UKC

Hi,

So my climbing partners, who have the car, are afraid of the cold and damp. Which Lancashire crags are easily accessible from either Wigan or Manchester on public transport?

If they dry reasonably quickly and aren't totally green that would also be a bonus.

Cheers,
Adrian.

In reply to melto1664:

So long as you don't mind a reasonably short walk in then Wimberry, Dovestones Edge and Den Lane Quarry are all accessible by bus/train from Manchester to Greenfield. Hobson Moor from Stalybridge/Hattersley. New Mills Torr is a couple of minutes from the train station. I'm not too familiar with the public transport up that neck of the woods, but I'm sure there's probably a bus that runs past the Wiltons. Anglezark walkable from Chorley maybe?

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

That's great, cheers. I should have said I'll happily hike a bit, upwards of an hour with a full pack will be about max. I'll take a look into your suggestions.

In reply to melto1664:
Slightly further afield, but Trowbarrow is a <1 mile walk from Silverdale station.

In reply to melto1664:
Wilton. Get bus to Bolton and then another one to Wilton arms

In reply to Jon Read:


If he gets off first at Carnforth station it's a level 10-15 minute road walk (or local bus) to Warton village (two pubs!) then short walks to all the crags on Warton Crag. They dry quickly and can be climbed year-round - follow the sun around the hill.

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

Anglezarke and the Wiltons are in Lancashire.
The rest never have been.

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

Anglezarke walkable from Horwich or Bolton...

Chorley??? Crikey overnight maybe

In reply to Tom Valentine:



You might need to check your geography on some of those mentioned.

In reply to Tom Valentine:



Really? Warton Crag and Silverdale have always been in Lancashire since its invention https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Lancashire Even after that 'Cumbria' thing was invented in 1974.

In reply to The New NickB:

I was referring to MRphilipoldham's list. Quite confident about those he mentioned.

In reply to melto1664:

A bicycle may help also, just an idea.

In reply to Tom Valentine:
I was going more for easy accessibility within a reasonable time frame rather than geographic accuracy. It’d have been a short list otherwise, and the OP would be missing out on some excellent crags for what? County pride?

Edit - not only that, Manchester is no longer in Lancashire so my suggestions were completely justifiable.

In reply to mrphilipoldham:
I realise that you were being helpful and I was not being critical of that.
If someone told me that Sheffield was in Lancashire I'd probably feel inclined to correct them; it's same with crags.

In reply to Tom Valentine:
Not Lancashire, but Burbage Valley is walking distance from Hathersage train station. Calder Valley crags (Heptonstall, Mytholm steeps and a few others) are walkable from the Hebden bridge train station. Heptonstall can be a sun trap.

Blackstone edge and cows mouth quarry might be doable by public transport too. A bus runs fairly close. Can get windy up there though.

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

I think Tom’s point was that Saddleworth is Yorkshire, despite being part of Oldham and therefore Greater Manchester after 1974.

Manchester is still largely Lancashire, the administrative changes of 1972/1974 don’t change that.

In reply to The New NickB:
Yes, thank you for the geography lesson, I'm well aware. Born and bred. I doubt you'll find many Mancunians who regard themselves as Lancastrian.

It still doesn't detract that the OP asked for easily accessible crags from Manchester, regardless of whether Lancashire was in the title of the thread.

Christ, can you really not be helpful on here without pedants jumping in?

In reply to Graham Booth:

Agreed Horwich but it's an hour if you're quick from Chorley, or 3 hours if you are from Bolton....

In reply to mrphilipoldham:


Not Mancunian born and bred I hope, talking rubbish like that.

In reply to dunnyg:

Assuming the OP is looking at winter destinations, you are right about the wind. Both great locations, but very exposed and whilst the theoretically dry quickly they also get hit by any weather that is about.

Both are maybe 20 minutes from the road. I’ve not used the bus to get to either for about 25 years, so I’m not sure how regular they are from Littleborough (20 minutes by train from Victoria).

In reply to melto1664:

Thanks for all the replies folks. I'm not from round these parts so am unfamiliar with the finer points of the regional geography. But I appreciate all the suggestions!

And yeah, I'm looking for places that are suitable at the moment. From my own research Pex Hill looks doable by PT. How green would it he there this time of year?

In reply to melto1664:

Pex Hill is not in Lancashire . It is in Merseyside.

In reply to melto1664:

Some of it can be fine in winter, as always it depends how dry it has been. I'd recommend Brownstones though for you, bus from Bolton then mile walk. The area around Digitation is great on a crisp winters day.

In reply to Tom Valentine:

Then neither is Wilton..... but few would argue it isn't

In reply to melto1664:

Get yourself OS sheet 287 West Pennine Moors, and use the train, in particular the line from Manchester Victoria to Blackburn and Clitheroe.
Get off at Hall i' th' Wood ( first station after Bolton) and the Wiltons are not far to walk, especially if you follow footpaths and not roads. On the road there is an excellent pub (Bank Top) mid way between the station and the crags.

From Bromley Cross station it is easy to get to Ousel's Nest Quarry and the recently developed Jumbles Quarry across the valley. Egerton Quarry (Cox Green Road) is not a bad walk, and the Wiltons can be reached on foot from here. Plenty of moorland walking is in easy reach too, and the three reservoirs Jumbles/Wayoh/Entwistle with pleasant footpaths. Not far up the road from Ousel's Nest is the King William pub, not open Mondays.

If you go a bit further, get off at Entwistle Station: it is a request stop and you have to ask in advance. Close by is an excellent pub, the Strawbury Duck, and it is a nice walk to the Cadshaw area, quarries, natural outcrop, and nice walking around reservoirs and on the moors. You have to wave the train down to get it to stop for your return journey.

In reply to Mike Stretford:

I would definitely have pointed it out...if I had known.