THE SHAMROCK BUTTRESS, by the original route, affords a pleasant excursion in winter time, when the gully and greater climbs close at hand are scarcely approachable. The course starts up a small but well-defined gully a few yards to the right of the wide entrance to the Shamrock Gully. It continues straight up the Buttress, until a high slice of smooth rock suggests a slight descent and traverse to the right to the foot of an obvious chimney pitch with prominent chock-stones. Above this another short pitch gives the approach to the foot of a steep rib of rock which is crowned by a loosely wedged stone. The easy bed of the Shamrock Chimney is now entered and followed beyond the short, final pitch which, except under snowy conditions, possesses a ‘through route.’ To avoid this pitch an interesting variation can be made up the steep crack on the right-hand wall, from the summit of which there is a short traverse to the left to the foot of the usual arête finish of the Shamrock Chimneys Climb. Curiously enough this latter course is seldom visited nowadays, yet it is by far the finest expedition on the Shamrock. In 1909 a party led by Mr. H. B. Gibson made a variation on the Shamrock Gully side of the buttress in its upper part. After ascending a 25 foot slab and some easier rocks, they entered the gully above the great pitch. From a pile of loose boulders, since swept away, they continued up the right wall of the gully, bearing at first to the right, and finished at the top of the original Shamrock Buttress course. An extensive fall of rock has taken place on this final stage of the climb; the place is now decidedly unsafe, and should be avoided. It might be noted that the falling masses and previous natural weathering have altered the structure of the great pitch of the Shamrock Gully. The left-hand route may now be considered the easier of the two ways of overcoming the obstacle. CHAPTER II _NEW CLIMBS ON GREAT GABLE, SCAWFELL, AND AROUND WASTDALE HEAD_ THE ABBEY RIDGE ranks as the best discovery on Great Gable since the ascent of the Ling Chimney in 1899. In the present work (p. 158) there is a reference to the rocks to the left of the ordinary West Chimney route up the Eagle’s Nest Ridge. This attracted the attention of Messrs. F. Botterill and J. Hazard with a happy result--the annexation of a new climb. This was in the April of 1909. The lower part of the new ridge is well defined, but above the broad ledge, almost on a level with the exit from the ordinary West Chimney, several routes are available. This section was climbed many years ago on more than one occasion, notably when the deep, black chimney on the west side of the ridge was visited. This fine cleft is well seen from the Arrowhead Ridge, rising above the big boulder pitch in the Eagle’s Nest Gully. The ascent is not difficult.