Climbers

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/C_qcwvIO4NV/

[2] https://www.climbing.com/people/remembering-johnny-goicoechea/

References

[1] https://xcmag.com/magazine-articles/a-little-closer-to-the-soul-of-john-silvester/

References

[1] Interview with Fanatic Climbing, Jan 2022 https://fanatic-climbing.com/interview-lucien-martinez-irreductible-acharne-interview-lucien-martinez-inveterate-and-tenacious/

Sad to report the death of Neville ‘Nev’ Hannaby on Friday 12th December.

Nev was one of a group of North East climbers known as the ‘Crag Lough Group’ (which also included the late Geoff Oliver and Eric Rayson) who pushed standards in Northumberland in the late 1950s at a time when the County was something of a backwater. If you’ve (trad) climbed in Northumberland to any extent you will almost certainly have grappled with one or more of Nev’s routes. Although he wasn’t as prolific a first ascentionist as many other local activists, most of his lines are classics, characterised by their physicality and/or boldness, for example Tacitation at Kyloe Out, Rock Island Line and Green Line at Peel Crag (both E1 5b and contenders for the first Extremes in the County), and ‘Block Chimney Superdirect’ (HVS 5a) at Crag Lough.

Nev was born in Browney, County Durham and lived all his life, apart from his time in National Service, in the North East. He started climbing in his teens, coming to it like most people of that era via hillwalking and scrambling; he was also a keen cyclist. The seeds of his passion for rock climbing were sown on a trip to Skye on his sister’s motorbike, where he had a couple of epics in the Cuillin hills. His first climb in the County was at Great Wanney and his early days were spent climbing mostly solo, until he hooked up with the Northumbrian Mountaineering Club (NMC) where the young whippersnapper started to burn off the older members. He was eventually welcomed into the Crag Lough Group (a club in name only, with no constitution, office-bearers and so forth, although they did have a badge!) which focussed much of its activities on the quartz dolerite Whin Sill outcrops Crag Lough and Peel Crag, their unofficial mission being to render the guidebook obsolete by putting up new lines and freeing aid routes.

Of course they also climbed extensively in the rest of the County, including Rothbury Quarry which for a few years in the late 50s/early 60s was arguably the epicentre of hard climbing in Northumberland – as well as in the Lakes, where they were known as ‘The Newcastle Lads’ and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Paul Ross. Here they did early repeats of the latest hard routes and some new routing themselves, for example Nev’s first ascent of Goth (E1 5b) on Low Man West Face of Pillar Rock (‘Great positions combined with adventurous terrain’, UKC Logbooks) with Maurice de St Jorre. There were also adventures in Scotland (on one trip north he made friends with John Cunningham and was invited to stay in Jacksonville, the Crag Dhu's hut in Glencoe!), and in the Alps.

In 1959 Nev did his National Service in Devon with the Durham Light Infantry alongside his good pal Eric Rayson. Here he climbed with Tom Patey and was involved in the early development of Chudleigh Rocks, putting up several routes that became classics. Local Pat Littlejohn recently had this to say:

Nev’s routes at Chudleigh, like Inkerman Groove, ‘Great Western’ and ‘Loot’ were the great classics I cut my teeth on aged 15, and they really taught me what ‘quality’ in climbing was all about, as they really stood out from the more run-of-the-mill routes of the same grade.

To that end, note these comments from the most recent South Devon guidebook:

‘Inkerman Groove’, VS 4c, three stars: ‘One of the finest VS’s in Devon, which features sustained climbing in positions usually reserved for harder climbs.’ (Inkerman Groove often crops up in lists such as ‘The 100 best VS climbs in the UK’).

‘Great Western’ VS 5a three stars, ‘Chudleigh’s second greatest VS has a fierce but well-protected crux move at the top.’

‘Loot’ HVS 5b, one star, ‘High in the grade and awkward in style – head jamming is optional.’

On his return to Tyneside after National Service he didn’t climb much over the next decade but returned with a bang in the early 70s with routes such as ‘Magic Flute’ (E1 5b), the first route to breach the mighty Savage Slab, and The Witch (E2 5b), at Back Bowden, both with Malcolm Rowe. The new-routing came to an end but he continued climbing around the County, often solo, often camping or bivvying at the crag. Here he always had time for a chat and might even offer some helpful beta to a struggling leader. He also kept a close eye on developments in the County and was happy to share his opinions although was a master of discretion and reluctant to indulge in gossip.

He was a member of the F&RCC and was made an Honorary Member of the NMC in 2017. Latterly he restricted his climbing to indoors. He something of a local legend, and a regular fixture at Newcastle Climbing Centre right up to the pandemic – a ‘sight for sore eyes’ in his baggy shorts over tracksuit bottoms, ploughing his way (at the age of 85) up and down the auto-belays in between coffee and blether. Sadly he had COVID early on and developed Long Covid which, along with other health problems, meant he became increasingly frail and never climbed again. Nevertheless he loved to talk about climbing, indeed steering the conversation round to his past achievements (about which he was surprisingly modest) or to latest developments in the County was one way of distracting him from his many ailments!

He was a major contributor to the recently published Northumberland book with anecdotes, photos and clarification of matters of historical fact. He was delighted to have had an early sight of the book when we took our advanced copy to show him and despite his frailty was, in due course, able to enjoy leafing through his own copy.

Nev was pre-deceased by his wife Theresa, and leaves three daughters, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. RIP.

References

[1] Obituary reproduced with permission of John Spencer https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/rock_talk/nev_hannaby_1935-2025_rip-786813

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/paul_huffy_houghoughi_talks_climbing_olympics_and_new_chapters-16418

An early proponent of bouldering in the UK. Where the prevailing attitude was that bouldering was training for 'proper climbing' Kirton pursued it for it's own sake.