UKC

Well I guess it would be somewhere in Scotland but where would it be in England or Wales? For me it would be the stack rocks and the cauldron areas of Pembroke. 5 minutes and several worlds away from the car park. I never quite got why Pembroke was so highly regarded until my friend daveycrocket showed me around these areas and it was wow this is amazing and immensely scary looking. I would think the lleyn or red walls on gogarth would be contenders but not quite as full on in my opinion. Any thoughts?

Lundy. Big cliffs, big abseils, big seas.

Chudleigh.  It's rather polished.

1. Main Cliff, Gogarth

2. Cloggy (perhaps surprisingly for such a great place). Just something about the place

And once me and a mate failed on pitch 2 of Mousetrap (E2 5a) at Gogarth and had to abseil off. It was just getting dark when we got down to the bottom of the zawn and the tide was crashing in all around us. That turned into a right epic getting off and up (went back another day and did the whole route though)

Sron Ulladale, St Johns Head or some North Devon/ Lleyn cliffs.

North Crag Castle Rock in Cumbria?

Alternatively, Craig Dorys or Red Walls.

Windgather Rocks ..sends a chill down my spine just thinking about it!

For me it has to be Boulder Ruckle at Swanage

Great Zawn.

I don't know what the climbing's like in the zawn proper, the jump across put me off further enquiries.  Escaping up Variety Show seemed an uncommiting low-grade alternative. 

T.

Avon Gorge (Main Area) despite the A road beneath it!

Abseiling off a red flag at Castlemartin?

Shipley glen, on a Friday night. 

Verdon Gorge via the Luna Bong abseil, I thought my heart would stop as I tried to swing in to hook the tree with my toe.

Errrrr um not in the UK

I was really scared doing the grassy descent into Deep Zawn to do Antiworlds. The atmosphere was very intimidating and the route was way beyond us so we escaped up The Serpent.

I'm easily fished in by guidebook tales of fear and danger but the one place that really scared the living daylights out of me was Carn Gowla.

Have never felt so far from home before or since.

It was truly magnificent

After doing American Beauty, my overly keen partner convinced me to ab in to do the Fifth Appendage on a rising tide. As we geared up, a big wave came in and soaked the starting slabs. It quickly became apparent that this wasn't a rogue wave and another way up was required. Unfortunately our selected guide only had our route in it. After several aborted attempts to try some lines which were still dry and didn't look too terrifying, another huge wave precipitated a frenzied rush for the abseil rope.

My partner prusiked up until at what he felt was a safe height above the sea, made a quick belay and I hurriedly began to join him. Just as I reached him, an even bigger wave smashed into the crag, sending large volumes of water way above our heads, luckily just missing us. Grabbing some rack, I prusiked as fast as I could until I felt safe, made a belay and waited for my friend to join me. During this time it got dark - luckily I'd insisted we bring headtorches and we eventually we made it to the top of the 90m abseil rope, broken physically and mentally. Once there my friend, with a tear in  his eye, announced that it was his eldest boys eighth birthday and that losing your Daddy to a sea cliff climbing accident at such an age would be less than ideal.

We're going back in just over a weeks time.

Being shot at by locals while climbing in Morlais Quarry was pretty intimidating and I've heard other stories of people climbing at venues where idiots threw stuff off the top down on those below. Natural dangers are part of what makes climbing so special, but those posed by humans resemble being shot in the back in a 1950s Western.

Interesting reads 

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/gogarth-south-guidebook-frightening-tales

Zawn Duel and St John’s Head are quite intimidating! 

I found tintagel a very committing, isolated and lonely place!

I think it has to be a sea cliff with no easy escape, so a long, worrying prussic if things don't work out. I'm sure there are more intimidating places I've not been, but of those I have been to it is Dun Mingulay (it doesn't help that no route I've done on it has gone smoothly and there have been some decidedly scary moments). And everything on the Barra Isles has that edge of remoteness. I remember going to Gogarth Main Cliff shortly after one visit and thinking how small, friendly and tame it felt.

