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winter routes in the midlands? could it happen?

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 FrankBooth 07 Jan 2010
there's quite a few mucky quarries around the midlands (leicestershire, nottinghamshire)that are generally left a bit unloved, but given the current conditions, and with a bit of help (a few buckets of slushy water perhaps) could possibly cprovide a bit of winter fun. anyone know if there's any historic account of this sort of thing?
 Nigel Modern 07 Jan 2010
In reply to FrankBooth: Clee Hill Quarry has been done this week...not exactly Midlands but getting close
 Sam Bennett 07 Jan 2010
apparently there used ot be one in markfield,
one of the semi permenant puddles overflows down in the the reservoir and then freezes down the slab

i've never seen it in nick.
outwoods crag perhaps, as its generally pretty wet
OP FrankBooth 07 Jan 2010
In reply to Sam225:
> apparently there used ot be one in markfield,
> one of the semi permenant puddles overflows down in the the reservoir and then freezes down the slab
>
> i've never seen it in nick.
> outwoods crag perhaps, as its generally pretty wet

both came to mind funnily enough although i think you'd get lynched if you left crampon marks all over the outwoods crag

 mark20 07 Jan 2010
In reply to FrankBooth:
We climbed at Outwoods this summer and were told by the park warden that the rock is ancient and shouldn't be touched with axes or crampons.
The lines in Leics that I can think of that may offer some winter climbing would be the route just right of the tree at Outwoods which takes some drainage and Hangingstone Quarry tends to be fairly damp (and steep!) but I doubt much would form there.
Let me know if you get anything done, have fun
 Neil Anderson 07 Jan 2010
In reply to Nigel Modern: thanks for the idea! I may well investigate.

I have done similar things on the malverns - couple of quarry routes - slighty longer but maybe I/II. There are certainly some harder lines too - no idea if they have ever been done??
 Sam Bennett 07 Jan 2010
yeh doesn't sound like outwoods would be a good idea, was trying to rack my brains for the wettest stuff in leicestershire.

I live in shef now and theres quite a lot in at the mo, if anyone fancies getting out nixt week let me know,
go black tor, kinder and mam tor in the next 3 days!

how about black brook reservoir? i seem the remember that was pretty damp last time i went
 TobyA 08 Jan 2010
In reply to Nigel Modern:
> Clee Hill Quarry has been done this week...not exactly Midlands but getting close

It's very much in the area covered by West Midlands Rock so I would call it the Midlands! I tried the buttress just to the left of the gully line but the turf was a bit dry under the snow and not very reassuring so back down. With more snow it might be better now and there are other gullies between the buttresses that will have more snow on them now than on Monday when I was there.

There is also the lower Quarry on Clee Hill which is bigger. http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2007/07/fexs-mystery-crag.html The rock is appalling quality in the summer but it might be worth a look in winter for locals.
 timjones 08 Jan 2010
In reply to TobyA:
> (In reply to Nigel Modern)
> [...]
>
> It's very much in the area covered by West Midlands Rock so I would call it the Midlands! I tried the buttress just to the left of the gully line but the turf was a bit dry under the snow and not very reassuring so back down. With more snow it might be better now and there are other gullies between the buttresses that will have more snow on them now than on Monday when I was there.
>
> There is also the lower Quarry on Clee Hill which is bigger. http://lightfromthenorth.blogspot.com/2007/07/fexs-mystery-crag.html The rock is appalling quality in the summer but it might be worth a look in winter for locals.

Be wary in this area. I was watching the line you climbed below the radar station last winter, on the morning I arrived to climb it the buttress on the right had collapsed dumping at least a couple of hundred tonnes of rock down the line. The buttresses may not be as stable as we'd like to believe even when it is freezing really hard ;(
 TobyA 08 Jan 2010
In reply to timjones: Wow! Clee does seem to be composed of some outrageously shite rock doesn't it? When Fex took me there in summer a couple of years back I thought "wow!" on seeing the crag. On touching it I thought. "hmmm. Ok, maybe not so wow."

Actually now looking at my photo: http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.php?id=132776 the buttress directly below the radar looks like it has rather new rock scars on it's front doesn't it?

Anyway, I'm now several thousand kilometres away so I should be pretty safe.
 Iain McKenzie 08 Jan 2010
In reply to FrankBooth: There is nothing in Markfield outer than snowed up slabs on the lower tier which would not be worth the effort to get to, Hangingstone nothing in, the line in the outwoods is bare and looks exactly as it does in the summer; orangygreen. If you are wanting any dry tooling there is a bridge near me I train on. I will be taking a wander into a active quarry to see if their dainage line has frozen up, I remember seeing a 250 meter + fall a years ago.... they don't work on sundays...
 Nigel Modern 08 Jan 2010
In reply to TobyA: I think I'm sticking to camping out as my adventure currently - illness precludes exertion currently...and I'm not sure I fancy dodgy lines in dodgy quarries anyway...mind you these conditions mean some first ascents are opening up! It's no secret that Alex in Glencoe is spying one out right now...and there's a bit of a race developing.
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