UKC

I am a competent second and have done a few trad leads but only on courses at Plas Y Brenin and not for a couple of years.
My physical ability is fine (I sport climb 6c/7a and boulder up to about V6 - hoping to hit V7 this year!) so I would just like somewhere with at least a weeks worth of easy well protected single pitch trad where I can refresh my memory and build my gear placing and rope work confidence.

Thanks in advance,

Gwilym

In reply to GwilymR:

Pembroke

In reply to mark20:


I disagree. I suspect what the OP is after is somewhere with easy climbing where he can familiarise himself with placing gear and belaying. Of course it depends what you mean by 'easy' but to my mind it should be low-grade stuff where he can concentrate on placing gear and the feel of being on the sharp end.

Pembroke has easy routes but many of these have quite difficult access which require abbing. Even more difficult exits if you hit problems, and tides to cope with as well. Finding belays at the top can sometimes be challenging. Great climbing, but not the ideal destination imo if your aim is to build confidence.

For lots of high quality single pitch surely the Peak is hard to beat? Stanage alone could keep him occupied for a week.

In reply to GwilymR:
I recently built up my trad confidence in the peak. Windgather and Birchen are very pleasant (but would only keep you occupied for 1-2 days each). Lots in the Mod-VDiff range (and don't discount Mod as a useful grade if you are practicing gear placement!). Stanage also has loads, but get the definitive guide to open up the low-grade possibilities (and to cut down on walking from one end of the crag to the other).

EDIT: it's obvious, but in all cases keep an eye out for the unprotectable diff. You probably don't want those

In reply to GwilymR:

If you live in Bristol then the Gower. Lots of easy slabby stuff by the sea. Recommendations:

Three Cliffs - D - VS, tidal, but lovely place, slabby with good gear
Boiler Slab - VD - E1, non-tidal
Lewes Castle - S - HVS, non-tidal
below Lewes Castle:
King Wall - VD - VS, tidal, but you can go up to Lewes Castle afterwards.

All largely have good gear and easy walk ins. No abseiling required and on the tidal ones you've generally got 3 hours (or more) either side of low water.

In reply to GwilymR:
People learn in different ways - its called learning styles. This well established theory recognises that some people learn well in the 'deep end' approach of just get out there and do it but others need a more structured 'watch what I do' method. Another style relies on reading or watching videos then copying in real situations, and finally there are some people who need small steps with immediate practise to learn effectively.
So to answer the question posed by the OP the answer might be to first discover your preferred style of learning. Think about successful learning events you have experienced and try and characterise them into one of the four styles described. Then choose a similar approach to learning to lead.
For what its worth here is how I introduced my daughter to leading.
She had done lots of top roping on indoor walls and I felt that she learnt in the 'practise small steps' style so first we did top roping on outdoor crags to learn how to read rock. No risk - same safety system as the wall etc. We then went to an easy crag (technical difficulty well within her range) and placed gear at ground level to learn the mechanics of gear placement. Then I lead a route placing gear that she took out and then she lead it using the same gear. We finished by her leading an easy route (On sight) placing her own gear - with the challenge of placing every piece of gear in the rack. It worked so from then on she lead her own routes.
I used Windgather & Little Tryfan for these sessions.
Hope this helps.
Cheers Keith Ratcliffe

In reply to mark20:


I agree.

The Peak is annoying in July, Pembroke is so much better. I'm sure the OP can learn how to abseil, it doesn't take a genius to learn how to not die on a sea cliff. If they find some of the really cool crags a bit much atmosphere wise, they can go somewhere easy.

By the end of the week, I'd expect the OP to be ticking classic E grade routes in Pembroke. After a week in the Peak I'd expect them to have given up climbing.

In reply to Jon Stewart:


The OP can perhaps learn to abseil, but what then? Fix a hanging belay and face the prospect of having to prusik out if they can't manage it? The OP made it plain he wanted to build confidence in placing gear and leading.

Maybe a day at Saddle Head and another at Bow Shaped Slab and Crystal Wall, for example, would be sufficient to give them that confidence, in which case they are set up to climb at the more challenging locations. However the OP was asking for a location with at least a week's worth of easy trad to and in my view a crag where they can walk in easily and have the option of lowering off or going round to place a top rope has to be a better option for building confidence than sea cliffs, which usually present a challenge just to access them. Of course it all depends on what you mean by 'easy' - to some it means V Diff, to others E1.

Once they have gained that confidence then I agree Pembroke is a must-visit

In reply to Howard J:

North Pembroke could work, especially if they find a partner that knows what they're doing.

In reply to GwilymR:

if you want to build confidence then south wales is the place with its soft touch grades, although (gower aside) none of the easier access crags are particularly inspiring places to spend multiple days.

although peak is tough grading and sometimes unprotected, you cant beat it for accessibility and veriety in such a small area.