Turned 18 yesterday! A weird feeling. Haven’t had to use my ID yet though, sad times. But as my last day as a child I spent a great evening at Millstone. One of the best crags in the Eastern Peak, it is littered with classics, and as such, you wouldn’t expect there to be many holds left unheld, holds worth holding that is.

But Tom Randall always seems to be able to find a new line here. King Ellmore (E6 6a/b) is found situated high on the edge above Jealous Pensioner. Subtle climbing up a blunt flake leads you up the slab, to where a powerful rockover off a sharp gaston guards the top. The easy climbing is protected, the hard climbing isn’t. No surprises there! Tom styled after another quick look made the first ascent, and I followed suit for the 2nd. Very good find all in all.

But winter is coming now, and the evenings are getting shorter. So before we knew it the light for the evening was fading. Time for one more route? Tom has climbed London Wall (E5 6a) 32  times now (I think), I have never climbed it. So even in the dying light it only seemed right to try and climb this classic. The dimming light would give me an excuse if I blew the onsight anyway! Half an hour later though I had surprised myself, and in the dark, without a head torch I topped out. It was a pretty cool experience and last the route I did before turning 18, which I think is nice, as I’ve wanted to do it since I first came to Millstone years ago.

A lovely evening to see off childhood, even if I am still a child.

London Wall © Mike Hutton

King Ellmore © Mike Hutton