Left Newcastle and headed to the Lake District, via a lovely little crag at Armathwaite…

An absolutely idyllic spot on a hot day in May! Easy parking by the bridge (with a good looking pub, just a few steps away), then a short walk along the River Eden through an aincent forest, past a few rapids and then a scramble down to the base of a bog sandstone crag. Magic. After the fun of the weekend, it was just the level of activity we were looking for.

We opted for a easy looking line as the heat, new rock type and general exhaustion didn’t have us wanting to pull too hard. There are some cool lines if you do though!

Funky rock formations along the way…

Two nice little pitches that were bone dry – I suspect it might be a bit mossy and slippery low down otherwise…

Best of all though, was the river to cool off in afterwards! Fabulous! It actually felt warm in the water…

Next stop was nearby Penrith, where we were aiming for a supermarket to get supplies for the coming week, but actually ended up stopping for ice creams and a look around as it’s a nice little town.

At 17:06, when we set off again, the car temperature said 37 degrees! Bonkers!

A hour or so later, and we made it to Little Langdale, where Mom had secured us some top-notch accommodation for the family get-together! A solid step up from camping on the shores of Coniston all those years ago!

Climbing at Armathwaite:

• Bullgine Run, V.Diff*