UKC

Apologies if this gets done on a regular basis but I did a quick search and didn't find anything obvious!

Me and my climbing buddy are looking at going to the Lakes soon and as relative newcomers to trad climbing (a few months as opposed to years of bouldering) I am just wondering if anyone has a take on the best crags/routes to sample that will show it off to its glorious best!

We've both led at VS/HVS and have read that being able to do VS should open up some pretty great lines, but any and all advice welcome.

In reply to Andrew Musgrove:

Shepherds crag is a good place to start. Close to the road, dozens of quality routes and a good spread of grades. Little Chamonix at VDiff is a classic. Aardus at MVS. Adam, Eve, Fisher's Folly all great at VS and Kransic Crack Direct is a good HVS. To top it off, there's a cafe at the bottom.

Once you've done those head down the valley to black Crag for Troutdale Pinnacle, a super classic Severe.

To finish off, head to The Napes from Seathwaite and do Tohpet Wall and The Needle both at HS, and climb Innominate Crack (VS) on the way back.

Of course, there are other options that involve leaving Borrowdale. Eliminate A on Dow is possibly one of the best VSs in the county (and therefore the country), though Dow may be a bit damp and chilly a the minute. Castle Rock in Thirlmere is also a good bet for long single pitch routes on the south crag (avoid the north crag, there's a huge block waiting to fall off) and is low-lying and south facing for a bit of sun. Gazebo is a particularly good HVS.

In reply to Dervey:

OP says 'relative newcomer to trad' - I'd have thought that it'd be better to leave stuff like Eliminate A and Eve until he's got a bit of confirmed mileage under his belt. The former, though reasonable, requires good rope management & the latter has not got exactly a worry-free first 10 metres - I've witnessed people hurt themselves there.

In reply to Andrew Musgrove:

White Ghyll in Langdale is a good bet, most routes are just 2 pitches, and the walk in is not too lengthy, but it has a good mountain atmosphere. There are a couple of nice Severes to warm up on the slabs and then a clutch of classic VS routes. Slip Knot (VS 4b) is probably the easiest to start on, before tackling the challenges of The Gordian Knot (VS 4c) and Haste Not (VS 4c).

In reply to Greenbanks:

Probably fair comment, though I did both when relatively new and found them OK. YMMV though.

OP - take note

In reply to The Ivanator:

Quality suggestion, not sure how I managed to not mention a single Langdale crag...

In reply to Andrew Musgrove:

Depends whether you're looking for multi-pitch routes on mountain crags (the Lakes at its best), in which case I think Gimmer Crag is a great place to start as it's often in condition and the routes are popular. Or if you're looking for convenient single-pitch cragging, with good little routes and a pleasant walk-in that gets you up in the hills then Black Crag (Wrynose) is a good bet. Although the roadside crags are decent - Shepherd’s Crag has some pretty good routes, it can't really be considered "the best of the Lakes", more "the laziest of the Lakes".

Unless you're going to wait until there's a heatwave, avoid anything that faces North or East - you'll catch your death, plus it'll be green and filthy.

In reply to Andrew Musgrove:

I'd say you could do worse than Gimmer. Mountain feel (so really Lakes as opposed to roadside like Shepherds) with stacks of clssics at the grades. Sound rock and sunny aspect.

In reply to The Ivanator:

Probably less attractive, but often raises its head on threads like this - Wallowbarrow (where you can climb all over the main crag at around VS-HVS - and often less than that)

In reply to Andrew Musgrove:

If you can boulder f7a then HVS / E1 will be easy technically. I'd be looking at Pavey Ark, White Ghyll, Gimmer in Langdale for multi pitch routes and maybe try some harder single pitch stuff at Reecastle?

Pavey - Rake End Wall, Golden Slipper
White Ghyll - Laugh Not, Man of Straw (E1 but bomber gear)
Gimmer - NW Arete, F Route (if dry) Kipling Groove, if they go OK Whit's End Direct or Springbank

In reply to Andy Mus:





The best advice I can give you is that psychologically there is a world of difference between 6-8 metre single pitch VS/HVS routes on gritstone edges and multi pitches of the same grade on a high mountain crag with long pitches, long run outs and hanging belays and the like. Start on a mountain route that is well within your grade capabilities on grit.

In reply to Andy Mus:

In addition to some of those that have been mentioned Grey Crag (Buttermere) may be worth a look

In reply to Andy Mus:

Awesome, thanks for all the help people! Looks like its probably worth starting at Shepherds to get a feel and then maybe take a look towards Gimmer and Black Crag.

As Gerry mentioned we're aware there's a step up between the grit climbs we've done so far and the lengthy multi pitch routes so it'll be a steady progression. More just wanting to soak in the lakes and get some nice routes done!

Thanks again!

In reply to Andy Mus:

If you get the weather I would head for the best (mountain) venues. Can always start slightly easier, though grit VS definitely feels harder to me!

In reply to Andy Mus:

You have not said where you are planning to base yourself but with the A591 (the main road from North to South Lakes) still closed, the journey from Shepherds Crag in Borrowdale to Langdale is a massive detour. Scheduled to reopen May 13th.
Enjoy the Lakes, hopefully you will get weather like the last few days.

In reply to Andy Mus:


Grit tends to be technically more challenging than climbing on the more positive holds of volcanics. Lakes routes aren't in general easy for the grade (I can think of a lot of sandbags) but the style is easier to get to grips with than grit - you generally have holds to pull on!