Members present: Rob Allen, Robert Clark, Dave Dillon, Dave Bish, Vicky Alderton, Duncan Lee, Lester Payne and his 27 year old harness.

Guest present: Kate Sparks.

Despite the previous days blanket drizzle and a grey start to the day the sun soon broke through to warm the bones of the select few who braved the journey to the wilds of Yorkshire. By mid afternoon it was T-shirt weather!

Everyone wisely resisted the temptation of the traditional sandbags and opted for clipping the nice new shiny bolts on a variety of routes that included Chopping Block (F6a+), It's Alright Mama (6a+), She's not Yew (5+), Out of Bounds (4), Pitch n' Putt (6a+), Babel (5+), Displacement activity (6a+), Crazy Paver (6a+), Over the garden wall (5+), Atomic kitten (6a) and Rat Poison (6a+). All except Kate that is who bravely headed forth for a walk without a map. Maybe it's the next step for our navigationally challenged members seeing as you cannot misread a map you don't have.

Meanwhile back at the crag no one was having any route finding difficulties following the bolts. The finest effort of the day was by Lester who followed Rob on The Constant Gardener (6a). By the time his feet were reacquainted with the ground he had developed bulging veins on his bulging veins. Team Dave then headed for a benightment on the appropriately named Taking the Mickey (6b) whilst the rest of us went in search of Kate en route to the Maypole. As darkness fell the Daves arrived having reached the car in the gloom. Thanks to everyone who bothered to show up.

Giggleswick Scar South (GR: SD 807652) is a nice collection of limestone buttresses in a sheltered sunny setting that have recently undergone a transformation from a vegetated hellhole into one of Yorkshire's finest low to mid grade sports climbing venues. The guidebook is so out of date it is untrue but is still useful in order to find the place, but once there, routes now start at F4 /4+ (about severe) on the bolted lines and traditionalists can find a fine collection of Yorkshire's finest sandbags on the High Level Crag where grades vary from HVD to E4. (And those are just the book grades, Ed.)

I plan to arrive at Sector Swans (the first area reached when walking up the hill from opposite the golf course) at around 11am but don't be surprised if I'm late. To guarantee that I'm on time you could always collect me on the way past Accrington and that way I could have a pint or two of fine real ale in The Maypole on the way home.