UKC

Had a look at Brightside (E2 5c) at Froggatt yesterday and found moving around the corner from the chimney very hard to read.

The break where your gear is was massively chalked (and even the lower slots on the face), but moving around on to the face on those felt properly hard on poor footholds.

Was this me blindly following bad beta, and I should have been foot traversing the break? Or was I just not good enough?! 

Its 5c.  For me that is hard !

Any consolation I have nveer been able to figure out where it actually goes and have similar experience. Its pretty rubbish.

I led this some time ago and found it easy for the grade to the point where I thought it might only be E1. Annoyingly, when attempting it again, I floundered miserably before giving up. I concluded that I needed to go a bit further left before going up.

I disagree! the moves up the wall are gorgeous.  Yes, getting to them is the crux

LOL!Its a very frustrating route when you realise you have missed the crux as you know deep down its not a tick.....................

You traverse with you hands on the lowest break out of the chimney, to get stood on a small foothold in the middle of the face with a finger slot for hands & gear from where lovely moves lead up the wall. Have seen several people traverse from much higher up the chimney thinking they were doing Brightside which misses out almost all the climbing 

A variant that should really be called Darkside...

It's quite hard, not a lot for your feet - it is 5c. Quite a good route though, nice face climbing once you commit. 

Have a look at the photos on here?

Chris

Am I right in remembering that some people have claimed to have failed on this because they couldn't manage the initial (S 4a) chimney?

It is a lovely route. I intend to try again!

Pretty sure it's just quite hard for a couple of moves out onto the face, sounds like you did it right.

Jk

That's about the right place. Below the break where there are runners on the arete is a slopey edge on the face. Match this from the chimney and swing round and down into good low break on face. There is a good double foothold below the overlap on the front face that you are aiming for, but you can't see it at all from the chimney!