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Nares Craig standing alone atop the Wedding Cake of New Court, St. John's College, Cambridge, England - circa 1937. Nares is currently 90 years old. Photo courtesy of: Oleander Press

"As you pass round each pillar, the whole of your body except your hands and feet are over black emptiness. Your feet are on slabs of stone sloping downwards and outwards at an angle of about thirty-five degrees to the horizontal, your fingers and elbows making the most of a friction-hold against a vertical pillar, and the ground is precisely one hundred feet directly below you.

If you slip, you will still have three seconds to live."

Quote excerpted from The Night Climbers of Cambridge. Originally published in 1937 under the pseudonym Whipplesnaith, it was written by a group of Cambridge graduates who, during their time as students, found adventure and kinship climbing the ancient, stunning architecture of their university and town buildings. The book, which is now seeing its 70^th edition, has earned cult classic status and is a must-have for climbers of all types. Look forward to the next issue of Urban Climber for a feature story about the fascinating Night Climbers of Cambridge.

The Night Climbers of Cambridge, by Whipplesnaith
The Oleander Press, Cambridge, England
oleanderpress.co.uk

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