Itching to Climb

Mountaineer, Explorer, Pilot

Itching to Climb tells the story of one woman’s undaunting spirit in the face
of adversities, of a life spent facing challenges head on, with a single-
minded determination to achieve despite the difficulties that life had laid in
her way. This is a story of encouragement and hope for anyone who suffers with
eczema, or any similar debilitating condition.

Inherited eczema and allergies made Barbara James different from her
classmates, something she did not like. She was lucky. The severity of her
eczema had lessened when her teacher introduced her to the Snowdonia hills. In
1964 she became a full time mountaineering instructor and mountain rescue
first aider in Capel Curig at a time when there were few females instructing
or leading difficult rock routes. Divorced in 1976 and with a mortgage to pay,
Barbara needed a job, and became the first and possibly the only woman
civilian to be employed by MOD to train soldiers. At the Infantry Junior
Leaders Battalion in Folkestone she learned another language, new codes of
behaviour, and to lead expeditions.

After early retirement, Barbara took her first holiday in 11 years. She was
probably the second person to go, unaccompanied, to the magical Falkland
Islands soon after the conflict. Alone she walked up Tumbledown, communed with
wildlife and was told that ‹anyone can learn to fly›. So on return, her 50th
birthday present to herself was to get a Private Pilot’s Licence. A year later
she flew a Cessna 40 hours solo around Florida. But nothing Barbara had done
was as challenging as surviving, alone, the furiously tourist evenings in
Tenerife’s Playa de Las Americas. Only the magical El Teide National Park and
the genuine, spontaneous kindness of the Canarians ensured her return. She
rented an apartment in Adeje village and the locals› initial suspicious looks
soon disappeared.