UKC

I’m thinking of possibly visiting on Thursday next week and not been before. With it being softish sandstone I was just wondering, how quickly it dries and whether it will be acceptable condition this time of Year? 
 

cheers in advance 

Keep an eye on the weather all week and make a decision nearer the time. Unlike limestone it doesn't seep in winter and in summer the leaves on the trees can hold the damp, so good conditions are not so much a seasonal thing as a result of good drying conditions. So if it doesn't rain during the week, gets a bit of sun and breeze it will likely be in good nick.

I'm thinking of going as well after lockdown. Is there a way of knowing once you get there, i.e. if it looks damp and seepy then don't bother? Or can the surface look fine but it's wet underneath and you shouldn't climb?

Well yes of course you can make a judgement when you get there - if it looks or feels at all damp don't climb. But if you've driven any distance the temptation to climb can be hard to resist and it's all too easy to think 'this doesn't look that bad'.

Some bits of course are slower to dry than others - Northumberland wall dries first, whereas the start of Pit and the Pendulum needs a prolonged drought. But the bulk of the crag is not quick drying, so I'd always advise watching the weather carefully in the run up and only go if everything looks good.

OK I'll watch the weather as well then, cheers. 

Worth keeping an on 'latest ascents' on the crag page too, if anyone's been (who logs on here, at least!) then you'll get an idea of what might be dry or who to contact for an on the ground update