Keen to make the most of the warm sunny weather before it finished, this week's plan was to head for Ilkley and the north-facing Rocky Valley. In the event only 4 of us made the trip, but were rewarded with some excellent conditions.
It's a few years since I last climbed in Rocky Valley, I've been put off by the polish and the midges. The polish was still there (once upon a time it must have been a popular venue), but a gentle breeze meant that the midges were not. Instead there was sunshine, beautiful views, the sound of birdsong, and an almost total absence of climbers. Later on we did a route in the quarry, were there was litter, no views, dozens of pigeons, and queues for routes – but despite this I'm rather fond of the place.
Routes climbed ranged from the distinctly average (Holly Tree Route, Diff, no stars) to the superb (Illegitimate Crack, VS, ***), though the baby pigeon sat in the nest half way up the latter looked distinctly unimpressed.
Other routes climbed:
Black Chimney, Diff, *
Long Chimney, Diff, **
Long Chimney Direct, HVD, **
Three Slabs Route, MS, **
The Flake Climb, S 4a, ***
Bogey Wall, VS 5a, **
Walker's Hangover, HVS 5a, ***
and in the quarry
Josephine Direct, HS 4b, **