Wilderness Rocks, 24th June

The height of the summer (at least as far as dates go) and Nick Colton and I are sheltering under the biggest roof on grit on the other side of the valley. One day I will make it to Wilderness when the sun is out and the rock is dry. One day.

Tintwistle Knarr, 21st June

We struggled with the weather at the Knarr. It seeps after rain, and is even worse during a downpour. In case you couldn't tell, we got nowhere with our visit to this crag today!

Here's one half of the 'Hayfield Hair Bear Bunch' on Scimitar, HVS and sunny (March '07).

Yellowslacks, 17th June

The redoubtable Team Offwidth made it up here, after calling round to mine for tea and cakes (cherry and almond loaf). As is so often the case, their investigations have proven exhaustive. I was made of less stern stuff and made a friend of mine from Dorset climb horrible offwidth cracks at The Roaches,

Ravenstones, 10th June

This is one of mine: a tough crag that takes no prisoners! If you think you can climb HVS on grit, come up here and say that! I still haven't got off the ground on Rizla (HVS 5a, 4c) Maybe next month, eh? The managing director of 'Chris Tan Death Products' is seen here cruising to glory on some undergraded thing. The team had another great day at the crag in early June, and it became clear that a certain well known publisher of selective climbing guides was wide of the mark with over 60% of his grades. HS? Try HVS 5a. E1 5b? We say E3 5c. Now then!

Lower Shelfstones, 14th June

This was one of those many crags where someone promised to write it up but, three years later nothing had arrived. The redoubtable Mr & Mrs Offwidth ("It's bloody well Ms, not Mrs!", says Mrs Offwidth) have agreed to take on this task. I love them very much. The views from the crag are excellent and there is, if you spend a few minutes looking, a gritstone throne from which you can survey your birthright.

Upper Tor, 2nd June

Iain Johnson's labour of love! He's been working on Upper Tor for 18 months (we sometimes allow him to come down to the valley) and he is getting to the point where the end is in sight. Checking routes for guidebooks is a tough job. Next time you see him do two things: 1) offer to hold his ropes next time he's up at the crag & 2) buy him a bag of pork scratchings (he's a veggie).

The Dovestones, 5th June

It's difficult to fault the argument that this is one of the best moorland crags. It faces the afternoon and evening sun, the rock is as rough as it should be and there are testing routes at all grades. Slabs, cracks, overhangs and walls sit there, waiting for you to come try your luck. You'll love it.