UKH

Just say you arrived at the abseil point without a rope, is it safe to assume that it's easy enough to walk/scramble down? The topo in my book doesn't show much.

Thanks.

RAD seems to ask that you do not.

Sorry to ask, but how would you get to the abseil, without a rope?

The only answer I came up with, is you will solo up a route.

You could walk off down either side, but you are asked not to do so in order to avoid damage to the vegetation.

Presumably.

solo up with a rope

Thanks All, I can remember the hoo-ha when the abseil station got put in so am aware of the issues, and not trying to stir it up again.  Just wondered if it was possible to walk down, (avoiding the rare plants on the gullies, obviously).

Also, can't imagine carrying a harness and twin 50m ropes if soloing.

If you are soloing, you could wear the harness and only trail one rope, already attached to the other, on the floor. I suppose there would be a risk of the knot getting stuck as you drag it up, but there aren't many features on those slabs. 

It's a popular crag. Maybe take a harness, and abb on someone else's rope, or if you observe no one there, from the valley floor, go and do something else.

I would never be brave enough to solo up, but would down climbing a route not be an option?

Of course it would be, if you fancy it and are good enough. The easiest route on the slabs is VS.

I have been up most them with a rope, a great spot.

I would have thought part of soloing, particularly in a remote location, is not to climb up, beyond where you can down climb.

Must be nice to solo stuff in remote places like that. Just go for a hill walk, with a pair of rock shoes.

I just checked the description in the old guide and it said 'it is possible to walk down either side' 

I guess pre bolts everyone walked off, so I presume its simple enough if not somewhat overgrown!

Pre bolts the descent was from the now deceased tree, then the exposed root then the original bolts then some poor fixed gear then the bolts. (I think).

The restriction on walking down was/is to avoid creating a new watercourse, which a new trod would have.

It is highly unlikely that the occasional soloist walking down would have this level of impact. 

My memory is of walking off to the left facing in prior to the current agreement. 

The crag is in an SSSI and the landowner asks that no attempt is made to descend the gullies on either side of the crag which are very fragile habitats. That is why the text I wrote for Lake District Rock (2015) and Borrowdale (2016) says abseil. Most Borrowdale crags are in SSSIs and the said landowner owns many of them; ignoring their request isn't going to earn the climbing community any brownie points. When, in the future, an environmental or access issue crops up at another of their crags (almost certain to happen) will they listen to or trust us? Cooperation costs us nothing.

Hi Trevor, I think you may be reading my response as if I am suggesting this chap walks down, I'm not, I'm just saying historically I walked off was to the left before the current arrangement was arrived at. Of course the current agreement should be adhered to, which of course won't be possible if he does decide to solo there without a rope attached.