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ARTICLE: The Five Best HVS Routes in the UK?

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 UKC Articles 22 May 2014
The Hammer HVS Etive, 3 kbWhat are the best five HVS routes in the UK?

Read this article and find out! Do you agree? Have you done them all? And is the texture of Merlin Direct really better than Grit?

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=6328

 Bob 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

I'd replace Merlin Direct with Bald Eagle at Stone Valley Crags http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=50587 for the texture category. Simply one of the best HVSs anywhere in the country.
 ericinbristol 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Wait until Pylon King sees this - brace yourself for an alternative list of moss and choss 8 feet high in deepest Gloucestershire or somesuch.
 Owen W-G 22 May 2014
In reply to ericinbristol:

Riders on the Storm a strange inclusion. No line whatsoever. Heart of Darkness, for eg, is far more impressive.

I'd replace Merlin Direct with Scratch Arete.
 JamPlastick 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Great Western, Almscliff
In reply to UKC Articles: A list of top five HVS routes without Centurion on the Ben in it? Some mistake, surely...

T.

 Robert Durran 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Some good routes, but surely no-one could be serious about them being the best in the UK. Hilariously, only route in Scotland and that's on the Etive slabs! (And, incidentally, the only one I havn't done).
In reply to UKC Articles:

I haven't done the Hammer and Merlin Direct was a more recent tick but the other 3 were all early HVS's for me. We linked Intern to join Kipling Grove which at the time got HVS but is now E1. I was pumped out of my mind lower down but tuned in by the top pitch which just felt amazing. A long slow big day with rain between the pitches and fighter jets underneath us when the sun came out.

Riders on the Storm on the 30th December for a new year trip in glorious sun but freezing sea! I thought I was going to fall in from the top of the pitch at one point. Pumped, off route, cut finger, lots of blood, can't hold on, go for it, phew!! Great climbing!!
 jon 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:
Interesting photo of Riders on the Storm... am I the only one to see the ghostly figure soloing?
Post edited at 09:42
 Offwidth 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Popularist tosh designed to get us posting. Nothing against Jack but please get someone prolific who can feel what HVS is if you want to do such articles. Otherwise make it much clearer its a fun looking a long way down personnal faves approach. Jack would have been better off with his top 5 HVS solos.
 Stefan Kruger 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Finale Groove.
FBD.
 Cheese Monkey 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

My favorite HVS routes are all on this list
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=196
Which I will complete one day
 ChrisBrooke 22 May 2014
In reply to Offwidth:

It doesn't matter really. Any list like this is only to generate fun discussion. Hence the '?'. There's no such thing as the 'Five Best HVS in the UK', any more than there are 'five best shades of blue in the colour spectrum'
 jon 22 May 2014
In reply to Cheese Monkey:

> My favorite HVS routes are all on this list


> Which I will complete one day

That's going to be some day!
 Andy Moles 22 May 2014
In reply to Bob:

Bald Eagle is lovely, but I thought a bit too escapable to be truly classic?
 Andy Moles 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

A personal favourite is Salamander in Strathconon, five very varied pitches on excellent rock.

The traverse pitches of Bullroar are pretty amazing.
 Andy Moles 22 May 2014
In reply to Pursued by a bear:

I still haven't done Centurion, but a few friends have been mildly disappointed with it - a victim of its own uber-classic status maybe?
 Offwidth 22 May 2014
In reply to ChrisBrooke:
Bollocks: 455 nm, 462nm, 464nm 481nm and 488nm are obviously the best blue spectral hues.

As for the article, once it gets going its really thoughtful and interesting so why play stupid headline tricks and pretend its something its not.
Post edited at 10:56
 thomaspomfrett 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

No mention of Dream of White Horses yet? I'd have thought that would be in there for sure.

I loved Merlin Direct but not sure it's top 5, though I would have it in over Scratch Arete.
 TobyA 22 May 2014
In reply to Offwidth:

> Popularist tosh designed to get us posting. Nothing against Jack but please get someone prolific who can feel what HVS is if you want to do such articles.

You mean you?
 Mark Kemball 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

I'd have to put Diagonal at the top of any best HVS list.
 Bob 22 May 2014
In reply to Mark Kemball:

Curious isn't it? Diagonal was a bit of a disappointment for me. I guess it's down to a mixture of how you feel on the day; anticipation; expectation and a whole host of other factors.

