Sally's Bank Holiday weekend

Last weekend was a stunner. I spent it in the lakes catching up with old friends and climbing classics.

Saturday started off rainy, miserable and pretty horrible so we elected to go for a jaunt up Launchy Ghyll in Thirlmere. A smasher of a grade 3 scramble; you are guaranteed to get wet from head to toe and no walk in. I introduced the guys (Russ and Gillie) to the joys of socks over your shoes - i for some unknown reason had a about 4 pairs of old holey ones in the car... We didn't take many photos because, well, it was rather wet.

Afterwards we warmed up, changed our clothes and had some great coffee with warm chocolate muffins at Good Taste in Keswick. Then we wandered over the Borrowdale to see how dry Black crag was looking. Well, it kind of drizzled but mostly it was warm and sunny, but we still popped up Troutdale Pinnacle and there wasn't a queue. Lovely stuff.

After a boogietastic night out in Ambleside we staggered to Shepherd's crag on Sunday (after about 3 hours snooze) where we proceeded to have all sorts of fun. I thrashed my way in bad style up behind Ed's graceful and smooth ascent of M.G.C. The sun blazed down on us all day.

Then on Monday as the weather just kept on giving - sunburnt shoulders and freckles galore - we headed to Langdale for a bit of easy classic fun on Gimmer (the last time I had been there I had been dragged up numb hands in the wet up Intern...brrr.). We popped up via Middlefell buttress, wandered across and bagged Ash Tree Slabs and D Route. I truly enjoyed D Route - what a fab severe!

Later that evening we discovered an amazing veggie restaurant (and i'm no fan of no meat) called Fellini's in Ambleside. And the joy's of an up and coming Red wine (grape: nero d'avola) from Sicily, wow. I was sold.

I'm sun browned, food sated and blissed out. Good times.

Sally B