UKC

Am back at the folks due to my new calling as an unavailable asexual bitter adult.

That's Oxford and I am very aware of how dire the climbing is here. Am planning to check out Oxf. Brookes this afternoon. Anyone have any other ideas for nearest walls/buildings/small outcrops of rock?

Only here for a week at the mo, but will be probably located here for the summer. Open to meeting people for climby stuff in the area (no sleaze please).

By the way, if anyone hears of any psychology research or clinical jobs in somewhere vaguely hilly please pass them on.

luv

Curly

In reply to curlymynci:

are you still on the same mail address (the one through the forum)?

In reply to curlymynci:

There isnt alot about here to be honest curly!

Swindon wall is ok. Amersham too.

Not sure about clubs in Oxofrd but there are a few in Reading.

In reply to Clare:

Yup indeedy

In reply to DonnalaB:

Will investigate. Am mobile now (passed driving test - woohoo) but awaiting mechanic magic for my car. Would've helped somewhat in Wales....

In reply to curlymynci: There isn't any climbing around Oxford. Trust me I'm a geologist and have visited lots of quarries etc round here and they're all rubbish. If you're looking for a club the uni one is quite active - see
http://users.ox.ac.uk/~climbing/

Currently the club seems to have more postgrads than undergrads, and is open to non-uni members. Find us in the Gardener's Arms on Plantation Road on Wednesday nights.

In reply to curlymynci:

Congrats on passing missy! Once you have a car you'll never get how you managed to get about climbing without one!

In reply to Alison Parker:


>>Find us in the Gardener's Arms on Plantation Road on Wednesday nights.

Good God, still meeting in the same pub after all those years??

I seem to remember that Iffley Road wall was a tad pants even by the standards of the day

GF (OUMC, 1991-3)

In reply to curlymynci:

There's a boulder at Compton Verney - but that's about it

In reply to GFoz: Yeah, it's had a few refurbishments but still serves good beer and doesn't mind smelly climbers. And I think I've discussed ther relative merits of Iffley and its history on here before!

In reply to Vlad: where's that?

In reply to GFoz:

Unusual choice of material for a climbing wall?!

Was still pants in 1996-2000 too (illegitimate user).Good for stamina going endless from one side to the next. Brookes is quite good though, if not very big.

In reply to Alison Parker:

6 miles north of Banbury

RE : Iffley, in Michaelmas 1999, the holds were numbered, there's in excess of 300 problems there now.

http://users.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/safeperl/chri1588/iffley.pl

There are 3 clubs in Oxford. The university's (OUMC), the towns (OMC) and the one at the old polytechnic up the road (Brookes). And there's also Oxford Alpine Club for old boys/girls of OUMC, but they only have 1 meet and 1 dinner per year.

In reply to curlymynci:

there are a couple of small outcrops and a dangerous quarry in the Malvern Hills. three or four routes on each. don't get too excited, though.

In reply to Philip: I think "old polytechnic" is a bit harsh Phil!

It's about as accurate as you description of the Gardeners Arms. They don't to good beer. They did do good beer 4 years ago, then via 5 different landlords we've got to the present state where they have distinctly average beer from Green King.

In reply to curlymynci: castle rock aint too far(near cheltenam) only small about 30 ft routes up to e3!

In reply to curlymynci:


It isn't that bad. A long way to any climbing sure, but at least it's an equidistantly long way to lots of different places: Peak, South Coast, Bristol, Pembroke ... etc.

As to the nearest crag, Compton Verney is a very good, er, boulder. RT's leading non-practising-barrister is sorting out the access ... hopefully.

Alternatively: there are some very fine garden centres.

In reply to tobyfk:

And Avebury ... awesome. And possibly not actually illegal.

I'm not sure if I'd rather live on the near Cornwall / Devon / S. Wales and have good local crags but long drive to Lake / N Wales / Peak or be where I am - able to get to most places in about 3 hours. It's a shame not to be able to do a few hours cragging in these light and warm evenings.

In reply to curlymynci:

Bristol should take about 1.5 hours and the peak should take about 2 hours, from oxford. Not too bad at all really. Dooable for day trips

In reply to curlymynci:

Think yourself lucky. I live five hours away from the nearest crag.

I know of a psychology research position in Oxford, that my wife is about to vacate. Not a lot of use I imagine!

As for places to climb near Oxford - there aren't any.

In reply to Woker:

2 hours to the peak! It's 175 miles to Hathersage - you'd have to be going some!

In reply to Glen:

Actually 1hr 45 mins is a perfectly achieveable time. Suspect your mileage estimate is out. Do you have trouble with maps?