I think I've done all the routes on the Nose of Dinas Mot up to E3/4 so I quite like the crag and have enjoyed all of the routes. But Diagnoal didn't really stand out in any way.
 Mark Kemball 22 May 2014
In reply to Bob:

I agree that the other routes are also great. For me, perhaps, it was that I climbed it early on in my career, I really liked the long run-out up to the overlap, and also I feel a special affinity to the route having talked about it with the first ascencionist.
 Choss 22 May 2014
In reply to jon:

> Interesting photo of Riders on the Storm... am I the only one to see the ghostly figure soloing?

Wheres that to? Looked but cant see it
 neilh 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Great Western at Almscliff outstrips Sloth anytime.
 Bob 22 May 2014
In reply to neilh:

err, no it doesn't. GW isn't even the best HVS at Almscliff, that honour goes to Overhanging Grooves.
 jon 22 May 2014
In reply to Choss:

About level with the leader, some 10 metres or so to his right, in the upper part of a prominent groove. I suppose about halfway between leader and second. The ghost is leaning leftwards and reaching into the crack in the back of the groove.
 Choss 22 May 2014
In reply to jon:

> About level with the leader, some 10 metres or so to his right, in the upper part of a prominent groove. I suppose about halfway between leader and second. The ghost is leaning leftwards and reaching into the crack in the back of the groove.

Still not seeing it. anyone else got it?
 Bob 22 May 2014
In reply to Choss:
Yes. Looks like a slim, naked, climber

About halfway between the leader and the belayer is a slim rightward facing groove. Where the ropes cross this groove is about halfway between the water and the ghost figure.
Post edited at 12:22
 Choss 22 May 2014
In reply to Bob:
> Yes. Looks like a slim, naked, climber

Ha! Got it now. On big C.

Interestingly Also seems Someone just above number 3 on same route on the rockfax topo
Post edited at 12:25
 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to Bob:
> I'd replace Merlin Direct with Bald Eagle at Stone Valley Crags

Amazing rock, boring route.

I agree that for texture it should by rights be something on NW gneiss, but the routes that stand out aren't HVS.
Post edited at 12:35
 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to neilh:
> Great Western at Almscliff outstrips Sloth anytime.

Great Western comes top only of the category "most laughably overrated hype-fest". It's a 3m traverse between two other routes, how is that good?
Post edited at 12:28
 Coel Hellier 22 May 2014
In reply to jon:

There's also a big shadowy troll, sitting down belaying the climber.
 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to Owen W-G:

> Riders on the Storm a strange inclusion. No line whatsoever. Heart of Darkness, for eg, is far more impressive.

I'd have gone with Riders too. Heart of Darkness isn't climbing, you just shuffle along until it peters out (or go up an E1). Fantastic position though.

 Fredt 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:
hvs?
3PS.
 Bob 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

Like I said earlier, curious. I found Bald Eagle continuously interesting, I was leading E1/E2 at the time, if you were a HVS leader then it would look very intimidating from below especially as you can't see most of the gear placements until you are right by them.

The E1 to the right is also very good and only slightly harder on the main slab part of the route (getting off the deck is the crux).
 steveb2006 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Oh I shouldnt get sucked into these sort of things - but Suicide Wall at Cratcliffe ought to be pretty high up in a list of best HVS's - better than Sloth - poss best Peak HVS
 Skyfall 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Nice lunchtime reading, thanks.
 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to steveb2006:
I think Suicide Wall and Batchelor's Left Hand vie for the position of best grit HVS. Batchelor's has better climbing, and is an outrageous sandbag (giving it the real character of a classic grit HVS), but it doesn't take the easiest line up the face which is a shame. Both are probably better than Sloth in that they have so much climbing on them, but the thrill of crossing that roof is really something else for HVS. I'm undecided!
Post edited at 13:34
 1poundSOCKS 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:
BLH is too hard, I think the list should only include climbs that an HVS leader can enjoy, to some extent.

I haven't done that many HVS, but the best I've done is Climbers Club Direct, at The Dewerstone.
Post edited at 13:38
 Alex@home 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

all great classic historical climbs but for me none were as satisfying as rubberneck which is my favourite grit hvs.

apart from massochism maybe - which really ought to go in the texture section
 papashango 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Pigs on the Wing would make it into my list. Possibly my favourite HVS?
In reply to UKC Articles:
Interesting choices.

Kipling Groove is the only one I completely agree about.

I'm afraid that I think the best HVS on Grit has to be Suicide Wall at Cratcliffe (however my mate sitting next to me agrees about the Sloth).

Is Hammer a really better route than Bludger's Revelation or the likes of Dragon?

