UKC

Hebrides - Lewis/Harris

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Anonymous 04 Jun 2009
Hi all, at work so can't log on, apologies for anonymity...

I'm off to the Outer Hebrides (Lewis & Harris) for a couple of weeks in August, mainly to get eaten alive by midges but will try and get some climbing in whilst I'm there. I haven't climbed on the islands before so have a couple of q's.

1. What's the best guidebook for the area?
2. What're the best routes (up to HVS) in the area?
3. Should I look at popping over to any of the other islands (Mingulay's a bit beyond my grade methinks) or is there enough on Lewis/Harris?

Cheers in advance,

Scruffles
 Drexciyan 04 Jun 2009
In reply to Anonymous:

I'd recommend the sea-sliffs around Mangersta and the Uig hills in Lewis, then for Harris a visit to Sron Ulladale is essential. Most of the best climbs seem to be in the upper grades but there is still plenty about, amazing place.
 RossJ 04 Jun 2009
In reply to Scruffles?:

There's plenty to amuse yourself up to HVS on Pabbay and Mingulay if HVS is your limit, but you'll use up climbing time trying to include these as well as climbing on Lewis and Harris. So suggest you head to one local or the other.

The SMC guide is now well out of date, but covers a fair bit.

Latter's new guide (vol 2) is very well presented, and a good start for Lewis /Harris, but it is only a selected guide and only touches on some of the great climbing up there and misses out some of the really good areas developed over the last 5-6 years. A skim thorough the SMC Journal new routes up to about 2003 will give you plenty of additional ideas, but most of these are unfortunately are not online so you will need an actual copy of the journal and patience to build the route info together. I think the new SMC guide wont be out until next year which will give a much more comprehensive picture as much of the recent development hasn't made it into the SMCJ annual updates.

What is good about Lewis and Harris is that when the weather is rubbish at, say Mangersta, you can often head north and find better weather and vice versa. A determined attitude will mean that what ever the weather you'll be able to climb most days by thinking about the location and the impact of tide, swell, wind direction and weather and there is plenty to fill two weeks of climbing.

Some stakes are handy for abseil for some crags.

If you find yourself up at the Butt of Lewis on a calm day, then Trojan Wall near the lighthouse gives some excellent 15m routes from VS to E2 which were put up in 2004 (see the SMCJ 2005 pdf) and 2008. There are easier lines, but not of the same quality. I have the details if you want them.

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