As Tuesday had been excessively damp, Gordon, Dave D, Luke and myself paid a visit on Wednesday evening to Rob’s randomly chosen crag of the week, Whitestonecliffe. With the consistency of mature Wensleydale, many of the routes here are best left to the cheese connoisseur. However, you shouldn’t dismiss the whole crag for this reason, as there are some superb lines on (relatively) solid rock.
After a quick roped decent of the approach gully, Gordon and Dave scuttled off to do Gauche (VD). However, my guidebook showed that it was 13 years since I last climbed The Night Watch (VS, 4b), so I decided that it was well overdue for a re-ascent.
Standing at the bottom, the route looks quite daunting, following a steep, wide crack vertically upwards for nearly 40m to the top. That’s not a typo and indeed, routes here are some of the longest in the north of England, bar the Lake District. I started the route by partly wedging myself in the crack, which gives a perceived sense of security. However, for most of the climb, it’s better to use holds on the outside of the crack and there are even occasions when you need to swing boldly out onto the face. This gives a real sense of exposure that you certainly won’t find at Brimham. In fact, with the foot of the crag standing atop a steep wooded bank a good 100m above Goremire lake, the feeling of scale and exposure is more reminiscent of the Dolomites than genteel North Yorkshire. Throughout, the climbing is technically sustained at it’s grade, but nowhere too difficult and gear is generally very good. Persevere, and you eventually reach the top. If you have the fine weather that we enjoyed, you can then bask in the sun, enjoying the glorious views as you bring your second up. The route has three stars and is generally regarded as one of the best VS’s in Yorkshire – a must if you’ve never done it!
We returned to the bottom to do Gauche on Gordon and Dave’s recommendation. This is another excellent route up a pillar to a large cave, followed by an airy traverse leftwards under the cave roof. The traditional finish is up a vegetated and unpleasant corner and not recommended. However, a much better finish is to take a rising traverse up the slab to the left at a slightly harder grade. Again, a good tree belay at the top provides a comfortable stance from which to gaze at the view.
Soon after Luke set off, the ropes suddenly twanged tight. He had apparently got in a bit of a pickle with the cheese, when a ‘positive’ hand hold snapped off without warning. After several seconds staring up at his feet, he managed to regain an upright stance and was soon at the top without further incident. We were reunited with Gordon and Dave as they emerged from the vegetation at the top of another vintage route to the right. With the sun now disappearing below the horizon, we declared an end to a fine evening’s climbing.
"one of the best VS’s in Yorkshire"?
One of the best single-pitch VSs in the country!
When challenged, the internationally famous Chris Craggs couldn't think of a better one…