Not sure about Rider's in the Storm being the best HVS in Pembroke, let alone the best sea cliff HVS. DOWH is a bit predictable but I wouldn't have argued against Heart of Darkness or Moonraker.

Finally, as everyone knows the best rock in the UK is actually on Plexus Buttress, unfortunately I've just checked and Plexus has been upgraded to E1. Therefore I humble submit Trespasser Groove on the grounds that Esk Buttress is that rarest of beasts, a South facing mountain crag with immaculate rock.
Post edited at 14:00
 neilh 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

You could say Sloth is the same at the start and the finish...................
 Graham Booth 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Another vote for Great Western, far better moves than Sloth and harder
 herman0055 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Dream gotta be in there, just for the position, big traverse and the implications of the second falling off.
 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to Graham Booth:

> Another vote for Great Western, far better moves than Sloth and harder

The most forgettable route on grit. Only notable feature is its ludicrously overblown reputation.
 Ed Navigante 22 May 2014
In reply to Bob:

> err, no it doesn't. GW isn't even the best HVS at Almscliff, that honour goes to Overhanging Grooves.

Rubbish! How could you take either over Demon Wall? Heart in your mouth on slopey breaks, wishing you took the guidebook up on the offer to check where that final hold is... Grit perfection.
 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to Ed Navigante:

> Rubbish! How could you take either over Demon Wall? Heart in your mouth on slopey breaks, wishing you took the guidebook up on the offer to check where that final hold is... Grit perfection.

Half a route of 3* climbing, so 1.5*
 GrahamD 22 May 2014
In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

The list isn't really about 'best routes' though, its about 'best routes with a particular characteristic'. The Sloth is there for steepness which is pretty hard to argue with.

Its a nice slant on the x best routes at xxx grade, I guess.
 danm 22 May 2014
In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

I'm finding myself nodding as I read your post. Throwing these out there:

Burn Up, Fairhead
Trespasser Groove or Red Edge? Can't decide which, Red Edge is cleaner, TG is the better line.
The Centaur, East Buttress
Arcturus/Golden Slipper link-up

 Steve Perry 22 May 2014
In reply to Bob:

> I'd replace Merlin Direct with Bald Eagle at Stone Valley Crags

I agree.

 1poundSOCKS 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

If GW is so forgettable, how come you like to talk about it so much? Seems like the memory is very intact.
 Steve Perry 22 May 2014
In reply to Bob:

> The E1 to the right is also very good and only slightly harder on the main slab part of the route (getting off the deck is the crux).

Blood Feud, we liked that too.

 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to 1poundSOCKS:
> If GW is so forgettable, how come you like to talk about it so much? Seems like the memory is very intact.

My most vivid memories are of profound disappointments.
Post edited at 17:12
 1poundSOCKS 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

You know when everybody else likes something and you don't, and you don't understand why, so you have to exaggerate how bad it is?
In reply to danm:
> Burn Up, Fairhead

I slightly struggle to go with Burn Up as compared with the E1s and E2s on the crag it doesn't stand out for me.
In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

> I slightly struggle to go with Burn Up as compared with the E1s and E2s on the crag it doesn't stand out for me.

I'm not entirely convinced by this as a line of argument. A crag can only have good routes at a single grade?

For what it's worth, I would put both Burn Up and Hell's Kitchen in my top 10 HVSs in the UK.
 Bulls Crack 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

> Great Western comes top only of the category "most laughably overrated hype-fest". It's a 3m traverse between two other routes, how is that good?

I agree. Good climbing but over-rated - variation on one route and it's best finish is up another
 Offwidth 22 May 2014
In reply to TobyA:

Certainly not me as my national HVS tick list coverage is way too poor even though it includes quite a few famous lines. Ive got a better coverage of classics in California than the UK. I'd rather the article stuck to its guns as its really good...doesn't need tabloid tricks.
 John2 22 May 2014
In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

I think you're outnumbered here.
In reply to danm:

> Throwing these out there:

> Arcturus/Golden Slipper link-up

Whoo. What a fabulous day out. I did it as a spotty teenager almost thirty years ago, on a cloudless day and with the bilberries all ripe at the top. It still ranks as one of my favourite memories, climbing or otherwise.

Martin

ps Both VS and E1 are intrinsically better grades than HVS, which is really just a stop-gap....
 Jon Stewart 22 May 2014
In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

> You know when everybody else likes something and you don't, and you don't understand why, so you have to exaggerate how bad it is?

Why I go on about GW being so crap is linked closely to why Yorkshire folk pretend it's so good.
 Michael Gordon 22 May 2014
In reply to Robert Durran:

> Hilariously, only route in Scotland and that's on the Etive slabs! (And, incidentally, the only one I havn't done).

