UKC

Was planning on getting away this weekend and was gonna go up north to derbyshire but the weather is looking pants - so off to swanage - but it's very scary !!! Anybody got any suggestions for good venues in the swanage direction.

In reply to Ciderslider:

From you in the Swanage direction there is not a lot except Swanage! What have you done in Devon?
Hay Tor (and Low Man) are well worth a visit and is about 2¼ hrs from Swanage, so perhaps 1¾ hrs extra for you (non Bank holiday times!). Hound Tor is just down the road from Haytor and is well worth the visit; the routes are not long but very varied.
The Dewerstone is really good, and a lovely spot, but is on the far side of the moor and takes a fair while extra to get to; but is worth it.
Other than that there is the Torbay limestone; but if you want a rest from the excitement of Swanage perhaps not ideal.
Other than those the Wye Valley has much to offer and is easy to get to. I had a cracking day at Wyndecliffe recently. lots to do at your grades.

You could of course have a "Swanage lite" weekend. Places like Slippery Ledge, Seacombe and St Aldhelm's Head don't have the grip factor of the bigger cliffs, or the crowds of Subluminal.

In reply to Ciderslider:

Jump on the ferry in Weymouth/Poole and come to the Guernsey Climbing festival!

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=594473

In reply to scott titt:
Hi Scott,
I've done nothing in Devon at all - I really love Swanage (and we climb there a lot (as it's our local crag) but it just seems sometimes like everything is trying to murder you .
Also I've done quite a lot of stuff on the main cliffs at my grade and feel somewhat reluctant to push on to onsight my next grade at my limit at Swanage - At the moment it's gotta be Elysium and I'm just not sure that my head is quite ready.

Apart from maybe behemoth, leading lightning wall and maybe the spook (and of course hopefully an insight of Elysium) most of it seems a bit beyond me at the moment - what's the area to the east of black zawn like ??

In reply to Ciderslider:
- what's the area to the east of black zawn like ??
Lighthouse Cliff;-some very pleasant routes and plenty of new stakes at the top; but the routes are hard to locate, especially first time. Feels quite committing as the belay ledges are not continuous and movement along the cliff is awkward. How about doing Traverse of the Gods to find out what some of the landmarks look like. Do TotG in the afternoon this weekend and you can nip along the bottom to avoid the tiresome abseil/pendulum bit if you want.
Harvest Gold is good, as is Vidi Ergo Est in the Black Zawn. Mail me and I can send you a typscript with the latest routes.
If you are feeling ambitious The Barrel in the Black Zawqn is not too bad at E1 5b with good gear (but of course deep in the zawn)

In reply to Ciderslider:
Even swanage is looking wet sunday arvo now although you'd get a fair bit done in the sport quarries if you got up early sunday.

Any further sw is looking worse sunday.

Avon / Wye area looks alright. Gower is looking ok saturday (you could easily combine that with Avon/Wye Sunday on the way home).

In reply to Ciderslider:

Another vote for dewerstone, but then again if it rains on Sunday, not worth the effort. As Stevo says, Bristol way looks fine for Sat and Sunday. If you've not done anything in the area there's lots to go at...

In reply to mike kann:

yeah sunday looks to be wet over that way and it's about a 5 hr drive.