UKC

My partner and I are taking the long weekend (Friday-Sunday) and for once the weather is looking up. What are some must-visit crags outside of Yorkshire/Derbyshire?

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

St Bees! Lovely video here.

youtube.com/watch?v=yHX3nDkUXKE&

As mentioned on another thread, the floor gets slippy in winter (as in, lethal, totally impractical) - I experienced this last Feb, so not sure if the death slime is in situ this time of year.

Northumberland!

Shaftoe, Rothley and Hepburn are all great for starters.

Get a copy of Boulder Britain if you can - it's a brilliant read, even if you never go to any of the weird and wonderful (and abysmal) venues therein.

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

Llanberis pass? Obviously weather dependent this weekend - maybe soaking but don't dismiss it.

In reply to pasbury:

Kylie in the Wood if you climb V8. In fact there's loads of nice stuff in Northumberland.

How about Glen Nevis and Torridon?

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

As Jon says, Northumberland for sure. Loads to go at and you can live on pease pudding for 3 days. Geordie hummus

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

Not sure why people are suggesting Northumberland it has been raining here for weeks. 

In reply to pasbury:

I would dismiss it, all the best boulders are permanently in shade at this time of year, the Pass will be freezing and it's been a very wet month.

Loads of other good stuff around North Wales though. Porth Ysgo will be lovely.

In reply to pasbury:

A lot of the good stuff in the Pass is going to be boggy and it's going to be cold. If you're keen and know where you're headed it's great, but for a first visit you're potentially going to get cold and wet and lost...

Ysgo will be amazing. Contemplating it myself... 

The Cromlech looks like what we're after, but by the sounds of it we'll be lucky to see it dry. We dismissed Northumberland for the same reason but were hopeful that Kyloe might be quick drying. 

We're looking for mid-high 7s, somewhere off the grit! 

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

It's not quick drying enough. That doesn't seem to be stopping people though.

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

Lakes forecast looking amazing this weekend. If you want mid-high 7’s Carrock would give you a lot to go at. Lots of inspiration in the new Lakes guide for other venues. 

In reply to Arms Cliff:

Camp under the bowderstone for the weekend?

In reply to dunnyg:

That’s certainly what I’d do for at least one of the days, but I know it’s not to everyone’s taste! 

In reply to Arms Cliff:

Carrock looks to be a great shout. Will do some reading. Would you recommend any of the other nearby areas/specific problems? 

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

Just had a quick look through the UKC crag guide and the star ratings there are pretty spot on for difficulty. Boardman’s area is a good place to start then take your pick of the 7’s, I particularly enjoyed Toe Jam

In reply to Andy Clarke1965:

This times 1000

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

Thorn crag ...belter of a venue... North lancs just before the lakes

In reply to Ehmarra:

I love Thorn Crag (just not the walk in!). We're settled on staying Keswick way and hitting up Carrock Fell/St Bees. Should be plenty for a couple of days. Thank god for Amazon same day delivery on guidebooks! 

In reply to MikeSilverstone:

Possibly  Cuckoo Rock and Combeshead Tor is a bit too far outside Yorkshire. Wondrful bouldering in a stunning setting. But it's always cold on Dartmoor (if not raining!)

Steve 

In reply to Lemony:

If it takes the best part of a week to dry out, how does anyone ever get any climbing done? How many days of dry weather after a wet spell would you recommend before visiting say Shaftoe?

In reply to Jon Stewart:

By being patient and choosing venues based on conditions. Sometimes the most sensible place to climb is the wall.

Depends on the block and the wet spell. I'd say that with the quantity of rain we've had recently I'd be leaving somewhere like the bait box 3-4 days, but other bits I wouldn't expect to dry until spring. Some bits never dry.

It's a shame but it's the nature of the place where I live, f I didn't think it was worth it then I'd live somewhere else.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

...Also, t's a choice. We can be a bit over cautious now and hopefully eek out our rock for a few extra decades before it's trashed or we can say that it's more important for us to get out climbing regularly now than to preserve that experience for future climbers.

Lots of rock in the county has a limited shelf life as an aesthetic prospect, personally I'd like to keep it going for as long as possible.

In reply to Lemony:

Thanks for the replies. I've only been to Shaftoe a couple of times, and some of the rock is both very gritstone-like and exposed/sunny.

But don't worry, it's a 2h drive for me and I'm not going to bother if there's a chance it's going to be damp and shitty.