‘Twenty feet more of easy scrambling leads to the top of the buttress, which is separated from the mass of Bowfell by a narrow neck, from which scree gullies descend on either side.’
A few short scrambles can be found amongst the crags above Angle Tarn on Hanging Knott, but the terrace-like formation of the rocks hereabouts is of greater interest to the geologist than to the climber. Flat Crags, and the wild recesses of Hell Ghyll and Crinkle Ghyll, have been visited by the fraternity, but their reports of these localities are quite unfavourable, except as regards their scenery.
Doe Crag.—At the time of the writing of Jones’ chapter on this fine cliff, most of the routes up the best rock faces in the district were exhausted, and short variations had become the order of the day.
Doe Crag was the one great climbing ground which had many new, unexplored courses upon it, and the almost certain knowledge Jones had of their existence is evident to all who read his chapter in the present book. These delightful descriptions of the gullies are in every way accurate at the present time, except that the Intermediate Gully is now ascended direct over every pitch; it is only necessary in this Appendix to carry the tale through another epoch—the Buttress epoch.
This started in March 1903, when Mr. F. Philipson and the writers made the ascent of the two most prominent buttresses. Since that time the various remaining buttresses and their subsidiary ridges have been ascended in such detail and thoroughness as characterize the nail-scratched rocks of Scawfell and the Pillar. These courses are now described, irrespective of merit or difficulty, as they occur from left to right as one stands facing the crags at a point slightly above Goat’s Water. The nomenclature is that adopted by Mr. G. F. Woodhouse in his excellent monograph, and by those who later made virgin ascents on this magnificent crag. It but remains to be said that, whereas the gullies are almost exclusively for expert and ultra-expert parties, the buttresses offer climbs which in many cases may be safely undertaken by parties of moderate strength.
Doe Crag, seen from across Goat’s Water
A A Buttress.
B B Buttress.
C C Buttress.
D D Buttress.
E E Buttress.
f Easy Gully.
g Great Gully.
h Central Chimney.
j Intermediate Gully.
k Easter Gully.
l North Gully.
m A Buttress Climb. Original Route.
n A Buttress Variations.
o B Buttress. Broadrick’s Route.
p The Lion’s Crawl.
q Easy Terrace.
r B Buttress. Original Route.
s B Buttress. Woodhouse’s Routes.
t C Buttress Climb.
t^1 C Buttress Climb Variation.
t^2 Branch exit from Intermediate Gully.
v D Buttress Climb.
w Blizzard Chimney.
x Easter Gully. Jones’ Route and continuation up E Buttress.
y Easter Gully. Broadrick’s Crack.
z E Buttress Climbs.
3 The Real Chimney.
4 Woodhouse’s Crack.
A Buttress is the magnificent bastion which separates the Easy Scree Gully from the Great Gully. Unlike the other buttresses, which afford good climbing only for about 200 feet above their bases, the best sport is to be obtained in its higher reaches. The climbing starts at about the centre of the buttress, where is a cairn, but a vast overhanging precipice forces the climber away diagonally to the left along a narrow, grass ledge, which dwindles until, at a considerable height above the screes, an awkward corner is rounded. This can be reached by two distinct variations starting lower down and to the left of the route described, both of which are very stiff. Above this a thin crack is ascended for about 30 feet until a large ledge is attained. Here a choice of routes is available. A cave pitch straight ahead can be ascended on the right wall and, after ascending some broken rocks, a traverse to the right discloses an interesting chimney, above which the serious climbing ceases. An easy gully leads to this cave pitch direct from the Easy or Little Gully.
For very strong parties a fine variation is to traverse diagonally upward to the right from the large ledge, treading the upper edge of the huge overhanging crag already referred to, until a fine chimney is entered. This is difficult, but the anchorage is good. A few feet above it an exposed traverse is made away to the right until the foot of a most sensational crack is reached. This can be climbed, or the traverse continued somewhat further until upward progress can be made by a zigzag course almost overhanging the upper confines of the Great Gully. To Messrs. Ormiston-Chant, Craig Gordon, and Parker most of the fine variations on this buttress have fallen.