UKC

One of my university opitions is St Andrews ... how near is that to good climbing ... as in rock and preferably not sod off mountain routes ...

Thanks

Fred

In reply to FredMead:

Ok, but not great. About an hour to any decent crags, of which there are a few: aberdour, glen glova, dunkeld, limekilns etc. There's a bit of stuff down the coast which is fun to play around on, but you do need to travel for anything worthwhile.

Mark

In reply to Anonymous:
Oh bollocks...

Thanks for the info

Fred

In reply to FredMead:
Impossible if you've not got a car, but close enough for the crags mentioned in summer evenings if you do- I feel like I lived at Limekilns last July!
Nearest indoor wall is Dundee - which is alright, and I hear they extended since I last lived up there
What you planning on studying?
Kate

In reply to standrewskate:
Maths and Physics. It looks like a really really cool place. How did you find it?

Fred

In reply to FredMead:

See my (and others) comments on this thread there is climbing/bouldering to be had if you look hard enough, but I would chose to go for the climbing!

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=151262

In reply to FredMead:

Multiple choice:

a) Don't leave us, Fred!

b) Eh lad, tha can't go oop North, tha's not ticked t'Cuttings yet.

c) Get on up - waterlogged glens and heathery terraces. Dead sheep & drooping pegs. A true Wilsonian apprenticeship. (And somewhere up there - Norrie!!!)

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

Haha!

I shall be sad to leave old Portland! But I have got a gap year coming up and will try to tick as much of Portland as I can in that!

Yes the prospect of Norrie is pretty inimidating!

Fred

P.S. Liked the book, however I don't think the weight loss thing will work for me ... if I lose anymore weight I think I may actually be useable as a bean pole!

In reply to FredMead:

you are indeed a rare breed.

>It looks like a really really cool place. How did you find it?

great for tea and scones. the climbing requires a car so if you aim to choose a uni based on climbing then look elsewhere. I don't think they're as famed for their climbing club, as e.g. edinburgh but then what do I know?

In reply to yer maw:

Bristol and Sheffield are my other top choices... But St. Andrews just seems to have the prestige over the other two...

In reply to FredMead:
Bear in mind that there is more to life than climbing (honest...) Your are actually going to university to get a degree, so if you think that the St Andrews course is the best one, then I would go there. Maybe you'll get the chance to try something new, too!

In reply to fimm:
I fully understand that the course is the most important but. However, I am not sure I would be able to hack it if I had nothing to do outside of the course. For me it must be a compromise between climbing and course...

Fred

In reply to FredMead:
I loved St Andrews, and in fact I'm going back next year to finish my course. Would agree that St A is better than the other 2 mentioned for Physics, and I would assume maths (I started doing physics & chemistry, so about 5 years ago this was the case anyway...) The other advantage I'd say it has is that degree courses are a year longer in Scotland - ie your first year is an excellent waste of time - I turned up to exactly 3 of my maths lectures and still comfortably got a first (they were at 9am!what do you expect?!)But this also gives you the oppertunity to change degree in your first couple of years, and take modules in other subjects. Would def say that without a car you'd struggle to climb on your own, and I didn't like the Uni club - tho there will be none of the same people by the time you get there. From your profile you climb pretty hard, so maybe St A isn't the place for you...I dont know! Have you visited?
Kate

In reply to FredMead:

I wouldn't go there. Looked round twice and decided there wasn't enough to keep me entertained.

Hope all goes well if you do choose it, but have no idea about the climbing.

In reply to FredMead:
Firstly Portland is crap, that's why let all yous sport climbers bolt it in the first place.