Tintagel main cliff is certainly a pretty committing place.  Rescue from either the cliff top above or the sea below would be extremely difficult.

Carn Gowla (my nearest crag!) also has an intimidating feel, more so on some routes than others.

Gotta love the Atlantic coast!

Pop on a Saturday afternoon.

So you wouldn't put The Adversary on your most intimidating list after your recent excursion?

Yes, Carn Gowla was the first place to come to my mind too. What a crag.

Boulder Ruckle. Ab access, no easy escape (other than life boat), booming sea, terrifying landing amongst huge boulders if things go ape shit, dangerous rips if you happen to finish up in the sea - this applies to much of Swanage cliffs with a history of more than their fair share of drownings amongst climbers.

Also Cornish and Lundy sea cliffs with much of above plus frequent heavy seas often accentuated by booming zawns

Not intimidating to look at but Lower Falcon in Borrowdale. 

Had some frightening moments in Rosyth Quarry (thanks to the local neds).

Surprised no one has mentioned winter routes

I would second you on that! Dun Mingulay has all the elements to make you check that abseil about 5 times before committing over the edge, and even then you'll be shitting your pants. Since it's on the south west tip of the island it's got that added remoteness, basically nothing between you and North America. Throw in 100 meter ab, an overhanging cliff above you, no VERY easy routes out, a platform that at times can be worryingly close to the sea and rock that will shred your ropes if you jumar out (you'll never have enough rope protectors there!), yeah, it's pretty much got everything. It really makes the routes a memorable experience.

I think the only other cliff I've climbed on that I've shat myself more is Creag Dhearg on Mingulay, luckily I wasn't climbing out (single pitch) but free hanging ab on overhanging wall like 170 meters above the sea. Trouser filler!

I reckon stuff like St Johns Head/St Kilda would be a step up from these

If you include winter stuff starting up a route on Shelterstone Main Bastion or Giants Wall must be an intimidating situation. Not yet experienced that, but can imagine!

The Devils whatever its called on Lundy looks pretty intimidating.  I think there is actually a route out of there !  Either that or N. Cornwall

In Wales, it depends what you are intimidated by but the prospect of climbing on some of the Llyn crags is pretty intimidating.

 Boulder ruckle... Just had an explore there the other day with a view to try the wonderland traverse. Did the first section as a recce, first few pitches were ok with some decent rock for some sextions, but the last pitch was the loosest most dangerous rock I've ever climbed, combined with an abseil that's fairly likely to bring choss down on you. I had a block fall off and just crumble over me and having eventually got (still fairly questionable ) gear in after a harrowing run out climbing on cottage cheese, I clawed my way up the grass/mud and walked as far as I could on rope stretch, not quite reaching the wobbly fence post. My second get a third of the way across, still on the "good" rock at this point and a microwave sized block pulls out and he takes an eight meter fall, whilst at the belay I'm completely unaware. Hvs 4c it wasn't...

Needless to say we went for a nice relaxing days climbing at Portland instead the following day.

There's a story in my club about two older, experienced members who really should know better - they once abbed in to the Ruckle and got so spooked they decided they couldn't climb out, not at all. I never quite got to the bottom of why they couldn't/wouldn't prussic back up... but long story short, they stripped down to undies, tied their clothes and gear to the ab rope, then jumped in the sea and swam back to Subluminal! Of course this meant they then had to trot back along the cliff path in their undercrackers to retrieve their kit, waving cheery hellos to all the hikers they passed...

Gogarth - Red Walls...

Carn Gowla for me too.  Tremendous atmosphere.

Out of all mentioned above I thought the chalk sea cliffs on the south coast were the scariest, for the real possibility of them just collapsing on you as we witness and managed to scape with out lives unscathed, just barely.

I still get intimidated standing below the North Face of the Ben on a winters day, its seems so much bigger with its white coat on. 

