There was a certain inevitability about it happening. Hopefully, this chaper is closed now and I can go on for another twenty years without being in close proximity to pain.

Loudon Hill has always been a favorite and over the last two or three years, I've backed off a mean route called Mantleshelf wall. Graded a lowly vs, it is very bold in the first section and just hard at the crux (after the mantleshelf). Unfortunately, the hard bit is also covered in moss these days, so others are clearly ignoring it too. Back in my youth, when the sun shone and the rock was always dry, I soloed it. I remember it being gripping. Loudon Hill was also the site of one of my first E1s,called the splits, a lovely route with the crux low down and just steady afterwards. These days, it is an epic adventure just to get round that far, it has become so overgrown.

Now it has another place in my memories. The place where the rule of threes resolved itself and I hurt myself. Pulpit Corner is a steep, awkward, uncompromising hvs and for some reason I figured it would make a good first for the season.

Good holds and a big (and I mean big) hex led to the broken bit below the crack. There I fiddled a big wire in to the back of the crack. It was awkward and the left wall constricted movement. Maybe that was why I didn't back it up. Perhaps it was the 'phone going, or dropping all my wires. Anyway, after coming down and going back up, I got the good jam (and didn't stop to place a cam) and then a reach to a jug. At this point, the fear got me, disco leg, whole body wibble and then the inevitable fall. The top wire ripped with a ping and I landed heavily, first on my left foot, then my head.

My ankle hurt a lot and started to swell and bruise immediately. After recent experiences, I was determined that a helicopter was not needed and I guess that you could argue that the rule of threes is not satisfied without this. I think it is, the pain surely meets the criteria, especially that from the walk down. Fortunately, later x rays showed that it wasn't broken. I put this down to being hard as nails.......

Thanks to all who offered sympathy and I hope that I didn't dampen the rest of the afternoon too much. Especial thanks go to Mike for waiting patiently at Hairmyres.