I hadn't climbed since the birth of my son, three months ago and I was feeling decidedly nervous as I stood looking up at the 48m line of The Bug, E2 5b and following a superb thin crack system up the convex face above me. It was with not a little trepidation that I started climbing.

At first it was steeper than I thought. A few moves off the ground I met the first bulge. Completely wrong handed I reversed cursing, to a half rest. Another try. This time feeling much better, I felt like a climber again.

A series of wonderful layaways with adequate protection lead me through the bulge to a rest in a groove-line where I relaxed and smiled for the camera.

More confident now, I made the next few easier moves with excellent pro to a steeping of the crack; above which lurked another more formidable looking bulge. The guide mentioned moving right even though the direct looked possible so I decided to obey the guide to the letter and placed a couple of bomb proof runners before I even looked upwards.

A rampline led off diagonally right to a huge incut hold covered in chalk. A couple of excellent balancey moves led to the hold which I grabbed with glee, mantling onto it to grasp a large side-pull. In a slightly off balance position due to bulging rock on my right I contemplated the next few moves.

No way of seeing over from this position and no pro for the moment. A scary bridging move enable a hand rail to be grasped and an upside-down semi-blind Friend ½ to be placed. It seemed okay so I committed to the bulge.

The guidebook says "good holds above", which may as well have read "You're a lottery winner", as I whooped through the bulge to stand on a single foot hold; out of sight of the Friend and with another runner nowhere to be found.

I was nervous now. Lord knows where I would end up if I lobbed and the Friend ½ ripped. A six-inch pea-pod beckoned me, so I balanced up right to it. Scared now, I realised I hadn't got a piece to fit. So I made do with a wobbly Rock 10 backed up by an RP! I desperately wanted some good gear but couldn't find more than another RP by my right foot. Needless to say I wasn't feeling too happy.

Having said that, I was comfortable and in balance so I waited........for fifteen minutes!

A thin crack sprang up and left across a slab, a move above me and out of reach. With my heart in my mouth I moved up and found a decent RP which gave enough confidence to move across the slab delicately, using a tiny foot hold and finger holds in a crack. Superb moves. Only just in balance and still shaking I could see a broken area a few feet to my left at the end of the crack. A single, tricky, rounded move, enabled me to get established in the broken area and fully in balance. I placed my first truck-stopping runner in what seemed like miles.

Okay. only the 'thin delicate and quite run-out cracks' to finish. Marvellous. I felt drained.

Moving left to a good foot hold at the base of the crack, a couple of iffy little wires were all I could find. The crack felt steep. Small finger holds on the face and toe jams in the crack enabled me to reach and mantle onto a matchbox size hold, with assistance from a horizontal break of sorts.

"All good things come to an end" says the guidebook. "Too right", I thought as I scrambled over the elephants arse finish and sat on top grinning like a Cheshire cat.

Not bad for the first route in three months!