I think we've all experienced that gut wrenching feeling standing below a big grizzly winter route, wondering whether you are going to die or not! :P 

Rainbow Zawn, North Pembs, an absolutely terrifying place - and that’s just to look at! Once you’ve climbed there you’ll never go back!

Including Scotland the big one for me was St Johns Head. 

To avoid the standard approach we swam ashore to the base of St Johns head having been dropped off by a crazy bloke we had persuaded to take us round in a rib.

The swell was bigger than we had hoped and we all got wave trashed getting through the boulders guarding dry land. I temporarily got stuck on a large rock separated from the beach proper watching this trench several meters deep fill and unfill with surging water. Luckily a huge wave knocked me in so I never had to commit myself. Once ashore we sat and gazed at the lower four pitches of grass slab and felt decidedly that we were in the wrong place and that it was no place for humans. Very otherworldly.

Escaping from that took two days and was epic.

A few years later I went to Foula in the Shetlands and took the mega abseil (300m) into the Nebbifield. This felt much less mellow as the rope remained in place.

Any DWS potential on Rockall?

It will depend upon your climbing grade, experience etc. but obviously sea cliffs must feature highly, but if you lead E6 using the same approach as an E1 leader, the experience will be different. My absolute worst approach though was in the Alps and not climbing, but abseiling into a 50/55 Deg. couloir and putting skis on with one of us on each rope

It has to be Dover for me. Places like Boulder Ruckle, Gogarth and Lundy pale into insignificance in comparison. The scale and steepness is intimating enough, then there's the climbing style and gear, and also not really knowing what to expect due to many of the routes having changed form and possibly grade. The script feels as though it has been written in advance for an epic to ensue.  

One of the joys of Valleys venues - I've heard of pot shots at Trebanog. I've had glass bottles (broken and intact) thrown at us at Trebanog and Penallta.

Ask Greg Boswell and Nick Bullock about big grizzlies in winter...

I didn’t think it was that bad actually. Escape back up the ab rope would just about be possible (if somewhat undesireable), and the sea was calm the day we were there so at a push you could swim out.

I was shot at by local youths when soloing at Penallta years back... Good to see some traditions haven't died out, happy days. 

I

Snap

As a teenager I  thought that Dovestones Main Quarry was what real climbing was about (largely thanks to Eric Byne) but people tend to shun it these days, it seems.

I heard Greg has a bear skin rug in his house, its not dead, its just afraid to move! :P 

Good thread this.

I was trying to think of the most intimidating places that I've actually climbed (as opposed to where might actually win the award for the most intimidating place to climb), but actually found it hard to recall - something I largely put down to repression.

That said, a particular stand-out for me was the Multi-Story Walls at Cilan Head, on the Lleyn Peninsula. Whilst Doris may be bad, at least it's approachable on foot - thus escapable on foot. Cilan Main is also bad, really bad, but at least it's most famous route - Vulture - is a known entity (i.e. I know a few folk have done it, not died, and there's a photographic topo to show you where to go).

Multi-Story Walls felt a bit different from that perspective, because I didn't know anyone that had been down there (alarm bell no.1) and even locating the top of the crag proved challenging (alarm bell no.2). Once located abseil left a lot to be desired, with countless pieces of gear equalised into something that kind of looked like it would hold bodyweight. It felt like it'd be alright to abseil from, but the thought of jugging back up it was highly unappealing (alarm bell no.3). Upon surviving the abseil I remember getting down to the base and it being really slippery due to the spray of the sea, which in itself had a certain sense of threat about it. Despite the tide technically being out, it was being funnelled aggressively up the channel at the base of the crag and it all felt a bit much (alarm bell no.4). I looked up at the carnage above and wondered where the hell our route went and what the hell I'd got us into. Rich - my partner - had already gone into some sort of shock and having climbed with Rich a lot I knew this wasn't a good thing (alarm bell no.5) because when he was in this state he tended to start forgetting things, and in this case it was the rope.

