuinely would have been an easier climb if I’d solo’d it. It was still great fun though, you just needed to be careful with the slippery holds at the start. I was suprised to find it upgraded on Uk Climbing when I got home to a VS 4c. Not sure I agree with that, but it’s nice to have another VS in my log 🙂

Feeling confident, I thought I’d pick out one of the VS’s on this part of the wall and Trivial Pursuit looked interesting. Overall, it wasn’t too bad but the top out was a nightmare. An overhanging topout with really not that much to grab a hold of on the top. What should have been a graceful, measured mantle was in reality a gruesome looking bellyflop-wiggle!

Checking the time, we had long enough for one last lead, which was a quick saunter up the simple Mantelpiece Crack. I managed to place every one of my hexes up it for the first time. A nice bit of practice for placing them as they do usually get overlooked.

After that, there wasn’t really enough time for another climb before the bus, so we packed up, wandered down to the carpark and I got a Mint Chocolate Chip Icecream in a wafercone with a flake in it! Yum.

Sunday Stanage Bus Timetable!