UKC

Hi lovely people,

Looking for route suggestions in the Lake District with relatively short walk ins (less than an hour)
and at lower grades, probably up to HS.

Just getting moving again after 6 months of Long Covid so a couple of pitches of cruisy climbing would be a dream.

Cheers ducks!

Troutdale pinnacle?

Middlefell Buttress (D) or variations?

Sorry to go off topic but how have you been tackling the long covid? I'm not sure if I caught covid but do have some long symptoms. The main one being fatigue and jelly legs. I'm getting out walking but feel like I'm firing on only 3 or 4 cylinders and can't do anything like I was beforehand.

I was climbing on Gimmer last weekend - it took me about an hour to walk up, although I parked at the wrong car park for maximum ease, so started with 5 - 10 minutes stroll through fields to get to the Stickle Barn parking area where the path goes up from. 

So a bit of a slog to get up there, but plenty of clean, good routes at around the grade you want once you're there. Insitu abseil points too, if abbing down is easier than the descent walk.

Hope you're feeling better!

In Langdale, you have a lot of south-facing valley crags - great if the weather is iffy:

- At Raven: Revelation (HS 4b) is a good pitch at HS
- At White Ghyll: Slip Knot (VS 4b) (MVS - before Rockfax dogma did away with the grade)
- Kettle Crag: lots to go at in the S/VS range, on quality rock. Red Slab (S 4a) is excellent - very delicate for the grade in a great position.

Alternatively, on Pike O'Blisco you have the Long Scar plus the excellent Black Crag - bubbly volcanic rock in a mountain location, with a 25min walk-in:

- Long Scar Groove (S 4a)
- The Singing Cowboy (VS 4c)
- Glass Slipper (E2 5b) (lovely 5a slab with almost no gear, so probably a top-rope, but it's cruisy and delightful - so a big ego boost!)

Castle Rock of Triermain is great, with a 15min walk in, albeit uphill. Can be made easier.
- Via Media (S 4a) is a very good pitch for the grade
- Kleine Rinne (VS 4b) is cruxy but delightful on rough rock. Might feel more like 4c onsight, although correct sequences gets it down closer to 4b.

Wallowbarrow - 10min walk in. Relaxed crag in a great location.
- Thomas (S 4a) is one of the best climbs of its grade in the Lakes, especially if first two pitches are done as one
- Digitation (VS 4c) - delightful VS slab with decent pro. Pleasant and not hard at the grade. May be worth abbing off and doing Agitation next door to get in two lovely pitches at very amenable VS; top pitch is scrappy, and a bit harder than it looks.
- Plenty of other things at VD or VS

Almost anything in Borrowdale has a short walk-in, but it's very busy at the weekend - better in the week.

Hope that helps!
 

Shepherd’s Crag is the place.

T.

Brilliant thanks for the responses so far, that's certainly enough to keep me occupied for a while, it's a good job I have 10 days in mind !

@LankyMan the only way I've found effective at dealing with long covid is rest, rest and more rest and listening to your body. I did try and fight it early on by getting straight back out at my limit but that put me back at square one and back in bed for weeks. Plenty of rest and just building myself up slowly seems to be doing it, at one point going downstairs to make a cup of tea was psychologically and physically demanding! 

At one point I was obsessively reading about long covid and that was mentally taxing and anxiety inducing, unplugging from all that definitely improved my mental state.

Enough covid chat from me anyway .... for now ¯_(ツ)_/¯ 

I hope your recovery is continuing. I am a fellow sufferer.

For the fit, there are few lake land crags which take>1hr to get to (cue list of those that do and bravado statements "I can get to boat how in 40 mins"). In your health, adjust the guidebook times accordingly.

One of the lakes strengths is quality multipitch climbing in the lower grades. As a start Troutdale Pinnacle, valley cragging with a mountain feel. Add a little to your walk if you can manage hills OK and go to scafell on a sunny evening. There is nothing better. 

I'd stroll into Dow mid week, much nicer to be away from the roads in the hills, there's enough routes to pick from so you can take your time getting in and don't need to race other parties.

Or black crag from Wrynose. 

If you don't know exactly what you'll manage, I wouldn't trek all the way up to Gimmer or Dow and risk being too exhausted to climb.

Plenty of other good short or flat walk-ins that others have suggested

Good advice.

Wallowbarrow Crag would be ideal.

Raven Crag, Combe Ghyll if you want to walk a bit further but not too much uphill (routes start at 400m asl. Raven Crag Buttress (VD) is a good alternative to the often busy Corvus.

Long Scar has nice chilled single pitch routes up to HVS or so. 25 mins walk on a good path.

Even without long-covid, that calculation sometimes needs to be made! Shall we spend our limited energy walking or climbing?! Obviously nice to have enough energy for both, but not always possible.

What about Evening Wall (S) on Raven Crag, Langdale? IIRC nice route and good gear.

Without long Covid in the Lakes? Really?

Yep. Every time I go climbing with my (romantic) partner, we end up making this calculation. "If we go up the Band, how much energy is she likely to have left in the tank? If we go to the Napes, will she still be in a good place to climb? Would we rather get a walk + one 4-pitch route done, or would it be better to go somewhere else and get 12 pitches done?" Sometimes one is better; sometimes the other. No shame in it or need for macho self-congratulation ("I love doing a big walk in...")...

Gillercombe Buttress is probably about an hour from Honister for most people although steep at the start. Could be done with a very light rack too as every runner is basically a totally obvious bomber nut.

I think the Duddon has a lot going for it especially in mid summer when many more mainstream areas will be very busy. And there’s a brand new guidebook! Several folk have suggested the various crags reached from Wrynose Pass, and they are very suitable, but the parking is very limited and is often filled up by earlybird walkers. But if you find yourself unable to find a parking spot there it’s only a few minutes to the north end of the Duddon.

Wallabarrow is a good shout, with two fairly relaxed multi pitch V Diffs, the classic severe Thomas and the single pitch gem of Shark’s Fin. Nearby is Pen which has a lot of good severes, though at this season the bracken makes it quite hard work accessing the crag.

Another good shout is Swindale. This is a good spot in hot weather as there is some shady climbing at least before mid afternoon and it may stay dry when the western Lakes is getting some typical midsummer westerly grot. And there’s a lot of good routes in the grade you want. Kennel Wall is worth the half hour (mainly on flat tarmac) walk in on its own.

Good luck with weather and the Covid recovery.