Now at this point everything comes into focus: the shit has hit the fan and you have to get out. Climbing on a single half rope was so far from ideal it was untrue, but we did it. Yes, it was awful, but somehow it's somehow never quite as awful as those moments beforehand when the intimidation sets to engulf you.

Most of the rest of wonderland is much, much more solid. Don't let 1 pitch out of 67 put you off!

Carn Gowla.

I had a bad experience on America. Our abseil rope was eaten by the sea. I failed to even get to the bottom of the route. I got attacked by a seagull. Scary place..........

The ab in to Blood, Sweat and Frozen Tears and adjacent routes is pretty intimidating. Especially if you get the wrong bit and have to crawl along that ledge like everyone seems to. In fact I've done it a few times and I'm yet to find the correct ab stations.

Nobody has mentioned bouldering walls.

Or Auchinstarry. 

I know of several air pistol and at least one machete incident there.

I think the locals have mellowed a bit at Starry. I've had nothing worse than being shouted "Your going to fall mister"

Rosyth Quarry on the other hand...

The Exorcist. E3 5b. I’m sure it used to be E3 5a!! it’s quite exciting!

I think early routes in the Limekiln talked about abbing off/ belaying on the earth bridge. That might have affected the E grade.

Well , for the tenth time of asking, would someone adept at climbing HVS go and climb Cordelia at Mur Cenhinen and report back so we could compare notes.

Its setting makes it the most remote route I have ever done.

Having done Cordelia many years ago, I've no intention of doing it again.  I remember it as being a harrowing lead at the grade - steep, insecure, poorly protected, and as you say very remote feeling.

I'd still vote for Carn Gowla as more intimidating, though.  

One of my most intimidating experiences was actually at would be a fairly benign crag under normal circumstances. My first visit to Craig y forwyn I found utterly terrifying. Praying the farmer didn’t see us and shout. Spent the day whispering and creeping around. 

I also find the Cromlech super intimidating. The routes are so classic there and the ones I’ve always aspired to are always a touch on the bold side. Still need to get up there for Lord... gulp!

then there are the normal ones... loose, Steep, big or a combination of the three usually does it!

Preposterous Tales (E2 5b) enough said

The Works can be quite intimidating 

Is PT intimidating, exactly? I’d have thought the problem was the opposite - it doesn’t scare people off enough!

jcm

I was gonna say Cilan too. So intimidating. Somewhere like Dun Mingulay seems like an obvious choice due to how remote it is, but the rock is so good, and you can climb just about anywhere at e2/3, with a few exceptions, such that it is hard to imagine anything ever going too badly pear shaped, short of dropping your whole rack in the sea. Cilan on the other hand... 

Preposterous Tales is an interesting one. If you look through the logbook comments, generally speaking the people who did it when it was dry (remember this means not soaked by big waves) found it not too bad, while some pretty strong climbers had a hard time when it was wet.

"Most intimidating place to climb in UK"?

Kinder Downfall with axes and crampons.  Next Saturday at 2:00 pm.

With any luck the whole of UKC/Winterclimbing will turn up to observe

I don't know about most intimidating, but doing the Verger at Blackchurch was one of the spookier days out I've had. Even Sacre Coeur feels committing and remote if it isn't a balmy summer afternoon (mid-winter, rising spring tide...)

Walking down through the forestry feels like getting a long way from civilisation.

A lot of B-side sea cliffs in devon and cornwall can feel super intimidating at times.

Have to agree that Gowla takes the cake though.

Oh God. Lundy.

Similar - though not quite so deathy - time at the bottom of Flying Butress. Two of us on the belay watching the tide throw bigger and bigger waves. Up to the point that 1 in 3 would break well overhead. Wind absolutely howling in so comms basically non-existent with the leader (also having a bit of a time, understandably).

Set my personal speed record for 'Top-roping HVS Whilst Drenched' that day.

Probably scope for an Epics on Lundy thread full of similar stories. Might even start it.

