UKC

Jonny Ainslie shares what it means to have an adult life transformed by climbing, to find direction and move from London with limited outdoor climbing to the heart of the Peak District.

Climbing in the Peak District has pedigree, and it often feels like the climbers here do too. But although I live here, I grew up in a commuter village where the only crags on UKC for 50km are the undersides of bridges. I hardly knew what climbing even was until a girl I liked suggested we go see that obscure indie film, Free Solo. I was twenty-two years old.

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Excellent article. The bit about suddenly paying attention to eating/drinking because of ‘a body’ having a purpose is a great one.

That's about the most perfect article I've ever read on UKC. The excitement and enthusiasm is palpable, as is the respect for both history, the environment and the place each and every one of us occupies within the complex but fascinating game we all call climbing.

Bravo, Jonny

Such a lovely and poignant article. Reflects a lot of my feelings from moving here. It’s never too late to have idols though 😉

The best article I've read on here in ages. 

A beautiful and engaging piece of writing, thank you for sharing. As someone who grew up in Cambridge and fell into climbing's lap around the age of 16 I can relate to a lot of this! 

I would second this. I find a lot of articles on here hard to read. Not this one though

Well written. That article should resonate with many on this site. Enjoy the journey. Climbing. It's what you make it.

Love this article! A great piece of writing that is engaging and familiar on so many levels.

Hope to hear more from Jonny and read about his continued climbing journey and by extension, our own.

Thanks Jonny. As another non-sporty person who found climbing in my 20s this resonated with me.

A great read, and while I sometimes bemoan climbing becoming more popular, I’m so glad you found it! 
 

Reminded me of lots of the reasons climbing stuck with me way back when I found it as a teenager, and of the reasons I still love it to this day.

Great nod to the need to provide support to those less fortunate to have the ease of access I did, and also to the need for humility in the face of wet rock, landowner issues, etc. Rather than thinking of climbing as a right thinking of it as a privelage.

Welcome to the fold! I hope to bump into you in the Peak (or further afield!)

Dunc

what a beautifully written article, well done Jonny

Really relatable article, great job Jonny