On Wednesday, 9 October 2019 06:14:17 UTC+1, wrote:
Thanks for all the replies.

Responding to a number of suggestions relating to using the adjacent building to brace the ladder- unfortunately,that is not an option in this case. There is a space of about 8 feet between the buildings, but with a fence dividing that space. The reality is that the maximum distance from my house that I can rest the ladder base is about 3 feet.

I watched the Dibnah vid on laddering a chimney some time back. Amazing chap. Can't recall whether it's that vid, or a different one, where he climbs an old tower with a big ledge at the top and with his ladders strapped around the downward-facing underside of the ledge. It looked terrifying.

I'm no Dibnah and the height of working will be up to gutter level of a two storey house. I have a small platform to get a lower bracket fixed to the wall at, say, 8 to 10 feet up. With that in place, I could fix the ladder and get another bracket higher up. My plan was to use a harness because I appreciate that hanging on without gravity in my favour would be tricky!



The danger is with (near)vertical ladders that there is insufficient friction between the wall and the top of the ladder to stop the top of the ladder sliding sideways.
The fence will be a big problem as it impedes access.