Lake District Scrambling

Lake District Scrambling

Out and about with this team looking to do some Lake District Scrambling. The team had travelled up from London for the weekend, and Michael had asked for some climbing and scrambling adventure for his nieces and their partners. He also wanted to look at some basic rope skills as well so that he could feel more confident whilst out in the hills. 

We kicked it off in Coniston to see where the group was at, and went too Long Scar. This is a great grade 1/2 scramble up a broad ridge line. It takes in the best bit of the crag and there are lots of alternatives available. 

Skills:

I led up the harder bits and brought Micheal up, he was more than capable but wanted him to see what I was doing and then he could help and do the same. Making rope work easy and understandable is the way to go. And it wasn’t long before he had hold of the rope/others and brought them up safely to the ledge. 

Jacks Rake:

After topping out on the scramble we made our way down for a spot of lunch by the river before heading off to our venue for  some Lake District Scrambling. Here for some more details on our courses. Knowing the Lakes as well as we do we know the right venues for the job. Therefore for this group we choose the classic Jacks Rake! A soaring right to left line that cuts right through Pavey Ark. At first it looks unclimbable but on closer inspection you see that the fault line allows access through. No matter how many times I’ve gone up and come down, it still warrants respect. Like any mountain it’s always changing and this means hand and foot holds could become weakened or dislodged. Freeze thaw can play a big part in this, but in July we don’t have that to work about!

Firstly the rake is pretty long and it’s surprising to a lot off people just how long it is. In fact it’s probably the longest rising scramble at this grade – grade 1 – in the Lakes. Secondly Lake District Scrambling doesn’t come much better tbh. But don’t get too hung up on the grade, in bad weather and or slippy conditions it can feel a bit more, so err on the side of caution if unsure. Book a guide or come back and tackle it another day, it’ll still be there! 

It’s not every day you get to see a parrot and on the way up we met a guy who had brought his macaw along! Random. Apparently he wasn’t or probably wasn’t very friendly so we kept our fingers and hands well away. Great creatures and in the times I’ve been coming up this way, never seen that! 

Top:

After topping out on the summit of Pavey Ark – A Wainwright – we do like we always do and come back down. Remembering that we are only 50% through our journey so we take our time off the summit to hit the track and head down. Michael and the gang had an awesome time. There words. And their kind reviews echo this. He said that he will be back to try another challenge! Can’t wait. 

Links: 

Info on Scrambling: Here