UKC

Hi Guys,

Me and 3 mates have been climbing since the end of the summer holidays, and we're all now climbing 6b top roped routes indoors, and we have almost finished an indoor leading course. We're hoping to go on a short 3-4 day climbing holiday in Easter/February Half Term. We will probably camp for the 2 or 3 nights, and we are paying an 'instructor' per day (basically he will watch over us and give us a few hints and tips about climbing outdoors). The problem is that we can go wherever we like, but we don't know where to go! We are based in Stafford and so we thought the Peak District would be a good choice, but we are unsure whether the climbs will be too hard, as we have had very little outdoor experience and we've heard that indoor and outdoor grades vary from each other (e.g. A 6b indoor sport route would be easier than a 6b outdoor sport route), so we can't really judge if the climbs will be too hard based on the difficulty ratings.

Basically, where do you guys think would be a good place to go? We're really looking for quite a few sport climbs in a relatively small area, that would be suited to our kind of standard and experience, that are both leading and top rope routes.

Thanks in advance,

Ryan.

In reply to rhinobiker:

Go to Portland instead. The easy sport venues in the Peak are Horseshoe in the East and Harpur Hill in the West, both are quarries, and if you have only climbed indoors the climbing will seem hard for the grade. Neither venue is worth a 4 day trip.
Go to Portland, learn the skills you need to be safe once you get to the anchors, importantly how you re thread the rope so you can get back down.

If you are confident enough and competent belayers then you don't really need a guide to go sport climbing.

The only issue would be camping on portland and there are plenty of threads about that.

And to top it off its more likely to be sunny down there.

Hope that helps

In reply to rhinobiker:

If your able to travel then Portland has to be the place to go for sport climbing and more likely to get good weather.

In the peak, Horseshoe quarry and Harpur Hill have lower end sport climbing but the quantity and quality of the routes is more restricted than Portland.

In reply to OffshoreAndy:

Jinx

Since you've an instructor learn to climb proper (trad).

Sport in the Peak is an acquired taste and one that is not acquired that easily! whereas the trad is short but world class.

In reply to rhinobiker:

It's winter, go bouldering. Sport climbing in the Peak is shite whatever time of year anyway (apparently the hard routes are good, but they really are hard). When it's spring, the Peak is great for easy trad. As others say, Portland is way better for sport, North Wales has some alright easy sport too I think.

In reply to rhinobiker:

Offer to take the instructor on holiday to Spain!

Really - you'd have much more choice.

In reply to rhinobiker:

You could try Cheedale, there's some 6s at Blackwell Halt that would be entertaining for a day, after that it might be too hard. There's a campsite in walking distance though. Mind you Feb in the Peak will be cold short days, leave it til Easter and give yourselves a chance.

Learn all the rethreading stuff before you go and get a clipstick to make life easier.

In reply to rhinobiker:

If you're set on the peak I'd get the instructor to take you to climb on grit... Seeing as you're looking only for sport, somewhere like Portland would be better than those grades in the peak.

Someone above said take your instructor on holiday with you - yes!!

Bouldering is also an excellent suggestion, you could get down to Fontainebleau. I think font is an excellent place for climbers of all grades and experience. Save limestone and sport in the peak until summer.

In reply to rhinobiker:

Like the others I'd highly recommend Portland. The problem with easy routes outside is that they are a lot more polished then others so be prepared for your outdoor grade to be a lot lower than inside.

In reply to rhinobiker:

You really don't need the instructor for all 3 - 4 days. If you've got experience top roping and you're just about to do an indoor leading course then there's probably only a day's worth of instruction for outdoor sport climbing.

If you've got the instructor already booked for 3 - 4 days then get him to teach you how to lead trad. Even if you prefer sport to trad, you've got to learn how to climb trad at some point

In reply to rhinobiker:

I'd agree with the idea of getting the instructor to teach you about trad climbing. You would then be in a great position for making the most of the summer, getting out and enjoying the excellent (trad) climbing in the Peak.

If your heart is set on sports, then go to Spain. Then you get to have pretty much guaranteed weather, decent routes and a great trip. But I would say this is a second choice, and the trad a first choice in just how much it will open up to you....

