As the weather turned for the better we made the very most of it and headed off to Stanage with the Burton family to see if the Adventures For Kids guidebook was any use to those of us that hadn't ventured outside before. Dad Matthew, step mum Elin, and children Alban (8) and Varda (6) are all very familiar with climbing at indoor walls, with the kids being energetic participants of organised children's groups while Matthew and Elin are steadily working up through the grades, developing their own levels of skill, strength and enthusiasm. With that as a backdrop we made the arrangements and headed off to Stanage on a sunny Sunday with a couple of copies of the book and a bouldering mat.

The first task was to navigate to the Junk Yard at the Popular End and this was handled with ease after finding the right place in the book, glancing at the directions and heading down the big path towards the obvious hilltop with rocks on it under the trig point. Arriving at the first section in the guide and after a few nervous false starts, Alban and Varda were quick to get started. After getting warmed up, they were soon scrambling around, finding caves and hidden holes and working hard to get several climbs done even before bags had been taken off and the adults had found a chance to catch their breath.

Navigating past the first set of problems, beyond Hal 9000 and the Transformer block, our next stop was at Birdarang slab. At this time of year, the vegetation is still very low, so this slab stands out like a sore thumb and on our trip it was an obvious destination for Alban to have a go at and for Varda to make the most of the photo opportunity. This problem in particular demonstrates the limit of wearing trainers versus climbing shoes because even after only a few successful climbs, it was obvious that something like this was well within Alban's climbing ability but that his footwear was holding him back. Whether to buy or take climbing shoes on your first trip outside is something that might need to be planned, especially if you are supervising more than one child. The same level of equipment could prevent arguments and encourage everyone to move on to new parts of the area that you are visiting so it's worth considering who has climbing shoes and when they are used once you get there.

Over an hour after we arrived we finally made it to the Big Slab, home of Mek Quake and Ro Jaws problems, and in our case we had saved the best until last. This slab is very high, looks terrifying from below but gives you all the holds and ledges that you might need to get up to the top once you talk yourself into being brave enough to make a start. The problems follow the easier angled left hand edge and left of centre taking a traversing line across the bottom of the slab before zigzagging up to the rest ledge and the final push for the top. A supportive hand from dad Matthew was essential to get Varda to the summit, but as soon as Alban had worked out the sequence he was doing laps independently for 45 minutes.

Despite the different ages, levels of confidence and ability between these two siblings, they were both able to enjoy the experience, push their limits in a safe manner and get something out of the climbing. Knowing the children that you are responsible for on a trip like this is essential and allowing them to decide for themselves what they want to climb and when they want to climb is a key ingredient for a successful afternoon.

At this point the book was used to determine how much of the walk was left and given how much time that was available it was decided to turn around and head back to the start, and so two hours after we first set off from the parked cars we abandoned the rest of the circuit and headed for home. A shift at work was calling for some of the adults and the snacks had run out so rather than force everyone to march around the full 5km, we gathered up our things and made our way back to the car. Varda's assessment of the day spoke for everyone when she said 'this is the best thing ever, way better than sitting in front of the TV'.

The books have now made their way into the Burton household and since the trip to Stanage plans have been made to visit some of the other areas detailed in the guide. Robin Hood's Stride has been selected as the next likely venue, mainly due to the easy nature of the climbing but also the very close parking. All they need now is some good weather to turn their enthusiasm and energy into some great days of family climbing.