Boulder Ruckle, Tatra(pre 2014), waves crashing in. It was our first VS after a years climbing and felt very scary and totally committing.

I write this having realised it was 34 years ago yesterday. Today I heard that  my climbing partner Mike on that day all those years ago is breathing his last. Adios Mike x

Lawrence field during a Sheffield Uni C C bonfire party, people trying to climb Excalibur in the dark while having rockets fired at them. Quite challenging.

Yeah agree about Blackchurch Main, though maybe more menacing than intimidating? 

Not sure about that......

I pulled a TV size block off the top easy pitch of Sula, but fortunately didn't go with it since it left my only runner, a cam, lying on the new ledge where it had been about 30ft above the belay.

Seconding the top pitch of Les Voyageurs, I pulled a hold off and ended up dangling over the lip of the huge arch. which was exciting.

Voyage of Faith was so greasy that it was almost like climbing after heavy rain. Quite gripping.

My partner partially dislocated his shoulder on the second pitch of Childrern of the Tempest, resulting in an interesting situation.

Maybe I have just been unlucky, but it is a place I have a lot of respect for.

Has anybody mentioned getting to the base of Moonraker when it a very moist drizzly type day and the tide is in and the sea is lively. Even starting the solo down to the foot of the crag before the high traverse across the cave with the sea lapping at your feet and then the wave-washed platform at the foot of Moonraker all add to the experience. To top all that all the holds are covered in birdsh*t!

But I am reliably informed that on a nice sunny day there is nowhere better!

Has anyone ever felt so worried about their ab rope wearing out over an edge while prusiking out of a sea cliff that they've gone to the trouble of roping up and placing gear en route as though leading the pitch? Can imagine it at least steadying the nerves a bit. 

Not in the UK but we did this in Patagonia once. Rockfall had trashed our fixed lines and nearly all our gear was cashed at the top. We jugged up placing the very occasional runner as we only had six cams.

We figured a huge fall was better than an endless one 

I'm inclined to agree with you! (Which is one of the many reasons I'll never amount to anything as a soloist!)

Really, which ones? 25 years of climbing in the quarries and never felt the slightest bit threatened.

Mother Scarey's

Only abbed in once and became so terrified and incoherent that I simply couldn't get out fast enough. 

Sea cliffs are always going to win this award

No, good point. When I abseil in the possibility of prusiking out and a strain on the rope is always on my mind. So I make sure the rope is cushioned, with a coat or on grass

Shelter Stone Crag in a blizzard

Surely less frightening in a blizzard cos you can't see the big drop, steep route continuing for ages, loaded approach slopes etc.? Or does the imagination make it worse? 

Fair enough. My experience of Dun Mingulay has been rather different! I guess the experiences we have in certain places are what our further experiences are built on. 

I think the most intimidating crags on Mingulay are the ones around Arch Deacon etc. On account of the bonxies, not the crags themselves.

A couple of possible suggestions from my limited personal experience.

Rock: Slime Wall on the Buachaille. Rannoch Wall can also have its moments.

Winter: Indicator Wall on the Ben or the Post Face on Meggy.

Sometime, I would like to experience routes in Wen Zawn in Angelsey.

Overall, although it's beyond my modest abilities, St John's Head must be right up there.

I always find the north face of the Ben especially in winter really gets the nerves going.

My first visit in the early 80s it already had a massive death rate and scared me sh*tless from the start as a 16 year old. What followed was a dangerous out of condition climb where nothing was likely to hold. A climber nearby falling 200feet and the attempt to rescue resulting in the helicopter having to abandon the rescue due to weather conditions getting out of hand. L MRT did reach me at a semi conscious state late in the night. Nice introduction to the face!

Personal experience is bound to be a powerful determinant of future intimidation! Not to mention the fact that an 80mph blizzard, avalanche risk, darkness and a winter climb that's out of condition in all the wrong ways can turn the most benign of mountains into the proverbial savage arena...