After a pretty shocking Winter of injury, illness and obstacles, things have finally started to go my way again….
Thursday, Nesscliffe: I had, sort of by accident, opened an account on a very hard route here a couple of weeks ago - knowing nothing about it, I had tried “Gathering Sun” E7 6c on toprope and found it desperate, with a super reachy crux right at the very end.
Carrying out some further research, it turns out that this route is notorious for being impossible for those climbers under a certain height, with many considering it to be E8. Now I am admittedly quite lanky for a woman, but even I couldn’t reach the last move off the bomber foothold. I just about did it by the skin of my teeth by utilising a tiny ripple foothold a couple of inches above the good one. I couldn’t imagine linking this with the rest of the route though. Fast forward two weeks and I found myself tying in for the lead. I felt amazing, placing all the gear as I went, climbing smoothly. Before I knew it, I was at the last move. I stretched and stretched but came up millimeters short of the crimp. Next minute I was airborne - the pegs and cams held and I had survived my first E7 leader fall! Jordan dispatched the route with minimum fuss, flashing it with my (excellent) beta. Inspired, I tied in for round two and this time I made no mistakes. As I topped out, I thought to myself “That was the most physically and mentally demanding trad route I have ever lead”!
Friday, Hawkcliffe: 
Buoyed up with overconfidence from the previous day’s success, I swaggered up to “Birdsong” E7 6c expecting to crush it with no trouble, despite tales of a string of Yorkshire hardmen failing to unlock it’s secrets… I knew this route would be fierce as it is relatively well protected for the grade, but I really was sent away with my tail between my legs after my first attempts on toprope. Jordan kindly took some time to demonstrate the crux for me. Armed with new beta, I managed the moves but, once again, could never imagine linking them.
Naomi sends Birdsong, Hawkcliffe
Saturday, Newchurch:
A month earlier, Jordan had spied an amazing wall buried beneath a camouflage of greenery in the esoteric quarry of Newchurch in Pendle.
This unusual venue is characterised by the drunken geometry of its rock, crazy angles of slabs and leaning walls, but also by the eerie face carved in stone - local folklore is that a quarryman named William Watson fell to his death and one of his workmates propped him up to carve his likeness before they removed his corpse. We had visited the quarry together several times, cleaning the holds and discovering its possibilities. There were two lines to go, both very difficult and sustained, but one slightly easier than the other. We agreed we could have one each. This was intended to be “send” day, to be captured on film. It was the first time we had had the routes clean and dry enough to actually link all the moves together. Except it turned out that neither of us could! Jordan tried for a lead but fell off pumped and I could hardly string the moves together on my version, even on toprope. It was clear that more preparation was needed. And a rest for my bleeding skin!
Monday, Hawkcliffe:
40 hours of rest and visualisation had convinced me that I could do Birdsong after all! On my first lead attempt, I messed up the crux and took a gentle fall onto the aging pegs. I had a rest and a stern word with myself, then tied in again. I clipped the pegs and then began the long, 17-move V7 sequence - now, this climb might be considerd “safe”, but I was not relishing the idea of the big fall that would have occurred if I had blown any of the final few moves of this section. It’s pretty run out! I was surprised and relieved to reach the one-tensed-bumcheek rest ledge, just the final terrifying V4/5 boulder problem arete to go. I very nearly messed this up, slapping wildly into an undercut, but recovered and enjoyed the juggy topout, thinking to myself “That was definitely the most physically and mentally demanding trad route I have ever lead”!
Thursday, Newchurch:
The day dawned bright and warm. Two days at work had given me the rest I needed and my hands were no longer openly bleeding - game on! Again, I had been visualising my new route and was confident I could put it all together. Jordan cruised his version, creating a very tough new E8 6c called “The Onlooker”, Pendle’s hardest route to date! The sending window was open and I was as ready as I was ever going to be. I pulled the ropes and set off. The routes share the same start: a crimpy rumble up to a cruxy deadpoint move, followed by some steep crack laybacking and powerful dynamic moves to a niche. The Onlooker continues along the diagonal crack system whereas my route makes use of the niche to bust up to the top of the crag. From here, wiggy footless arete climbing may lead to the sanctuary of a hanging block. A combination of confidence in my sequence, controlled breathing and trust in the speed of my belayer enabled me to pluck up the courage to go for it. It was like leading a very steep and pumpy F7c, except I wouldn’t have wanted to fall off it. Thankfully I didn’t, and as I topped out I was thinking “That was undoubtedly the most physically and mentally demanding trad route I have ever lead”!
Naomi Buys sends the first ascent of 'Overlooked' E7 6b,
In celebration of completing my first ever first ascent, “Overlooked” E7 6b, we cracked open a bottle of champagne, topping off my best climbing week ever in fine style.