UKC

Heading down to Swanage this weekend and wondering if anyone has any routes they would recommend? Have not been down there before and would like to make the most of a trip outside. Am climbing at about HS trad and F6a sport.

Cheers

In reply to OliNewman:

Avernus at Subluminal is amazing at severe.

1st and 2nd corner are good too.

In reply to OliNewman:
Swanage can feel a bit stiffly graded if you aren't used to steep limestone but there are a few really good routes to look at.

Curving Crack (S) is very powerful at the start but nice, Avernus (S) is a real adventure, Second Corner (S) is absolutely brilliant! If you are going well I'd suggest trying Balcony (HS) although be warned it seems to have lost a hold making it a bit trickier than it used to be.

In reply to OliNewman:

There are some nice trad routes in that grade at Subluminal, but they do seem to be on the stiff/intimidating side of the grade (and you will need to ab in to them).

Places like Dancing ledge, Hedbury and Winspit are all good for low grade sport routes. However, I just checked my logbook and the best route at Hedbury are all over 6a. It's got a few easier routes that are good for a warm up though. At Dancing ledge Chicago Pipe Dreaming and Date With A Frog are pretty good 6as, and Borra Ring a good 5+. I would steer well clear of Transparent Birthday Suit though - a runout sandbag on which I have seen some nasty inverted falls.

In reply to OliNewman:

There's also some stuff at Cattle Troughs in the lower trad grades, but it's a bit crap.

In reply to Monk:
Hedbury has Goddam Sexual Tyranosaurus and another very good but not sufficiently memorable that I can remember its name 5+.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

It's not a bad route, but the name is definitely better than the climbing!

In reply to OliNewman:
Forget the indifferent easy sport at Hedbury and the honey pot of Subluminal. Try Wall Street at Cormorant, Hard Severe 2 stars and the full Swanage experience http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=25928
While you are there Oran is worthwhile.

The erstwhile classic Hard Severe at Guillemot, Ledge End, has suffered rockfall and is now VS, be warned!

Jericho Groove (HS) at Boulder Ruckle takes one of the easiest lines out of the Ruckle and is full of interest. Don't try Larus though, the bottom fell down and it's probably E3 6a.

Otherwise Slippery Ledge has some pleasant Severes in a charming secluded spot. There is also a lot of easier trad at Winspit but unfortunately no guide yet.

In reply to scott titt:
Good routes but unless you've got a separate ab rope and some prussiks are they a bit committing for a first time HS leader at Swanage? I wouldn't punt most HS leaders at a Swanage HS unless there was a significantly easier escape option

In reply to Reach>Talent: True. Cattle Troughs is always a good option as you can scramble down and back out again if you get stuck.

In reply to Reach>Talent:
Hard Severe is Hard Severe everywhere, the commitment and seriousness of these routes has already been factored into the adjectival grade, they are technically quite easy compared to some Swanage Hard Severes.

An abseil rope and Prusik loops are pretty standard equipment when you visit a sea cliff that needs an abseil approach!

In reply to scott titt:

You'd be amazed at how many people don't carry them though, I don't normally take a separate ab rope as I don't own one. But I know I can get out of most Swanage areas even if I screw up (I expect I could hop out of Subluminal).
Subluminal while "lacking the Swanage experience" does have the benefit of being a fairly tame introduction to the rock, you don't want to discover that you can't actually climb Swanage HS once you've pulled your ab rope at the Ruckle!

In reply to OliNewman:

Swanage isn't that good for sub-VS routes but there's enough to get you going for a w/e.

Subluminal and Cattle Troughs are your best bet for crags. Make a decision on whether you want to tackle a route before setting off though, as some (especially at CT) have little gear.

I'd start at CT (a longer walk from the car park) cos there is no ab in and you can take or leave routes accordingly. Do the Diff as a warm up, you can't go wrong there. Checkout Hangover - a softie and well-pro VS, probo only HS, but avoid Resurection which seems a bit dangerous for HS.

Stop in at Subluminal on way back to car park. You have to ab in, but only 10m and there's usually lots of people there so it doesn't feel too committing. There's a few severes and a vdiff to be had. Gangway is amenable too. Avernus is good but be careful. It's usually damp, always dark and probably best not to fall off.

If everything is going well, try Cormorant Ledge on day 2 but it is more committing venue with a big ab in and climbing the only viable escape.

6a bolt clipping offers a lot more in Dorset than easy trad altho Portland is better than Swanage. Blacknor has at least a dozen quality 6a's.

Avoid Dancing Ledge at Swanage, it is terrible for newbies.

In reply to Reach>Talent:

No I wouldn't.



Subluminal while "lacking the Swanage experience" does have the benefit of being a fairly tame introduction to the rock, you don't want to discover that you can't actually climb Swanage HS once you've pulled your ab rope at the Ruckle!

I'm not sure if you are lecturing me, patronising me or just forgetting that the OP asked for some route recommendations; these I gave him, I leave it to his judgement whether he is capable of them. I know nothing about him or his experience and am not prepared to pre-judge.

In reply to OliNewman:

Bottomless buttress in the Ruckle is very pleasant at HS and gives you a bit of the Ruckle adventure experience. There is a Severe in the same area - I've never done it as it looks pretty nasty.

Pushing the grade a little, Mistaken Identity (VS) at Guillemot Ledge is among the more friendly of Swanage VSs

In reply to scott titt:

None of the above. My post was in no way intended to be lecturing or patronising and I know you've got a fairly encyclopedic knowledge of Swanage.
My point was that as a fairly regular Swanage climber I've seen a lot of people who end up biting off a lot more than they can chew so I err on the side of caution. A quick visit to Subluminal or the like is a good taster and slightly reduces the risk of getting yourself into difficulty on the bigger routes.

In reply to Reach>Talent:
Ok!

In reply to scott titt:
Any idea how long ago Ledge End had a rockfall? I've done it a couple of times and the most recent visit wasn't the pleasant experience I remembered it being

In reply to Reach>Talent:
I should have typed Ledgend (so much for encyclopedic knowledge), the fall was sometime before 15/04/2010.
To quote the all knowing Bob Mott "You used to climb a little corner
to reach the fault-line traverse but there has been a rockfall and the
corner is pretty loose and dirty. We avoided it by the slab on the left,
then back right along the fault-line, more like VS now"

In reply to Reach>Talent:
Thanks all, very helpful, really looking forward to it so lets hope the weather holds.