Ascents as trad by Graham Dowden having Distinct route

Here's to unexpectedly pleasant meetings, climbing partnerships, new routes, roof exits, cam slots and Australia Day FAs.

Previously rapped it and removed some dirt and loose bits of rock (as did Rene with his helmeted head, alas) but had no idea what to do or how it would go til I got up there. A few porcine grunts and near-horizontal thrashings later was on The Ledge, from which exited stage right, as could not conceptualise the crack alternative, which was ably achieved by The Second. What a little ripper!

Would be a bad lead with poor pro. Very engaging topout.

Tore off a lump of rock and snapped a sapling on the way down, dang!

Surprised myself to be able to follow Mr M's excellent onsight.

Bellowed like a bull-walrus, but just managed the final haul-out on the slopey sidepull to avoid the public ignominity of beaching like one.

Could be poor cams above 4m but certainly wouldn't be leading this. Desperate monkey exit thru roof slot.

Perhaps it was seeing Nathan nearly onsight his hardest trad to date in new boots and Keith's crack gloves. Perhaps it was the irritation of a small dog, yapping as if it owned the cliff. Perhaps it was because this sunny rock and wide view was far preferable to the mingy laptop screen. Or perhaps, in some strange synergy between human and swine, this was the very moment at which Dave's Wild Boar, Chantarelle and Creme de Mur stew, eaten yesterday at 3pm, reached the zenith of it's digestive efficacy, and in a burst of pure porcine power and brutal boar's roars drove me upward to success.

Maybe this has a relatively easy method, however hard to divine from the midst of perplexing muscular contortions. Suffice to say, it requires a few large cams, and a few moves both strong and strange. As for the grade, a stiff old 19 or a fair 20, but 23 it is not.

Flew off on the first attempt then clean after that.

Once again, evidence of sneaking in from one side .. and once there couldn't see a 21 move, but that was on the second attempt on the clothesline from above so had to be devalued. After that, 17-18 like the neighbours but by that time Dick Whittington - and his cat - had definitely turned again, to the Cheapside of course, bypassing the 128 seat Longhouse in which I found myself metaphorically and inevitably incarcerated.

Could not crack the start so came in from HdL and took a couple of rests at thr crux.

Shameful dogging on the ratchet, but the onsight was improbable. Hard bit's about 1.5m of fingerlocking before you can sink a jam. Better get that sorted before Frog!

This climb and its neighbour are of a past time: relatively easy climbing either side of a bouldery crux with fixed protection. These days one wouldn't bother, both because of the small number of hard moves, and long unprotected leadout either side. To be as precise as my laser could be, 6.7m to the ground with one possible average cam between, then about 12m up an easy arete to the GU topout.

Sorry not to onsight as I think I did 41 years ago, but eventually got the move after several rests. Technically 20 I'd say.

Perfect clean 30-35mm crack too small for hands and too big for finger locks with clean edges aplenty. Way out of my current leagues so dogged it via edges with occasional jam as the new breed will no doubt do.

Took the "easy" left sided option through the bush up the angled cheese grater, busted a crucial outside foothold and got grated. Got up there again into the flared V chimney and definitely maxxed out the old ticker, very barely stayed stuck in, but finally thrutched into relief. Then up easier crack and final slab to avoid last bottomless boulder. Felt like 23 but probably only an old-school 17 chimney .. I mean, they didn't come much harder than that did they? Plenty of pro, if you want that kind of thang. Or try the right variant for a real granite experience.

Retreated before roping up after seeing two halves of a shed snake skin: half in the crack and half on the ground below. Has Mr Brown Snake moved house from Cenotaph Corner, or did a helpful hand-jamb help him out of his old skin?

Went for the ground up onsight diretissima FA but lost it's shine when I realised it had been done.

Bouldered up to the carrot, side-clipped the adjacent lower U bolt for safety and failed several times to get much higher. Dirty with not much to get a hold of past that.