Northumberland

Dovehole

As I’ve not been out doing any climbing of sorts for the past wee while, minus a cracking day at Dunkeld Polny Crag with Brian, I organised a cheeky 3 day boulder trip with 5 of the boys to Northumberland. This was their first time down so it fell to me to be the tour guide of the trip, using the campsite in Belford as the base. 

Casual Crag Attire

 

Noble attempt at His Eminence

The first port of call I wanted to check out was Dovehole on the way down the road. We couldn’t find anyone in the farm to ask permission as the guide states so left a note on the car. Unfortunately we didn’t get to stay long as we were washed off in torrential rain after just managing a 5+ as a warm up. The crag itself is situated on the hill in a clearing, being a little sandy but with amazing looking rocks and lines. Definitely have to go back at some point! With soaking feet we headed to Back Bowden to the Bat Cave to do Brant (6b+)We tried a few more down by Merlin’s wall though the midges were so bad we retreated… a day of retreat! Not bad to say it was so wet.

A bare foot night in the pub followed, which was good as England were playing so with the Scots in tow was pretty funny with the locals. For once I had the upper hand. To top off the night on the way back I spotted a pair of size 11 boots in the charity shop which I picked up the next morning at a £3 snip! Just a shame I’m a size 8! Still it avoided the trench foot I was getting!!! We spent the Saturday getting sunburnt at Bowden, managing 25 boulder problems in the day. Nothing too special just a few 6’s and the 7a sandy mantle, but some good efforts on His Eminence (7a+) from Jacob and the 6b in the cave we were close to finishing but too drained to get at the end of the day. Sunday was spent at Kyole in the Woods, where I got some new routes including a good 6a+ and 6b+ I’d never done. Brian and Arthur decided to leave an hour before us to head up the road. It’s a shame that when we got back to the cars theirs was still there with them nowhere to be seen. Turns out they’d took the wrong turn and were running around like lunatics trying to find the way out!