UKC

I’m looking for recommendations for nice places to Boulder in the UK.

By ‘nice’, I mean good climbing, variety of grades, nice landings, nice scenery, nice vibe and no killer walk in.

Yorkshire and the Peak are my local areas but I’m also keen to travel further.

I’ve been to many places already but appreciate that others might be looking for nice venues too.

Cheers.

In reply to afx22:

Cuttings Boulderfield on Portland? By the sea is always nice and fresh fish 'n' chips at the end of the day,

In reply to afx22:

For nice places that you haven't been too, I like:

Local:
Bat buttress (near brimham)
Scout hut crag
Thruscross - take a brush and go after some dry weather

Less local:
Bonehill rocks (darmoor)
Bowden/back bowden
Kyloe
St bees
Conistone valley boulders
Ogwen valley boulders (stuff up behind snap dragon area in the new guide).

In reply to Pete Dangerous:

I've been to bouldering at the Bill and that was brilliant. Is the Cuttings area better?

In reply to dunnyg:

Cheers. That's a few more on the list. Are the Coniston boulders the ones on the south west edge of Coniston Water?

In reply to afx22:

Widdop

In reply to afx22:

I wouldn't travel to the bouldering at Coniston, it's not brilliant. In the Lakes, St Bees is fantastic (search the videos on here, there are a couple I think) but bloody miles to drive from anywhere. Carrock Fell is good with lots there and some brilliant problems scattered here and there amongst the mediocrity. Other than that, unless you're into the esoteric world of mountain bouldering, I don't rate the Lakes too much as bouldering destination. You can often find yourself walking for miles up a steep, wet, grassy hill looking for what turns out eventually to be a steep, wet, grassy lump of rock. If you like training on a cellar board, and want to go on a really massive one with no friction, then head to the Bowderstone. I think the fact that I can only do one problem there spoils it for me, but it's not really what bouldering's about for me - it's indoor climbing outdoors. With disabled access, a gravel landing and an audience of obese tourists.

Personally, I think that bouldering on limestone is about as fun as surfing on sewage. There's plenty of that around the South Lakes (limestone, that is) and it's god awful.

I don't know it yet, but Northumberland looks awesome. I'm going to explore the sunny bits this winter. For bouldering, sandstone (including grit of course) is where it's at. Mountain rock (rhyolite) can be OK, but it's usually a matter of pulling very hard on horrible sharp holds (although the Langdale boulders are an exception, lovely and grippy, almost grit like) rather than cool moves using friction.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Northumberland is pretty fab Jon! I spent quite a few days wandering about on my own with a pad having caught the bus up from Newcastle the summer after I finished uni, lots of fun bimbling to be had in amongst the proper bouldering for strong climbers!
I really rate Scugdale as well, plenty of NYM venues look really good, if you go with an adventurous mindset and expect to brush a few holds you can have a really good day out.

In reply to afx22:

And buy Boulder Britain. It's a fantastic guidebook for the roving boulderer, but more to the point, it's f*cking hilarious. If you thought any of my comments were scathing, wait til you read what Grimer has to say about half the venues in the book. Seriously, I can read it for hours, and it's especially funny when one of his emotionally charged comments is justified with "no one's ever going to buy this stupid book anyway". Forget Hard Rock, Boulder Britain is where climbing and literature collide.

In reply to spenser:

Great stuff, really looking forward to getting a nice day and heading out there.

In reply to afx22:

Bonehill on the Moor mate.

In reply to afx22:

No, they are up the coppermines valley. I like the atmosphere there. Also scugdale and slipstones are good closer to home.

In reply to dunnyg:

Pudding stone area? Fantastic place but I don't much rate the climbing. Not tried the other bits round Coniston, e.g virtual crag.

In reply to afx22:

Slip stones

In reply to afx22:

No one mentioned Torridon yet? I'm a devotee and have been going all my life, just a few months ago I found an amazing set of small edges with lots of brilliant low grade stuff and scope for some harder developments. The Celtic Jumble is amazing and must rank as one of the 'nicest' places to boulder in the UK. Especially on a crisp pre-midge spring day.

Am Fuar-meheallan

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Yeah that's the one. The place is better than the routes!

In reply to afx22:

Roundhill Boulders always come to mind if your in Yorkshire, good range of problems with nice flat grassy landings, a fantastic outlook and can always be combined with several smaller crags not too far away.

In reply to afx22:
Thanks for all of the suggestions.

I’ve been to Widdop a lot and love the place.

St Bees has been on the list for a while.

There’s some suggestions there that I hadn’t thought of, so I shall add them to my list. Thanks

In reply to afx22:

Cuttings boulder field is very different: harder to get around, but proper boulders so more variation in shapes and angles, including some properly steep stuff in the high 6s / low 7s. Things like "In ya face", "Queen Bee", "Nu Breed Sit", "Lost decade" etc. My favourite place to go with quality lines .

In reply to RobertHepburn:

Thanks. I have an Uncle that lives in Portland, which is very considerate of him. You can see West Weares out of his window. I will definitely making the odd visit

In reply to Jon Stewart:

I'm with on your perspective of climbing on limestone, although I will be making a trip to Anston Stones at some point.

I have Boulder Britain. It does have some funny stuff in it but I prefer having a full guide.

Finally - I did have a day up at Langdale earlier this year. It turned out to be one of the best days I've had this year. Superb!

In reply to DerwentDiluted:

Torridon. Dry AND midge free - that's just silly

In reply to phleppy:

I'd not heard of Roundhill. That looks perfect, thanks

In reply to afx22:

No, it's May.



Or it May not.....

In reply to afx22:

Colorado esp. here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@40.0138193,-105.2721793,12.75z

In reply to afx22:

If you have a few pads (I prefer 3 or more) Porth Ysgo is pretty special. Walk in isn't as straightforward as some crags with roadside access but it's not as bad as some other North Wales ones. The rock is beautiful, so many things to climb of all types and grade and the scenery spectacular. Bonus points for the fact it frequently seems to avoid whatever bad weather the mountains have...

In reply to afx22:

Also, try Low Huller and Gatehouse Crag, there's loads to do and their both a nice place to spend some time at. If you get chance then there's plenty of bouldering over to the east on the NYM, venues on Blakey Ridge are not too far from the car and have a spectacular outlook.

If you don't already know then check this site out as there's loads of venues that may fit the bill.

https://unknownstones.com/

In reply to afx22:

Northwest - Reiff / Reiff in the woods certainly fulfil the nice place and short walk in criteria as would Kishorn on the bealach na ba road. The north end of the bay at Sandwood , another location where the term "nice place" could have been invented for, has bouldering though not sure if there are developed problems especially in the higher grades though not a short walk even once you've driven to the top left hand corner of our green and pleasant land - you'd not regret it if you've never been in.
Lots of stuff in Glen Nevis too and we're maybe prone to forget just how nice a place it is.

Rum? Harris? Coire Lagan on Skye?

caveat : No-one but a sadist would recommend any of these places on a still overcast day in July or August - the midges are like countless billions of little arthropod piranhas

In reply to andrew ogilvie:

Funnily enough, I ran out to Sandwood Bay and back about a month ago. A stunning place to be.