It’s been a while since I’ve been on a proper climbing trip. I’ve not been doing too much for the past six months due to a mildly impinged rotator cuff muscle. But it seems to be able to cope with real climbing better than indoor climbing, so I’ve started to venture outdoors again.

On the weekend, Claire and I ventured over to the beautiful Northern Ireland to climb at Fair Head, probably the best rock climbing destination in the UK. The weather in Northern Ireland is always perfect too, at least in my experience.

The climbing at Fair Head is world-class - as good as anywhere else that I’ve climbed (including Arapiles!). A word of warning though - you’ll want to add an extra grade onto pretty much every climb at the crag. I was pretty happy to climb The Embankment, which is the hardest thing that I’ve climbed since injuring my shoulder.

But the highlight of the trip was topping out on Hell's Kitchen at about 10pm, just in time to have a beer and watch the sun set. After finishing our beers, we rushed back to Ballycastle to grab cheesy garlic chips for dinner, from The Golden Chip, possibly the best name for a take-away store that I’ve heard. In my opinion, it’s right up there with (and far less offensive than) the classic Tasmanian fried chicken shop Legs and Breasts.