An unexpected end-of-March / Easter weekend weather window saw Jake and me at our usual M6 Junction 36 rendezvous, trying to decide on a Lakes venue that would be warm enough, dry enough and not totally grid-locked with Bank Holiday visitors. Tapping into the Paul’s local wisdom, we headed over to the Duddon to check out one of the newer developments – Brandy Crag. Accessed from Birks Bridge, it’s a gentle 20mins or so and only a bit boggy!

Certainly plenty of sun (and we’d need it with max temps of 12C), though a fair amount of seepage (not surprising immediately after the monsoon season!) The lower wall is steep, giving way to a slabby upper wall, and teh compact rock doesn’t always yield as much gear as you might like. We did Right Wall, E1 5b, Summer, E2 5b and The Duddon Challenge, E4 6a (I say ‘we’ but I was very much in belay-bunny mode, with the damp, coolth, and ‘first day of trad’ factors all making it far to easy to cede leading duties to the rope gun).

Fab views over the Duddon towards High Moss (the Rucksack Club hut)

Having ticked the best of the trickier routes, Jake still had enthusiasm for making the most of teh first day of spring, so we headed over Hardknott (an adventure in itself over the Bank Holiday weekend) to its summit and eponymous crag. Less than 10mins from the road (if you can park!) and basking in the evening sun.

…though not for long as it was only an hour or so before sunset…

Unperturbed, Jake set off for a cool-headed ascent of Powerglide, E4 6a, unfazed by the poor gear for the initial tricky moves into the groove. Fab route!

…and comfortably topped-out before sundown…

…turning the rock a deep red…

Easter Sunday was cooler and with a bit more cloud cover, but that didn’t deter us from wrapping up warm and going high! Kern Knotts in Wasdale beckoned…

The Innominate / Sepulchre combo lived up to its 3* rating, with thin moves up the finishing corner

Further left, Jake was eyeing up another E4 to add to his impressive end-of-March trad-season opener. Grimalkin, E4 6a, is another bold offering, especially so as it is largely untraveled despite the 3*.

A bit cool for more hard pulling, but too nice for an early finish…

…we completed the circuit of the slopes Great Gable with a traverse to The Napes…

…for a lap of The Needle. Up The Obverse Route and back down The Arete (heads up to anyone going to do these or the classic Wasdale Crack – the rap point from the top of the first pitch is in an unusable state)

Not a bad haul for a chilly weekend in March – bring on April and hopefully the start of the trad season proper!