Secondly Scotland has some amazing mountain routes and mountain cragging, but where ever you live you have to be prepared to travel around 2-3 hours to fully appreciate it, so it doesn't matter so much where is Scotland you live. Just go climb at places like Glen Nevis, Dubh Loch, Loch A'an Basin, Glen Etive, The Buchaille, and feel the quality. It kicks the crap out of the SW many many times over (with the exception of West Penwith, pembroke and Lundy, which are amazing venues in there own right)

Thirdly the lowland cragging in Scotland ain't that great, there are some good locations but few big *** locations with tonnes to do, but you do have quite a bit within just over an hours drive from st andrews. Perhaps not enough to last you much over 2 years before you get bored though.

Finally the bouldering here is limited.

In reply to Tom M Williams:

st andrews is great. it's very small but it's a real 'make your own entertainment' place in some ways. it is worth going down to edinburgh for a blast occasionally.
however, unless you've got a car it is definitely not the right place for climbing. those various nearby places people have mentioned, while providing minor amusement, are crap in comparison with any proper crag and even with a car it's badly connected for getting to the mountains.

In reply to CurlyStevo:


Now thats below the belt!

But thanks for the post ... argh, Im not even sure how long it is till I have to decide ... Im taking a gap year from July onwards ...


Fred

In reply to standrewskate:

Yeah, Im not really up for joining a uni club. Rather just check out the local scene and hitch up with some people who are committed ... I climb with Ally Smith (who sometimes posts on here), he goes to Bristol uni but didnt join the club. He said the club would drive to Scotland, get drunk, be hungover on the second day, miss it to recover, it would rain the next day so they get drunk again, recover next day and so it continues with very little climbing ...

Fred

A car makes life a lot easier but it's still possible at the weekends to get to a good few crags using public transport.

The Limekilns has some cracking routes and you can easily get there on the buses. Rosyth has less in the way of quality but it's worth a visit or two. The Hawkcraig is a real gem, you can get there on the train and it has a nice selection of routes up to HVS.

It's possible to cycle to Craiglug where there's a little bouldering, a few routes and a great setting. As has been mentioned there is some bouldering down the coast.

Both the Physics and Maths departments are really good and it's a fantastic little town.

In reply to FredMead: manchester's got a quite good physics dept. and is close to the peak (don't know what maths is like)

In reply to FredMead:
seriously though sportland is not even a 1 star trad venue. As global sport climbing goes I'm not even sure it's worth a star! Still for the UK it's the best your going to get for now atleast.

As for Limekils. well there are about 5 or 6 amazing E1-E4 climbs that are real quality but under that fred your going to solo the rest in a day !!!!##

Hawkcraig is pretty good betten VD and HVS but beyond that there is not really anything!!!

But people are wrong about it being shite for the mountains! it's better connected to the majority than edinburgh and closer to the eastern highlands than glasgow.

I think if climbing is a priority for you and your priority is easy accessibility to high grade lowland cragging then st andrews is not for you.

In reply to Chris Davids:
all these crags around St andrews (plus a number you don't mention) put together have less than 300 routes, and mostly in easy grades.

In reply to CurlyStevo:
Hhhm - starting to agree with this guy now. The only person I knew at St A who climbed anything like as hard as you (hi Tim!) didn't do much more than boulder when he was there from what I can remember. As a university I dont think you could do any better, and socially I had a fantastic time, and I managed to find plenty to climb, but VS is enough for me generally...so, yeah, maybe somewhere with better access to some hard stuff is for you. If you have any more questions about the town or anything please feel free to give me an email,
Kate

In reply to standrewskate: got to agree...

St Andrews is a great place to study - but the climbing isn't all that great - unless as I'm sure has been said, you're willing to drive.

However - some of my favourite memories from St A's is spring/ summer mornings down on castle sands, playing on the walls and rocks down there. Theres plenty to keep one happy for a while.

In reply to CurlyStevo:

Naa, Portland has many brilliant routes. My fav crag is the cuttings ... all I'm going to say is "Sign Of The Vulcan", "The Mind Terrorist" and "Hall of Mirrors" ... the quality speaks for its self.

Fred

P.S. Hmm maybe St. Andrews isn't for me then!