by Mick Ryan – UKClimbing.com Lakes Festival High Council We´ve checked the forecast and over the weekend of June 13th – 15th climbing conditions will be perfect in the Duddon Valley where the first Lakes Festival of Climbing is to be held. The idea for this festival came out of a BMC Area Meeting at the Golden Rule, Ambleside last October where, “someone lamented the demise of climbing on the high crags of the region.” Also with other UK climbing communities like North Wales coming together and organising events such as the recent Tremadoc clean-up, several people thought it about time that a similar ´re-energisation´ occured in the Lake District, and things are happening…. The newly revamped Lakes Area Meetings are well attended. The next one will be at 7.30pm on Thursday 5 June at the Hawkshead Brewery Beer Hall (in Staveley Mill Yard). Those bolts will raise their heads once again, this time it will be a report on a Lakes Bolting Workshop – to aid in the replacement of old bolts on Lakeland Slate and Limestone – which is being held on May 17th at Scout Scar just outside Kendal and being led by the BMC´s Dan Middleton. Also on the agenda at the next Area Meeting is, “abseil chains in the Lakes ? are these the next step forward?” Ouch! That may hurt some. The latest Lakes Area Newsletter is also now available HERE. These Area Newsletters that are being produced across the UK are slowly morphing into mini climbing area magazines and are well worth a look to keep you up to date with local climbing issues and climbing ideas. But back to the Lakes Festival of Climbing.
