Everything Awesome

I thought it may be of interest to compile a list of routes at Wharncliffe. from Mod to VS.

Compiled from the crag directory at UKC
There are some awesome climbs in this list. Go have fun.

Get in touch if you would like to explore there.

If you looked at my calendar, you’d see a chaotic map of motorway miles, climbing chalk, and clinical recovery. As a self-employed outdoor instructor and rehabilitation specialist, my “office” changes by the hour, and my mission is always the same: helping people redefine what their bodies are capable of after life has changed the rules.

Here is what it looks like when adventure and recovery collide in a single week.

The Week in Motion

Monday began in the quiet focus of a clinical setting, providing soft tissue therapy for a gentleman with Cerebral Palsy. From there, the energy shifted—first to a fast-paced game of rehabilitative table tennis, and then to the climbing wall with a young woman navigating life after a brain injury. Seeing her find her footing on a vertical wall is a powerful reminder of why I do this.

Tuesday was defined by the rhythm of the road. I covered 300 miles, trekking from Barnsley to Peterborough and back, all to ensure a client with a brain injury could get back on the rope and keep their progress moving forward.

By Wednesday, I was smelling of woodsmoke and damp earth. I spent the morning teaching Bushcraft in Hull, showing others how to thrive in the woods, before the sun went down and I headed out to coach a group in the technical, high-stakes art of night navigation.

Thursday was a masterclass in resilience. I spent the day at two different climbing walls working with amputee clients who had lost limbs in accidents. Watching them adapt their technique to a new reality is humbling. I finished the day under the bright lights of a Virgin Active gym, working their indoor wall.

Friday took me to Northampton for more indoor climbing, but the day didn’t end at 5:00 PM. As night fell, I swapped the harness for a helmet, leading a mountain bike group through the trails by headlamp.

The weekend brought a shift from teaching to doing. Saturday was a classic day of rock climbing at Wharncliffe, feeling the gritstone under my fingers. Finally, Sunday was “office maintenance”—a white water SUP session at Matlock. Even the coach needs a coach, and there’s nothing like a cold river to sharpen your skills and remind you why you love the water.

The Constant Thread

From the quiet of a physio room to the roar of a white-water rapid, my week is a blur of different faces and environments. But whether I’m helping a survivor walk or a climber lead their first route, the goal is identical: finding strength where it’s least expected.

No two days are the same, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Get in touch if we can help you in any way.

A lensatic compass, often called a military compass is the gold standard for serious land navigation. Unlike a basic scouting compass, it’s designed for extreme durability and high precision sighting, allowing you to follow a bearing with minute accuracy even in rough terrain.

The name comes from the magnifying lens used to read the dial while simultaneously sighting a distant landmark.

The Three Main Parts

To understand how it works, you have to look at its “clamshell” design:

1. The Cover: Protects the compass glass and contains the sighting wire (front sight), which you align with your target.
2. The Base: Contains the compass dial, the bezel (the clicking ring), and a thumb loop to stabilize your grip.
3. The Rear Sight: A flip-up bracket containing the lens. It has a small sighting slit at the top to align with the front wire.

Key Features & Terminology

If you’re looking at a high-quality model, you’ll notice a few specific technical details:

• The Floating Dial: Instead of just a needle, the entire scale rotates. It usually features two scales: degrees (0–360) and mils (0–6400, used primarily by artillery and for high-precision mapping).
• Luminous Markings: Quality compasses use tritium (self-glowing gas) or phosphorescent paint so you can navigate in total darkness.
• Induction Damping: This is a fancy way of saying the dial settles quickly. Rather than spinning forever, internal magnets create a “drag” that stops the dial in seconds without needing liquid filling (which can bubble or leak).
• The Bezel Ring: This clicks as you turn it. On military models, each click usually represents 3°, allowing you to set a course in the dark by counting clicks.

How to Use It: The Sighting Technique

The lensatic compass is unique because it allows for a cheeksight method. This is how you get that pinpoint accuracy:

1. Open the cover to a 90° angle and the rear sight to a 45° angle.
2. Put your thumb through the loop and steady the compass against your cheek.
3. Look through the sighting slit and align the front wire with a landmark (like a specific tree or peak).
4. Without moving your head, look down through the lens to read the exact degree under the black index line.

A Quick “Pro-Tip” Warning

Because it’s made of metal and magnets, the lensatic compass is sensitive to Magnetic Interference. If you try to take a reading while standing next to a truck, a power line, or even holding a heavy rifle, the dial will deviate. Always step away from large metal objects before trusting your heading.

Book onto one of our nav courses and you can get to learn much more about navigation skills

Although the title does preclude a gender, i hope the message doesnt. The message being, go prepared. So many problems, just wont become a problem, if you are prepared for them.

The classic “gentleman’s pat-down.” Whether you’re checking your pockets before leaving the house or making sure you haven’t lost your soul (or your keys) at a funeral, this mnemonic has a surprisingly long history.

While most people use it as a quick checklist to ensure they have their essentials, its roots are a bit more “holy.”

The Meaning Behind the Phrase

The phrase is a mnemonic for the Sign of the Cross (the ritual gesture made by Christians, primarily Catholics). The movement of the hand corresponds to the items mentioned:

• Spectacles: Touching the forehead.
• Testicles: Touching the lower abdomen/waist.
• Wallet: Touching the left shoulder (where a man historically kept his wallet in an inside jacket pocket).
• Watch: Touching the right shoulder (referring to a pocket watch kept in the waistcoat).

Historical Context

• The “Pocket” Logic: The order reflects a time when men’s fashion was more formal. Most men were right-handed, so they kept their wallet in the left breast pocket (easy to reach with the right hand) and their pocket watch in the right waistcoat pocket.
• Pop Culture: You might recognize this from movies like Nuns on the Run (1990) or Austin Powers, where it’s used as a joke to help someone “fake” being religious. It also famously appeared in Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino.
• The “Pocket Pat”: Today, it’s mostly used by people who aren’t necessarily religious but want a rhythmic way to ensure they haven’t forgotten their gear.

For me, as an outdoor professional, this tends to mean, phone, keys, penknife and specs. (plus first aid kit as a default)

When working, this could include, compass, or bike pocket multi tool,

Of course, in 2026, the modern version is probably more like: “Phone, Keys, Wallet, Vape”—though that doesn’t quite have the same theological ring to it.