Since the meet at Bowden Doors was rained off a few weeks ago, it would make sense to switch the venue for Wednesday 25th June from Callerhues, where the climbs are mostly in the higher grades, to Bowden Doors where there are climbs of all grades. Callerhues was included in the programme in order to avoid too many repeat visits to the more popular crags, but when the scheduled meets at the popular crags are rained off, it seems sensible to rearrange the schedule. Your view on this proposal is invited.

I'm going to Callerhues definitely providing it's dry. Because I don't get to go there often because other people think, me as well, the grades are hard so they avoid but not me. You could always lower your grade. It's not the end of the world for me to climb VDiffs. I'm always in to try different crags all the time so you increase your repertoire of 'engrams'. There are loads I want to try there. Because it's a less travelled crag. It is this very reason why we should go there to increase the traffic to keep veg down. Last time I went there a couple of years ago for a Wednesday meet. I bumped into Steve Blake just after he and his family moved back to Hexham. He said Callerhues was a good crag but could benefit with more traffic. Shame, not many people went there these days. (I think he compared to the haydays of the 70's and 80's of his time). I could not agree with him more. In fact, Peter B was there, too.

At the end of the day, you can always go to Bowden anytime.

It's kinda mentality a lot of climbers/non-climbers in general blinded to these days. Long walk-in, no thanks. Sandbagging grades, no thanks. If I want something, I want it quick, I want it good with no hassle, I want it now because I'm busy. What do you think Rjukan, Coire An T-Sneachda, Kalymnos, Bowden, Stanage have in common and are so popular? Praise Dave Birkett for his counter-culturism.

If anyone goes to Callerhues, take your bouldering mat more than anything else. Also, you don't have to park up at the farm and walk for more than half an hour. You can park after the Keepers Cottage and just before Hareshaw House on the unmetalled road at NY 840 870. It's much closer and cuts down half the time. Probably 20mins last time. Just ask politely. I had no problem doing that last time.

"At the end of the day, you can always go to Bowden anytime"

...or anywhere else for that matter - my last few outings have been to Goats Crag, Howlerhirst and Jack Rock so a trip to the more conventional and accessible with lots of routes in the lower grades probably makes sense

Other roles of the meets list might be several-fold:

a.) alleviating the anguished cry from members of "oh no, not xxxx again!"
b.) showing those newer to climbing just how good the other, less-well visited, crags really are
c.) lead by example in encouraging visits away from "honeypots"
d.) blahblahblah...

If a meet at "nnn" crag get's rained off then c'est la vie, non? Easy enough to go back there on another day, any day. That I said I firmly believe in combining close-by venues and welcoming the opinions of others.

ATEOTD tho', for me it matters not one jot, I can't make it to either venue.
C'est la vie, non?

Freefall wrote:

QUOTE:
my last few outings have been to Goats Crag, Howlerhirst and Jack Rock

Excellent to hear that you're getting to become a connoiseur of climbing esoteric crags! You're now graduating and more discerning climber than the rest! The last one such crag I visited was Whitestone Cliffe in North York Moors 2 weekends ago. The most difficult access of all crags I've been in the British Isles just about. With nettles and brambles right up to your throat! We chose the best but hard way! And we could've approached from the "dangerous" way but easy! I think I need to take a machete to some crags these days! Despite being stung to death by nettles, we were rewarded with glorious sunshine and 2 excellent routes on the soundest section of the cliff on the right. Night Watch and Central Crack. Well worthy doing especially Night Watch.

Back to this Wednesday, if weather's ok, I'll be going to Callerhues. Anyone wanting a lift or offering a lift?

Seems that the proposal for an alternative venue has met with either apathy or opposition. I hope the suggestion has not caused too much confusion. I will be unable to get out to any venue. Have a good evening wherever you go.

For what it's worth, I don't think it's apathy at all and I don't think it has caused confusion. The suggestion seems eminently sensible.

If anyone else feels like me then they may well feel somewhat apprehensive about putting put a post on here to be criticised or insulted for expressing a point of view which others don't necessarily agree with. Being a newcomer to the club and to climbing in general, going to Bowden Doors has an appeal given that the majority of routes at Callerhues look to be out of my league to say the least. I'm hoping to climb this evening and hope that others feel prepared to make suggestions or commitments; if nothing is forthcoming then I'll probably go to Callerhues.

I'm sure Peter already knows, but a note to Adrian W and any other new members to the forum - dont worry about the 'Wrath of Kin', he just likes to have a mental ruck now and then - just give him as good as he gives you.

I think Kin does make a good point though, and I think we should visit the less visitied crags as a club, but Peter made a good suggestion too, many members new to the club this year may not have been to Bowden before, and therefore a meet at Bowden would be a lot more productive and probably more enjoyable to them (mostly due to the grade difference).

Personally I'm gonna go to Callerhues with Kin, which shows that Kin and Peter have both made valid offers - the prospect of going to Callerhues sounds better to me, whereas the prospect of going to Bowden sounds better to Adrian, everyone's happy! (apart from Kin!).

We should maybe just learn from this (actually the same thing happened last year with a Drake Stone meet - and we obviously didnt learn from that) - when we include a crag like Callerhues, or Drake Stone, etc.. we should also have an alternative choice.

I'm gonna go to Callerhues too. I prefer to 'save' the bigger crags for when you get a whole day at the weekend.

If it starts raining later then I'll go to Sunderland.

Well - Callerhues happened. Something like 14 of us up there. I must confess that I headed towards Bowden Doors to climb with a novice until I discovered he was sick (probably with worry at the thought of climbing with me). Quick left turn towards Longframlington and Rothbury and then on towards Bellingham. Kin's car was taking up most of the limited space by the Keeper's Cottage (the northern approach) but I squeezed in and strode off purposefully to the distant hill over heather, bog and bracken.
AndrewC was at the sharp end of the rope on Callerhues Crack, the classic HVS of the crag. When Kin suggested I take over from Peter as the seconder I am sure he said it was VS, just about my seconding grade at the moment. Andrew succeed, and managed to haul me up on a very tight rope once I had made the difficult step up off the boulder in the bog, assisted by a life raft (or was it a bouldering mat?).
Ross had also showed up at the crag, and was keen (?) to take the lead on something easier. Polo looked a delightful classic Diff, involving a grovel up a green chimney followed by an exit through the hole in the rock formed by the blocked chimney. Rope drag was so excessive that having completed the climb he had to untie then throw me the end. Of course when I got to the hole I couldn't go through it - the rope led out over the block. I scrabbled my way over this to discover Ross belayed on a perfect T. The rope ran from me to him. At perfect right angles the rope then ran to belay points on either side.
The other option was a clump of heather, so what they say about belays at Callerhues is true.
Mission accomplished, it was down to the Black Bull. others were still on the crag doing E1s and higher numbers.