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Catching the Climbing Bug
Harry was raring to have his first go at "proper climbing". The weather was a bit dodgy so the Spotty Otter suit was ideal, even if the wellies weren't. (Harry and his wellies are inseparable).
We headed down to the rocks at our little taste of Heaven near the Ards Peninsula (aka - the caravan) and chose our route. Harry sped up it, cheered on by little sis, Chloe in the back-carrier (audible on the video we also took) except for a lengthy pause to indulge in another of Harry's passions - tractor watching (I think it was a John Deere) but hey, there was no rush.
Harry had a ball and we were delighted he appears to have caught the Teague climbing bug. So - it's onwards and upwards - next route the Eiger! (Although perhaps not for a year or 2 - don't think Chloe would last that long a route in the back carrier, so best wait until she's big enough to get harnessed up too - not long now)!
Comments (11)
Fiona Moore
Harry looks like he is having a lot of fun too.
Lizzy
Kerry Teague
Fiona - what age are your 2? Our local wall is full of gnarly climbers and pumpy routes - I struggle hauling myself up anything there, although there's a great wall about 45mins away and I'm wondering when might be a good time to give it a go - what do you think?
Helena
Fiona Moore
But to be fair we only go during the week, when I guess most of the hardcore crew are at work?
Kids here only go to school until 11:30am most days, so we eat lunch, and then head off to climb.
If you can make it to the local wall then maybe mid week is your best bet, or at the weekend when the weather is good and everyone is off on the outdoor crags.
Let us know how you get on.
Joanne Watterson
Kerry Teague
Kerry Teague
Kerry Teague
Harry's actually climbing in his bike helmet the smallest we could find when he was 9 mths and we'd just got his new bike seat - he's nearly too big for it now so we're on the search for the next one. I'm not sure what the smallest actual climbing helmet is - we took the decision just to use his bike helmet in the meantime rather than double up with something else expensive that needed stored in between adventures mainly because we feel there's no real risk of head injury (not loose rock, full body harness, no-one else on the "crag" etc, etc) - I suspect I may have opened a can of worms here - other trekkers' parent views are welcomed. The plan is just to establish a helmet wearing habit and buy a proper helmet in the future so comfort was the next big factor. Interestingly, when it was time to buy Chloe's first bike helmet, Harry's version did not fit her and we ended up going for a bigger size and different brand to get a good fit - random. I suppose heads come in different shapes as well as sizes so it's a good idea to try on as many different ones as you can get hold of. I would advise against going for the elastic fit ones, tho, as I think they would be very uncomfortable when the child is in the upper end of the fit range and this was confirmed by Harry when we tried on one we were considering for Chloe. Happy hunting! Let me know if you come across anything good!
Leanne
loving the blogs! the climbing looks amazing. I've been thinking of a day trip down to Quintin Bay where I spent hours in rockpools when I was wee. Went to Groomsport a week or 2 ago with my 2 and they loved collecting shells n pebbles. the school hols can't come quick enough!
Kerry Teague