UKC

Hi,
Thinking of heading to Rivelin on Sunday. What are the conditions normally like there at this time of year? I have 2 guide books, one says it's the perfect winter venue the other says its normally green and horrible. Is it wirth a visit or shall we go else where?

In reply to andy.smythe:

It's a great sun trap when it's cold. It should be fine this time of year.

In reply to andy.smythe:

Yeh it's a great sun trap, but it looks overcast tomorrow. Though having said that, it will be sheltered from the N wind so will be one of the more pleasant crags tomorrow. Most stuff is clean and fast drying.
Should be easier to find with the leaves off the trees and hopefully the boggy bit of the approach will be frozen over in the morning

In reply to andy.smythe:
Which one says green and horrible? It's arguably the best winter venue in the peak.

In reply to Offwidth:


what about the downfall?

both Eastern Grit and Peak Gritstone East say very similar things...

"originally the slope below the cliff was open heath but over time woodland has grown up and now the trees grow almost up to the cliff face. This gives shelter on windy days but makes the place green in the depths of winter, although the Rivelin Neeedle itself stands proud of the trees and is seldom affected. It is a south facing sun-trap. The clearing of some trees that shaded the cliff have improved both the outwards views and the general state of the rock"

Personally I've never found the edge to be very green, especially compared to somewhere like parts of Gardoms which is in a similar situation of the tree line having encroached over the years.

In reply to Graeme Hammond: The BMC guides are far more positive and are correct in that. You are right about UKC and Kinder Downfall

In reply to Graeme Hammond:
Gardoms is more mixed but some sections are still excellent in winter. You really get to know the seasons and the micro-conditions when a guidebook you are working on is intensive over a long period and you need to be out pretty much any half reasonable weather.

In reply to Offwidth:

I totally agree that's why i said parts of Gardoms and it often only looks green but that seems to put people off, I expect today it would have been possible to climb on the clean parts of the edge, such as Nowanda buttress, Moyer's buttess and apple arete. (which has improved since a few trees disappeared a number of years ago) You probably would have been fine on some of the green looking but probably perfectly dry bits like Grooved wall, undertaker's buttress. But I wouldn't have fancied going to the Quarries today or climbing on the Black wall area.

I also think that if the weather tomorrow is anything like what it was like in the Peak this afternoon the op could be climbing in a t-shirt at Rivelin if they so wished.