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Today a friend from Uni cam to visit and mentioned he had never been to the far end of Stanage. Having never been myself I saw the opportunity to climb a couple of routes in a place that is not right on the road. After a night of wine and Mario we woke up pretty late and the crag was RAMMED. We did manage to find some parking and headed up to the furthest point of Stanage with no route in mind.

Every buttress had somebody climbing it until we got to the final slabs. Checking the guide I notice Prospero's Climb, a VDiff with 2 stars. Although the start looked polished and green it seemed to clean up higher up. The route was damp and gritty, but quality did shine through with some good moves and good gear with a few short run outs between good runners. I did have a little panic and forced a number 9 wire, and had a little scare on a slippery mantel high up but enjoyed the route. My friend failed to get my number 9 out so there is some crag swag if you fancy it. We came down to find we had been joined by many members of the Southampton University Mountaineering Club. They seemed like a good crack, and I hoped that one of there well kitted out members (with a rack which would not look out of place at Gogarth,) who had just started up the route would be able to get my nut for me. After we had spent 20 minuets putting gear away and the climber was umming and arhhing about whether to go up or down from her stance 6 ft up, I let the wire go, it being 5 years old and well loved.

We then headed back toward the car stopping to watch somebody cruise the top of a route up Marble wall, ether Goosey Goosey Gander (E5 6a) or the end of the traverse The Lamia (E3 5c). I was very impressed by the way they made the top crack look like a staircase so when we went up to try a route round to the right, called Richard's Sister (HS) I told them as we passed I was impressed. It was then I recognised them as 'rock star' Nic Seller and film maker Rich Heap. I suppose anything is easy once you have climbed E9....

Richard's Sister was great, a lovely clean crack with interesting, sustained climbing that made me remember why i love climbing grit.

So a good, if little unproductive day was topped off with a nice meal and a pint in the local and a good forecast for tomorrow...