UKC

Hi

i know there is already a similar thread already but only broad areas are listed. Does anyone know good villages for a base that you can 1) get to by train from london and 2) get to a crag from by walking or bus?

hathersage I know. Are there any others?

thanks

If top-roping on sandstone is your thing then Harrison’s and others around there could be an option

cheers

Bristol has the Avon George, albeit not necessarily very beginner friendly.

If you aren't too fussed about being in a village, there's really good public transport connection to crags of all types from Leeds. See https://photos.app.goo.gl/bPMvkMt8KgwdYjBs5 for some suggestions.

If you wanted to base yourself further out, staying in Settle or Horton would give you good access to a variety of limestone crags a short walk away.

For the Peak, you can get to Buxton via Manchester, then a Leek bus goes past the Roaches, Ramshaw etc. 

Depending how much time you’ve got for the journey, trains run to Windermere with fairly frequent buses on through to Keswick. Or Betws y Coed, with buses on to Ogden/Llanberis. 

Sheffield is a bus ride from stanage. And rivelin is walkable.

I used to get the train to Chesterfield then bus to Baslow . Camp at Eric Byne's so you've got a pub nearby . You've then got access to Birchen ,Gardom's, Chatsworth and it's a short hop over to Baslow, Curbar and Froggatt .

Depending on your finances  there is also the option of a National Express to Chesterfield from Victoria which is about 3.5hrs and costs as little as £9 .

Wye Valley!

Train to Chepstow. Then you will find Wyndcliff, Ban y gor and Wintors leap are all within a resonable 2 ish mile walk in 👍 sport and trad

Overnight sleeper to Fort William.

Easiest is the Cuttings in Portland, train to Weymouth then bus n.1 drops you opposite the path. Doss somewhere or walk to the new campsite. Swanage is also doable,  a bit more faff. Then there's also Lorry Park Quarry, train to Matlock Bath, then walk. 

Swanage is possible by train to Wareham and bus to Swanage. Eastern Peak is easy with a train to Sheffield and a train to Grindleford/Hathersage/Bamford/Hope. Western Peak is easy from Manchester. Avon is obviously in Bristol.

Going a bit further afield, bits of Northumberland are possible by bus or train from Newcastle.

Eurostar Paris, train to Font

Not a direct answer to your question, but possibly worth considering joining a club.

I did London without a car for a while, and we ended up mostly renting or borrowing. Portland is technically doable (train to Weymouth then bus to Portland), as is (as mentioned) Bristol. 

However, I found that the honest best thing to do was to try and meet climbers of similar skill and interest levels - and to hope one has a car. It has multiplied the amount of climbing I do outdoors by 4 or 5x.

... or become a Southern Sandstone specialist...

I reckon this is the most sensible approach. London life involves an awful lot of faffing about on trains and waiting on platforms as it is, not sure you’d want it every weekend as well. Driving makes the whole climbing from the capital experience that much easier. The exceptions being of course Scotland, perhaps the Lakes, and France. Train from London to Avignon is really easy and opens up a world of climbing. Font is really not that distant. But for the regular trips out to Portland, just get in a car!

Guernsey. Plenty of flights from Gatwick, maybe Heathrow and City too.  Nearest crag is 20 minutes from the airport door. Probably quicker to get there than Portland by train!  All the crags are within 20 minutes walk from stops on the round island bus route, many only 5 minutes. Campsites and hotels also close to the bus routes. We can lend you ropes / racks / boulder mats on a 'break it replace it' basis.

Font

Portland?  Great sport climbing and a few decent campsites to stay on (plus a fairly large mix of hotels both on the island and in Weymouth).  Excellent bus service to the island due to the presence of a fairly large social housing estate there.  Train to Weymouth from Waterloo, a fairly long trip but quite scenic through the New Forest.

Feels a bit like Sicily if the weather is good!

"Bit" is doing a hell of a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence! :p

In the middle of August on a nice day I think there are big similarities, having climbed in both places!  Obviously only the actual climbing bits, not the towns.

Confirming my decision that the climbing in Sicily isn’t worth travelling for! It is however an amazing place for a holiday. (I also enjoy Portland.)

Can you drive?

If so consider hiring a car, if you cost in the delays and climbing sacrificed to public transport, you will likely end up quids in.