Members: Andy Stratford, Nils Elgar, Jim Symon, Danny Arrowsmith, Becca Gardner, Kim Keegan, Tommy Harrisson, Josh Lehr

Prospective members: Will Fitzmaurice, Dan Irons, Kevin Grejewski, Ben Jones

An evening at Dovestones Edge in prime condition: a cooling breeze and sunshine from a cloudless blue sky onto rock which hasn’t seen rain in weeks. The classic routes were all in prime condition – notable ascents included Noddy’s Wall which with a tricky high crux with less gear than you’d like was a good effort for Tommys first at VS – the moorland grit was less scrittly than usual (also Tommy’s favourite new word of the day!).

Danny soloed a few easy routes then, keen to get on a rope fancied Left Embrasure (VS 4b) but appeared to have forgotten something – his harness! There were some mutterings about bowlines and the old days, but in the end, a bit of harness swapping resulted in Tommy, Andy and Danny all getting on the route with two harnesses between them.

The meet leader also received a complaint from one of the Kiwi’s present (Josh) that ‘’its too sunny’’ –  OK Josh – for as long as you come back here for the rest of your days you’ll probably only ever see rain, mist and midges, and you won’t have to put up with that awful sunshine ever again.

A great evening and a drink in the King William for a few of us in Greenfield on the way home.

Dovestones stands proud above the reservoir that bears its name in the Chew valley area, best guidebook being ‘’Over the Moors’’, although it is also in ‘’Western Grit’’. Parking can either be at the Resevoir (£4) with a walk in up via the Cairn on the Fox’s Stone, or at Binn Green (free but more limited). The walk in from Binn Green always seems steeper somehow…. 

Dovey is a Moorland evening crag par excellence – with a host of routes at amenable grades working left to right highly recommended are: Coopers Crack (S 4b), Nasal Buttress (HS 4b), Central Tower (VDiff), Tower Arete (VS 4c), Left Embrasure (VS 4b), Noddys Wall (VS 4b), Swan Crack (HVD), Layback Crack (HS 4b), Answer Crack (HVD), Question Mark (S 4a), Hanging Crack (E2 5b).

Answer Crack at HVD is probably one of the best routes of its grade in the peak.

It’s a place to try to arrive reasonably early at to make the most of the late afternoon sunshine – and hope for a breeze to keep the midges off. or bring a headnet and/or repellent! I’ll be aiming to be parked up (at Resevoir) for 3pm and climbing by 4pm, but it is long nights now, so it is worth even being at the crag for 6.30 – you will still get a good three hours climbing in.

Afterwards we'll pop down to The Clarence pub for a quick debrief!

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/dovestones_edge-108/

Any questions drop me a line.