In reply to rhinobiker:

Or try Thailand.

In reply to rhinobiker:

Where indoors do you climb? im an old staffordshire climber (used to go indoors to Newport Rock, Awesome Walls Stoke & Wolf Mountain). If its sport climbing you want then you can try Harper Hill & Horseshoe but HS is alittle over used at the lower end & there is no views... & HH is exposed & cold so isnt really winter venue. Most peak sport to me is a good weather (warm) venue idea. In the time of year you are thinking i would look at North Wales likes of Marine Drive, Castle Inn quarry & Llandulas Cave (A55 Sport book) Its abit futher but well worth it. Also for consideration is Trevor area in Llangollen & there is also Llanymynech Quarry in shropshire...however these are long pitches so hard work!

Hope this helps

Next time im stafford based could show you some guide books to give you a better idea.

In reply to rhinobiker:

sorry if its a few days & your willing to travel & camp then Cheddar Gorge/ Avon Gorge/ Brene Down & Wye Valley (Tintern Quarry) are all good south venues

In reply to rhinobiker:

So interested?

In reply to rhinobiker:

It rather depends on your gear.

If you don't have a rope, then obviously you can't go outside at all unless accompanied by an instructor all day (in which case a bit of trad in the Peak would make sense).

If you don't have any quickdraws, then Portland will be pointless because you generally can't set up top ropes from above. If you do have quickdraws and a rope (plus a sling and screwgate each) then you can do sport climbing on your own; there are good places in Portland but it helps to be selective . If you are a bit crap, like me, then quite a lot of it is too steep :P for example, Dungecroft has 4s and 5s that are short and steep and therefore hard! Whereas the Lost Valley and Neddyfields around the corner are much more pleasant. The Cuttings has some easy routes but the one to do are the ones tucked away around the corner (the upper/lower Bower, and the three routes in the Dell); the easy routes on the main face are super shiny!

If you had trad gear (which I assume you don't), then you can either trad or set up top ropes. I have set up top ropes just using trees, screwgates, slings, some static rope and the one end of my lead rope before I got my new shiny (as yet unused) trad rack, but this relies on knowing that there are suitable trees/slingable boulders. But for short climbs (less than 1/3 rope length plus anchor length) with a convenient bomber tree, this may be useful as all you need is a few screwgates and a car mat or similar to pad the edge. Two tree minimal anchor... tie rope to tree. Run rope over edge, tie fig 8 on a bight, put screwgate (or two) in bight. Run rope back over edge, tie to another tree, possibly clove hitch or rethreaded fig 8, if you have a sling this is easier. Throw middle of rope to ground. Pass end of rope through screwgate(s) and thread down to ground, tie into this end to top-rope. Don't fall off edge at any point! Take great care to avoid rope rubbing on edge - since you are using dynamic rope for the anchor, it will stretch when in use so will rub if not properly padded.

Be prepared to drop grades dramatically if you are anything like me! (climbed a (soft) '6c' top-rope indoors yesterday, never done a 6a outdoors - although probably should be able to) :P

In reply to rhinobiker:
PS make bloody sure you know what you are doing BEFORE you try any suggestions! This may be the best use of your instructor, to get them to show you things...

In reply to rhinobiker:

Hi guys thanks for all the help and advice! Having looked through the replies, Portland (although it looks amazing) is just too far for us at the moment, and so it would have to wait until one of us can drive. The three locations that stood out for us were Peak District, North Wales, and Cheddar Gorge. Which one location would you guys choose for us?

Don't forget though that as we would be dropped off at the campsite, we would have no car to get to many different crags and so they would all have to be in a walkable distance or on a bus route.

Again, thanks for all your help and sorry to be a pain, but if we're going to spend 3 or 4 days there, we don't just want to be doing 2 or 3 easy routes over and over again as I'm sure you'll understand.

Thanks,
Ryan.

In reply to rhinobiker:

Hmm no car - North Wales seems the likely one of those and slate. It's an acquired taste but if you don't like it you could always go for a walk and/or be tempted by the magnificent trad on offer!

Yorkshire too far? Some decent lower grade trad with campsites eg Gigglewick Robin Proctors