Rock and roll

If you're looking forward to a good winter season now is the time to start prepping, all based around the mountains.  Training for those slogs through snow and longer days out in the dark.  It's good to start training moving fast and light, doing some navigation to larger crag routes or scrambles, is perfect training.  Some light fell running with navigation is a cracking way to go.  To enhance and revise skills I've also, over the past couple of weeks, got out more for some personal climbing over at Wilton in Lancashire and in the Lakes.
  
Started out on the kayaking scheme, I've always done a bit of kayaking, at one point I was training with a former British freestyle champ but then let it go a bit, so with the season quietening down a bit I've decided to dice with the water.  It's the ex bootneck thing, land and water and all that.  So doing a bit of paddling on flat water at High Ridd, Horwich, to get the stroke techniques right to go forward for the coaching scheme. 

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Balder's Buttress

After watching the Royal wedding and toasting the happy couple (with a cuppa), T and I took a trip down Borrowdale and had an afternoon climbing Balder's Buttress (D).  4 pitches on good rock although slightly overgrown in places, with excellent views along the way.   A nice Magners and Stella overlooking the hills finished the day off nicely.

Looking down to Hollows Farm campsite.