Katy Dartford – contributor

Katy Dartford in Kalymnos

I’m not quite sure why I started climbing. Something to do with my first ski trip, realizing I liked mountains (and one of the boys in our group who climbed) and wanting to do something ‘outdoorsy’ when there was no snow around. Being a Londoner, climbing never really hit my radar and I spent my time at university in Edinburgh and Cornwall playing squash! So it is ironic that it was only when I returned home, and started working in Tunbridge Wells in 2007 that I found my addiction. It’s easy to mock us ‘soft’ southern sandstoners, but there’s something to be said about a sunny afternoon at the rocks with a picnic and some sandy slopers to tackle.

Climbing really hooked me in because of the great and eccentric characters you meet. It also opened my eyes to the world, and places I would never have thought of visiting otherwise.

As a freelance broadcast journalist, when I’m not reading the news at various radio stations in the South East, you can find me at crags like Bowles of High Rocks, or at one of London’s great bouldering walls, like The Arch or Craggy.

Being freelance has also meant I’ve been able to spend time writing about climbing, travelling and the outdoors.

So from my ‘indoorsy’-squash playing roots, I now mountain bike, ski, dive and run as well as climb. My favorite places are Fontainebleau, Kalymnos, Cornwall and North Wales – and my eternal dilemma is deciding where to go next!

You can find me online at:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• My blog