In reply to tobyfk: My car says it's 150 miles from Chipping Norton and I've only managed 2 hours to Hathersage from there at 6am on a sunday morning.
Perhaps my car lies, or you know of some shorter way (a worm hole perhaps?).

In reply to Glen: Of course, there's one hell of a variety of buildering?

8^)

Curly, to my knowledge, there's not a lot between Banbury, Swindon, Oxford, and Reading. It's all a bit dead. I second the 'dangerous' quarries bit, not even decent cuttings from old roads/railways.

It's a long way to anything to play on, from Oxford. Hook up with the Uni loonies?

Tim, TG (In Rugby. At least we're closer to rock!)

In reply to Glen:

The AA (www.theaa.co.uk) make it 138.9 miles. If you drive A34/ M40/ A43/ M1 etc it's dual carriageway all the way to Dronfield, then just a short sprint across the moor to Hathersage.

Can't comment on Chipping Norton. That's Range Rover/ gymkhana country isn't it .,.. roads must be slow.

In reply to curlymynci:

You should also be aware ... as at least one poster higher in the thread can vouch .... that in a random test conducted in Spain, 4 out of 5 Oxford students were unable to roll a joint .

In reply to tobyfk: Ah - A43 - I guess that is shorter (than M42), but you always get stuck behind gits driving slow. It's never been very fast when I've tried it. Plus it's a pain geting to the A43 from Chipping Norton.

p.s. I don't have a Range Rover

In reply to Glen:

well it's closer than kentish town and I've done that in 2hr 30 and it took me 30 to get to the M25 !!!!!

In any case your wrong according http://rp.rac.co.uk/routeplanner

it's 128 miles from oxford to leek (the roaches). They reckon it takes 2 hours and 26 min, but I guess that must be without speeding as it's quite a bit further to K-Town and I can do that in 2.5 hours.

In reply to Glen:

Similarly, when we wild 'n krazy oxfordians go for our DWS trips, it's motorway or dual carriageway to within 10 miles of Swanage (admittedly there are about 500 roundabouts ...)

In reply to Woker: Leek is closer than hathersage. Anyway, we established that the M42 way (the way I go) is longer than the shortest route (A43) from Oxford - I just think it's better, for me anyway 'cos I'm going from Chipping Norton.
Plus, although it is possible in less than two hours, it can easily take 3 or more.

In reply to curlymynci:


Hi Curly! I'll be back home in Reading for the summer from end of June so will be up for some climby stuff in the area as well.

In reply to Glen:

Firstly I only mentioned the peak you mentioned hathersage not me and my point still holds true that oxford to the PEAK district is about 2 hours on a good run. People on here have said it's less

Secondly the journey planner that i used went via the M42. Not that, that matters as I didn't specify a route you did and your the one which disputed my claims not vice versa.

So i suggest you stop sparfing bollox and run off and hide in your hole !!!!

only 4 out of 5? haven't done as much internal laughing in ages. definitely up there in top 10 funniest moments of the year from where I was sitting.

In reply to: Curlymynci and Charlotte

Hey - i live just north of reading, between oxford and reading in fact, and am always looking for peops to climb with cause all my climbing buddies are in bristol. I am home from the end of june/middle of july.

I'll be working (hopefully) but will def be up for some climbing. Not the greatest, but am a good laugh i'm told! Drop me an email if you're interested

In reply to Panda: YAY!!! I'll hopefully be working too but will be trying to fit in climbing wherever possible too. Will drop you an email later.

In reply to Charlotte in Anni's Basement:

Horah - this is all great. Gonna have to train hard though. Just got back from Brookes and I'm absolutely rubbish!!!!!

Will email various soon.

In reply to curlymynci:


Lol well I'm rubbish anyway and even more rubbish indoors. I don't seem to be able to climb indoors for some reason lol.


Cool.

In reply to Charlotte in Anni's Basement: I'm not great either and have been plagued by injury this year, and am once again recovering from one. But need to get loads better over the next few months so that i can climb some good stuff when i am away next year. Look forward to hearing from y'all!

What hole? Anyway, no need to get so defensive - we were only arguing about the distance from one place to another - sheesh.

In reply to curlymynci: hi sent you mail re this - did you get it?

In reply to curlymynci: if you want psych research jobs try www.jobs.ac.uk for all current vacancies.

In reply to curlymynci:

I rather like Iffley Road, actually.

What happened to the Cricketers on Iffley Road, then?

2 hours to the Peak - good grief. Get your fingers out. It doesn't take me that from London.

In reply to curlymynci: I sent you an email about this in reply to your's. Had problems with the mail going through - did you ever receive an email? Hope so! If not, get in touch and we'll try again! x

In reply to Panda:

Hey everyone - my email is being an arse. Try again and maybe it'll get through....