Bouldering at Burbage South

Headed over to Hope yesterday for the Hope Wakes Fell Race, which you can read more about on the other blog- more of a comprehensive write up. However, we decided to get over to that side of the Peak a little bit early to get some bouldering in and get a couple of tick marks in my nice shiney new Peak bouldering guide from Vertabrate Publishing.

After a lovely Jacket Potato in the Woodbine Cafe, we drove to the Fox Inn down at Burbage South, got the still shiney and new DMM bouldering mat out of the car and wandered down toward the boulders.
The mat is well designed and I could carry it quite happily with a load of other bits and bobs, and I'll do a more comprehensive review of it later.

Attempting Puck

The boulder field (or at least, the right bit of the boulder field) was found easily, thanks to the excellent map and photos in the guide, and we were soon playing around on the rock.
I started on the Snake, warming up on the very easy back, then moved onto the Pock Block, cruising up a 3+ and a 5 (Pick and Pock) and then tried a 5+ (Puck). No way that was going to go.

This outside bouldering malarky is harder than I remember!
After saying hi to fellow climber, with the sun still splendidly out (but with some really quite menacing clouds lurking relatively close), we went up to the Armoured Car, the Sentinal and also the Tank, where I managed to tick off 2 5's one of which was Chieftan(yes, yes, I know, its not really much to shout about in the grand scheme of things, but my bouldering is rubbish- hence why I need to practice it) and Sentinal Left, a 4, but- to me, quite airy.

Chieftan

Not many of the problems I was doing were hard enough for names. Once I get to the stage of climbing the ones with names rather than just a number, I'll be a very happy bunny!

By now my fingertips were wearing a little thin, and I had a lovely little gash in my ankle from a somewhat failed heelhook, so after a short rest, we wandered to the Brick for a last couple of problems before heading back to the pub for a quick lemonade.

The guide is great, the bouldering mat is no longer crazy ghastly yellow, and my Sportiva Katanas are going to wear through very fast indeed. A lovely afternoon, decent weather and my delusions of grandeur in the bouldering world have neatly been crushed.

Nowt to do now, but practice!