About Flamborough Head, in Yorkshire, this formation attains fine proportions, while as far west as Devonshire Beer Head is upwards of 400 ft. high.
Chimney: a recess among rocks resembling the interior of a chimney open on one side. (See Back-and-knee.)
Chockstone: a northern word for a stone wedged between the sides of a gully. A short word for this is greatly needed, and I would suggest that it might be called a 'chock,' simply.
Clapham, a station on the Midland Railway, is an excellent centre for Ingleborough and the Potholes.
Clark's Leap, near Swirl's Gap on Thirlmere, is a jutting rock, so called from a suicide which took place there over 100 years ago. It is one of many local absurdities of the novel called 'The Shadow of a Crime' that this name is brought in as an antiquity in the eyes of characters supposed to be living two centuries ago.
Clough (Cleugh, Cloof, Cluff, Clowe) is a North of England word for a kind of valley formed in the slope of a hill. The first cut in carving a shoulder of mutton produces a typical 'clough.' There is seldom any climbing about a genuine clough, because it implies soil rather than rock. Dr. Murray tells us that the word has no connection with the Icelandic 'klofi,' yet assigns to the latter word the origin of 'cloof,' in the sense of the fork of a tree, or of the human body. To a layman in such matters the two words bear a singular resemblance, both in sound and in sense.
Collier's Climb on Scafell was made by Messrs. Collier and Winser on April 2, 1893, and a very severe climb it is. It begins from the Rake's Progress at a point 105 ft. west from the North Climb. After a direct ascent of about 40 ft., a grassy platform on the right (facing the wall) is reached. From here a narrow and somewhat awkward traverse leads back to above the first part of the climb. This traverse could probably be avoided by climbing directly upwards. There follows an easy ascent for 30 ft. still directly upwards. By traversing broad grassy ledges to the right—i.e. towards Moss Gill—one of the inclined cracks so plainly seen on the face of the cliff is reached, and the rest of the ascent made in it. The only severe difficulties in the climb are: 1. at the beginning, in leaving Rake's Progress; 2. at one point in the crack where there is not much handhold for 10 or 15 ft.
Combe Gill, a fine gill in the north end of Glaramara. The climb is a little over two miles from Rosthwaite, and about a mile less from Seatoller. A very fine mass of rock (one of the many Eagle Crags) stands at the head of the little valley, and up the centre of this crag lies the way. It was climbed on September 1, 1893, by Messrs. J.W. Robinson and W.A. Wilson, whose account of it is as follows: 'This very fine gorge has three good-sized pitches in the lower part. These were passed by climbing the right-hand edge of the gill—interesting work. A return on to the floor of the gill was made near the top of the third pitch, when a little scrambling led to a very fine waterfall more than 100 ft. high. Here climb in the water as little as you can; then diverge slightly on to the right-hand wall of the gill just where the water spouts over a small recess; next traverse across a rather difficult slab into the cave under the final boulder, which is climbed on the left-hand and is the last difficulty.'
Coniston, having the advantage of both railway and steamboat, is very accessible, and, notwithstanding this, it is agreeably free from the rush of excursionists. Practically it has one fine mountain—the Old Man—and no more, though Bow Fell and the Langdale Pikes are not entirely out of reach. There is much good scrambling in the rocks which fringe the Old Man and Wetherlam, and superb climbing in Dow Crag.
Coniston Old Man.—Quarrymen and miners have between them done an immense deal towards spoiling a very fine mountain. They have converted to base industrial uses the whole east side of the mountain, which Nature intended for climbers. They have not yet invaded Doe Crag (q.v.), which is really part of it, but practically no one goes up the Old Man proper, except for the sake of the view, which is magnificent, and no one ascends except from Coniston, varied in a few cases by working north along the summit ridge and descending via Grey Friars on to the pass of Wrynose.