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rich.carp01 Apr 2016
Hey all,
I'm looking to take my family down to Dartmoor over the summer and as I'm not familiar with the bouldering in the area I was wondering, can anyone recommend what crags/locations would be suitable for taking my 6 year old to (and my 3 year old but not so much for the bouldering yet!)
Whilst Bonehill Rocks is probably the most obvious place... close to the car park and some great baby rocks about... Smallacombe provides a good place away from the crowds. More of a walk but you can use the tramway paths to make it dry/easy... my two liked it there when they were 5 and 7.
Bonehill rocks is the 100% perfect bouldering/family picnic site. Hay tor is just as suited to grassy picnics but mainly routes rather than bouldering, with classics from VS-E2. Some good bouldering here too though. All of this, then a pint of local ale in a nearby pub........bliss.
I can taste that ale already! thanks for the advice. At Hay Tor are there little boulders for the kiddies to muck about on or is it all adult sized stuff do you know?
And although not strictly as requested, our boys enjoyed hanging out at the Dewerstone - woods and river. As long as they can be supervised and kept away from cliff base etc etc.
Smallacombe is only 1.5 km from the lower car park. Go via the tram way and stop at the quarry half way for a look and rest - some good weaselling to be had. Shouldn't take too long with some imagination and play but be prepared for a piggy back or two! Make a day of it.
Hound tor is always a good option, parking is about 200m from the crag. There's plenty of stuff that kids can play on and is always full of families. Plus there's tonnes of boulders and a few routes to keep you entertained.
I also found it better for a first time visit to Dartmoor than Bonehill but that's just a personal preference on style of climbing.
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