Cumbrian climber Craig Matheson has made the first repeat of Another Lonely Day (E8 6c) E8 6c on Scafell East Buttress. Climbed in 2002 by Dave Birkett, Another Lonely Day has built a reputation for being a tough lead, with a guidebook description noting 'serious potential for harm'. Despite the severity of the climbing, the aesthetics and quality of the line led Birkett to describe it as 'the best traditional route in Britain'.

The East Buttress overhangs by about 25° and is home to a collection of Birkett 'super routes' with fierce reputations: Another Lonely Day E8 6c, Return of the King E9 6c and Welcome to the Cruel World, which is believed to be a contender for E10. Craig told UKC:

'Another Lonely Day takes the overlap/flake right in the middle of Scafell's East buttress, protected by RP's and a very poor peg. On a route of superlatives the peg has to be 'the worst peg in Britain' and is conveniently sited so that it is a) hard to reach, b) the wrong way round and c) miles above the good gear in Borderline. Conveniently, the RP2 is also prone to snapping as Dave Birkett found out during a photoshoot after the first ascent. But despite these apparently significant issues the protection does provide much needed psychological support!'

Having done Welcome to the Cruel World last year (UKC news), Craig was keen to repeat another route on this wall. He explained:

'The climbing on this part of the crag suits my style, being typically powerful and with long moves. I opted for Another Lonely Day rather than Return of the King purely because it is aesthetically superior, so the choice was easy.'

In the same style as his previous ascents, Craig placed the gear on lead, which given the difficulty of placing RPs in 8a terrain was challenging. Craig told UKC:

'The gear on the lower part of the route (Borderline E7 6c) is good, with small friends and the 'Borderline' peg, but the climbing above here gets far harder and much more serious. By the time you arrive at 'the worst peg in Britain' you're going to hit the Ichabod ramp and so the final slap for better holds is thought provoking - although there is reassurance from a DMM micro wallnut 0 if you have the strength to place it.'