Rebecca Stephens ticks Lady of the Forest (8A+)

Rebecca Stephens, who did her first 8A+ last November, has completed Lady of the Forest (8A+) in Kentmere. (c) Bradley Bushell

Can you tell us more about the ascent?
After summer, I was looking for something relatively local to get stuck into as a bit of a long-term project. Since then I've had 7(?) sessions in that little cave, going through the throes of projecting.

The go felt scrappy, a proper fight, which at the time felt frustrating, anticlimactic, this boulder always felt like you needed to climb it perfectly, all the links were so clean. A battle through saved dry fires and foot slips was not how I'd expected the process to end. On reflection, shows the margin I'd built on the boulder and the try-hard I could conjure up from somewhere. Pretty cool.

What are your 2026 plans?
More volume and a bit of project hunting, but no trips planned. I've had a brief look at Diesel Power (Cromlech, Llanberis Pass), but other than that, nothing outstanding