The october meet in Dunnerdale managed to catch the last of the indian summer before it mutated into the november freeze. Dunnerdale was a new venue for me. I had only heard of the main crag, Wallowbarrow, as a Wet Weather Alternative so was not expecting anything too much. After this meet I am surprised the valley and crag are not more popular. There is no lake, and no big peak, I suppose that's why it doesn't get the tourists, but it's a beautiful, quiet place with lots of mossy woodland, little crags and rocky streams.
Wallowbarrow crag itself turned out to be a friendly-feeling little stunner. The routes are multipitch but not high – under 60m – and mostly in the low to mid grades. Because the crag starts high on the hill overlooking the valley they feel much bigger and the views from the belays are gorgeous, the friction is excellent, the protection mostly good and it catches the afternoon sun so we were climbing in T shirts.
Angela at Wallowbarrow
On day one Me, Angela, Rob, Julie and Pete B went to Wallowbarrow, where Angela did her first multipitch lead. Unexpected entertainment came when we sauntered back to our gear in the gathering twilight, only to realise my headtorch was still hanging on my bunk. Luckily the moonlight was bright enough to cast shadows, making the walk back through the woods a really nice experience rather than a pain in the arse.
The mood changed completely as we walked into the pub – the whole of the meet was in there and Annie was in full cry. Staggering back to the hut I discovered there are advantages to being little – the cars were all full but Andrew kindly offered to put our gear in his boot, I then realised I was small enough to curl up inside with the sacs so got a ride back amongst the gear.
Next day…
Simon and Carmen had visited some obscure crags for a change. They recommended Seathwaite Buttress, so me, Donal, Pete the Pie and Simeon set out to find it. We arrived, but werent sure we had – the thing appeared to be auditioning for a slot on Gardener's World. We peered dubiously at some nearby slabs, which looked even less promising, then decided this was the right place before also deciding it looked about as inviting as the Stabbers Arms on a wet Tuesday.
After more dithering and pondering, Rob and Pete B arrived, so we left them to be the guinea pigs and headed back to sunny Wallowbarrow where we met Simon and Carmen again. Rob and Pete reported later that the crag was fine once you passed the first 10 metres of moss and incipient rainforest, but I dont think I'll be going out of my way to find it again. On the other hand I will happily go back to Wallowbarrow – it's a lovely little crag and far nicer than I expected from a "Wet Weather Venue".