Yorkshire Bouldering with Matt Birch

During my short time in England I managed to finally visit my buddy Matt Birch up in Yorkshire as I've been threatening for years.  He lives just a shortish drive North of the Peak District and there happens to be a bunch of gritstone up his way as well.  Matt showed me around to a couple of his local crags and when it wasn't raining/hailing we climbed on some pretty sweet problems.  And by climb I mean Matt ran laps on classics and I flailed and made up lame excuses.  Apparently there is a friendly rivalry between the Yorkshire crew and those from the Peak District as they both claim to have the better bouldering.  I didn't get to see much of what Yorkshire has to offer but I think it's safe to say that both places have some good stuff.

Here are a few pictures of Yorkshire gritstone and cuisine

 Matt warming up on Flying Arete at Almscliff

 Gypsy is a little terrifying when the holds toward the top are damp.  Fortunately it rains enough to keep the ground soft and pitching from the top should just leave you knee deep in mud

Matt Birch.  The man, the myth, the legend

Ben's Groove was just one of the amazing problems at Caley.  I definitely want to go back to this area.

Since I was in Yorkshire (pronounced "york-sure" for you yankees) it seemed like the ideal time to try Yorkshire Pudding.  I can say Matt's climbing ability is rivaled by his culinary skill.  Yum yum.

Deliciousness. Yorkshire pudding, chicken wrapped in bacon, and potatoes all topped with gravy.  I'll be back for second helping is this and the boulders in the near future.

Taking a Peak

I've never been all that excited about taking a climbing trip to England but somehow the pieces all fell into place.  Between Lina's conference in Scotland (free travel for her) and my friend Patrick living in Sheffield (free place to stay for us) the trip was too easy to pass up.  Now a cheap Ryan Air flight and tiny rental car later I find myself wandering about the Peak District's gritstone.  Now if only the weather will cooperate I'll see what all the fuss is about grit.

If anyone has some recommendations while I'm here please shoot them my way (boulders or culture).

 Patrick playing tour guide to some wet boulders.  I guess no trip would be complete without a taste of the notoriously bad English weather. Now that I've done that it's time to clear up

Countryside.  Since it's not actually raining this is "good weather"