UKC

Was hoping the get out to crag lough before my uni workload increases so much that I can't get out anywhere, but every time we make a date to go the weather decides it doesn't want to play ball! The weather this week is saying rain on thursday and dry afterwards, would this be enough time for the rock to dry out?

Cheers

In reply to Haighy:

Accuweather says showers every day this week for Hexham, so it will definately rain at Crag Lough which has it's own (worse) weather system.
On the other hand, it's going to be very windy as well so the dampness might dry off.

I was there last week and it was mostly dry, but I'm not too sure it's the place to go at the moment. There are plenty of venues which have a better chance of being dry.

In reply to Mark Savage:
Yeah I thought that might be the case. As for getting to other places, I'm limited by public transport from Newcastle centre and don't really know of other places!

In reply to Haighy:

Depends a lot on wind direction and humidity. Crag Lough's dolerite is notorious for lack of friction if it's damp. Some lines suffer from little seepage, others more so.

According to Metcheck it's to be showery on Friday, but bright and sunny on Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately due to the crag's aspect, the faces will be in shade the whole time. It's also likely to be decidedly chilly up there - particularly if there's any more than a very gentle breeze.

The Wanneys could be a worthwhile alternative if you don't fancy Bowden or Kyloe -- but they're all Sandstone!

In reply to Haighy:

You could get the bus up to Belford and do the walk-in to Bowden/Back Bowden which takes about 45 mins. It takes a while to get there though. The bus leaves about 7am and gets to Belford just after 10.
The bus also stops just up the road at Beal, so you could walk to Kyloe from there.

I've done that bus trip quite a few times in the past and there's usually someone up there who will give you a lift back down. One kind soul once gave me a lift to my front door.

If you don't want to go that far, get out to The Cove at South Shields.

In reply to Haighy:
You can get to Simonside by bus (to Thropton) then about 3 miles to crag.

Kyloe In/out - bus to Fenwick and 2 mile walk
Bowden - bus to Belford and 2.5 mile walk

It depends on how far you want to walk really. We used to get to the Wanneys by bus, but I think the service has gone.

In reply to Haighy:

Great crag with a collection single pitch routes VD - HVS that rival many cliffs but I remember it being often cold and damp during winter months.

In reply to JDal:

I've done the walk from Rothbury to Ravensheugh in January with a heavy bag and I wouldn't recommend that to anyone!

In reply to Mark Savage:

I was about to say that you can even walk to Ravensheugh from Rothbury if you have the time (I did so in August though Mark!).

Also don't under-estimate the kindness of strangers, I have had reasonable success hitchhiking in Northumberland. you can combine buses and hitching to get to a lot of crags.
O

In reply to Mark Savage:

Ravensheugh isn't a good destination for November!


Chris

In reply to Mark Savage:
"You could get the bus up to Belford and do the walk-in to Bowden/Back Bowden which takes about 45 mins"

Is the OP talking about saturday (don't think it said)? I believe there is going to be a whole load of durham uni undergrads descending on Bowden on saturday. Possibly a good reason to avoid if lower grade routes are your thing, but you might be able to beg a lift from them if you are lucky - you never know.

In reply to oliwarlow:

I remember doing that - only ha my boots though - happy days getting the bus from Newcastle and going to Bowden, Ravensheugh etc

I really should have been studying though

In reply to Chris Craggs:
yes Chris, I am not suggesting Ravensheugh is a good idea at this time of year. just that it is possible to make it some of the so called more 'distant crags' without a car.