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On a recent break in the Lake District my wife, 7 year old son and I came across a section of a walk that required a little scrambling - About half an hour or so was needed to continue our walk.
It was great fun and the best part about it was the fact that my autistic son was almost overcome with emotion/joy as he started tackling the rocks and using his hands and arms to climb through, it was something I haven’t seen in him before and it clearly made an impact on him. With the help of a few locals we were able to find a few other scrambles whilst on holiday and once again the impact it had on my son was astonishing (I won’t deny I was a little emotional at the fact we had seemingly found something that for that amount of time had a transformative effect on him).
Needless to say that as a result we would like to explore this further. So, with that in mind I was hoping that some on here may be able to offer some advice on places to go, areas to explore or maybe some guide books that are worth buying. We are centrally located in Oxford so happy to look at holidays and breaks everywhere.
I'm no climber but love a bit of easy scrambling. A few I've done and enjoyed. North Wales. Cryb Goch, Tryfan north face, Sinister Gully onto the Glyders. In the lakes, Jake's Rake.
Cicerone do the classic books - Lake District Scrambles etc and there's one for North Wales as well IIRC..
Just had a look...
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52483880019_cd90e4a198_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52483880019_cd90e4a198_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/2nXPB26 ]Scrambling books[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
This is a subject I love. Many of the best days we've had together as a family have been scrambling in the lake district. The kids generally didn't like rock climbing, but loved scrambling especially if it was ghyl scrambling.
We tended to do it with wetsuits, helmets and harness rather than normal climbing gear as it made I much more fun and easy.
Church Beck in Conniston is really really good, but you also need buoyancy aids.
Sourmilk ghyl in borrowdale is great.
As is the ghyl up to sticky tarn above new dungeon ghyll in langdale.
Conniston old man has a nice easy grade 1 and there are some others in the coppermines valley.
Ditto eskdale
But by far the best is the Upper River Esk. It is simply world class. Sooooo many amazing pools falls, walls etc that go on for literally km with every single bit being soloable ( apart from the final escapable fall)
Took my son's mates there a few months back...
https://flic.kr/p/2nXNrQp
.
The new Lakes book is split into two volumes
PS, at the risk of being tedious, scrambling is potentially very dangerous.
I was going to recommend some books and then I changed my mind:
Go and spend a weekend with these (or similar but I do recommend them ):
https://www.peakmountaineering.com/product-category/scrambling/
They will give you all the advice you could possible need to scramble safely and progress on to grade 2/3.
It is probably not necessary with a 7 year old to move onto grade 2,3 scrambles, or anything too complex. How long a walk do you like to do? The area around Little Tryfan might be a good start though I don't know the parking situation these days
overcome with emotion/joy as he started tackling the rocks and using his hands and arms to climb
it's a great feeling 🙂 (Recaptured recently doing curved ridge in glencoe with an adult son who was gratifyingly freaked out by the exposure...)
Without contradicting anything so far on the thread about scrambling (which my kids enjoyed without, to my disappointment getting into climbing), have you taken him to a climbing wall? They're pretty much geared up for kids, with groups etc, and you never know, it could be his thing and more accessible than mountains.
"It is probably not necessary with a 7 year old to move onto grade 2,3 scrambles,".
That is correct, however, if you did some training and learnt how to protect grade 2/3, you could use the same skills to protect easy scrambles with your family.
Would he enjoy bouldering?
I remember as a kid scrambling on all sorts of stuff that would not be recognised climbs. Rocks and outcrops on beaches and stuff. Never more than 10 ft above the ground
Cicerone do the classic books – Lake District Scrambles etc
I have that very book. Happy to chuck it in the post if you PM me your address, with the caveat that a) it's ancient (20yo?) and b) I can procrastinate at Olympic level so it won't be today and tomorrow is unlikely.
overcome with emotion/joy as he started tackling the rocks and using his hands and arms to climb
It never occurred to me that this might be an autistic trait. Interesting.
When out walking, I like to fondle rocks (quiet at the back). I like the tactile feel, I can almost instantly process where I'd put my weight and how I'd balance. It's a surrogate for actually climbing. I'm not into new-age hippy bollocks but it feels like a connection, "hiya, just checking in."
You need to get that boy to a climbing wall. I'm calling it now, as my old climbing partner used to say: "another bloody Natural."
Just a note to add that the original Scrambles in Snowdonia, whilst a great book, is not your classic guidebook - it frequently goes off on esoteric discussions from memory! There is an updated one which is more of a guide IIRC. Rockfax also do a scrambling and mountain walk guide for snowdonia that is excellent.
Cicrone also do Scrambles in the Dark Peak - these are generally a bit damp in my experience and quite short, but good fun.
Love scrambling! i'd go gently at age 7 mind - the guides are generally good at pointing out which ones have significant exposure (e.g. crib goch is easy, but you would not want to slip off it!)
If you ever go to france etc. I would check out Via Ferrata - quite similar to scrambling, again can be dangerous (do not fall on the wire!). France tends to have loads of scrambling type stuff as well (generally not called scrambles, but you can normally identify them from descriptions in guidebooks - Circone do some mountain adventure guide books for a couple of areas (Innsbrook and Vaniouse Valley I think).
Would he enjoy bouldering?
This is a great suggestion.
Where are you in UK? I know a few folk who run some climbing and bouldering as far afield as South Wales, The Peak and Scotland.
Bouldering is pretty much the antithesis of scrambling, not to say he won't enjoy both. That Lakes scrambling book is/was a good starting point, but it's worth equipping yourself with bailout skills and basic gear like a rope and a few slings
This is a lovely report, conveys both your son's happiness at discovery and yours! I think a lot of us can relate as parents and outdoors types, lovely feeling getting hands on with rock, mud, a bit of danger...
If you are ever near Brimham Rocks in N Yorks they're ace for bouldering, and the scramble up Goredale Scar is brilliant too.