The funny thing is it isn't even the best HVS on the crag (The Pause is better). Definitely worth doing though!
 Michael Gordon 22 May 2014
In reply to Andy Moles:

> I still haven't done Centurion, but a few friends have been mildly disappointed with it - a victim of its own uber-classic status maybe?

I think for an HVS leader it would be very hard to beat. Definitely one of the greats
 danm 22 May 2014
In reply to The Ex-Engineer:
I disagree. The only route I thought was better was Hurricane, E2. But I can only go on what we climbed over a weeks trip. Hell's Kitchen was really good too, but Burn Up wins for me because of the pumpy lay back to top it out.

Another left field entry: Ximenes followed by Gaul on Pillar. Ride bike in from Ennerdale, chuck it in the bushes, slog uphill and engage with some of the best HVS climbing anywhere.
Post edited at 19:18
 peter.herd 22 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:
Sgurr an Fhidhleir.. one of the most striking hills in the UK. Stunning location, long, exposed route with the odd bit of good climbing and crux at the top.
Post edited at 19:16
 Michael Gordon 22 May 2014
In reply to The Ex-Engineer:

>
> Is Hammer really a better route than Bludger's Revelation or the likes of Dragon?
>

No
 1poundSOCKS 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

Sounds like an admission of guilt to me.
 ERU 22 May 2014
Why isn't 'Exposure Explosion' - Ogmore, Bridgend on there?

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=35735
 Sean Kelly 22 May 2014
In reply to Michael Gordon:

> The funny thing is it isn't even the best HVS on the crag (The Pause is better). Definitely worth doing though!

Pause is E1?
Keep Sloth & Kipling, I would agree with ADofWH & Centurion, and add Moonraker.
 Michael Gordon 22 May 2014
In reply to Sean Kelly:

It gets that now, yes. Not sure why - a lot of 5a (not bold) and a wee bit of well protected 5b. Both felt a similar standard to me.
 Graham Booth 22 May 2014
In reply to Jon Stewart:

Based in Sheffield....shocker!!
 FactorXXX 22 May 2014
In reply to ERU:

Why isn't 'Exposure Explosion' - Ogmore, Bridgend on there?

Good route, but I personally think 'Pinocchio' is better: -

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=33373

 GrahamD 23 May 2014
In reply to FactorXXX:

I might be imagining it but I'm sure we managed to contrive Pinocchio and Exposure explosion into one climb when we did it - involved a bit of diagonal down climbing, I think. Too many brain cells under the bridge to remember fully !
 Mike Lates 23 May 2014
In reply to UKC Articles: Dream in N Wales but Cemetry Gates should still be that grade and a contender IMHO.
 Wilbur 23 May 2014
In reply to Owen W-G:

> Riders on the Storm a strange inclusion. No line whatsoever. Heart of Darkness, for eg, is far more impressive.

> I'd replace Merlin Direct with Scratch Arete.

Riders on the storm I thought miles better than hod! Much more atmos and better/more difficult climbing and a better situation... The only thing hod has going for it is the line in fact...
 simes303 26 May 2014
In reply to Owen W-G:

> Riders on the Storm a strange inclusion. No line whatsoever. Heart of Darkness, for eg, is far more impressive.

> I'd replace Merlin Direct with Scratch Arete.

Really? I think I'd have it in my top five. It's an amazing climb.
 simes303 26 May 2014
In reply to neilh:

I thought GW was shit, but as was pointed out earlier there are lots of factors involved such as your state of mind, the weather, who you're with etc. I've reclimbed routes I thought were good the first time and they've been disappointing, and vice versa. Maybe not 5 but the best 105 HVS would be a better list.
 simes303 26 May 2014
In reply to jon:

I see him! Well spotted.
 ERU 27 May 2014
In reply to GrahamD:

> I might be imagining it but I'm sure we managed to contrive Pinocchio and Exposure explosion into one climb when we did it - involved a bit of diagonal down climbing, I think. Too many brain cells under the bridge to remember fully !

Yeah you can - that's that settled then: Pinocchio and then straight into Exposure Explosion. The only problem I can see is that you can't tick Exposure Explosion unless it's done in a BIG sea ... and some sort of epic ensues ... If there is no epic then there is no tick.
 Andy Chadwick 04 Jun 2014
In reply to UKC Articles:

Lake District: Agreed
Arthur Dolphin: Agreed
Groove: Agreed
Kipling: Wrong! Trespasser is longer more sustained, more varied, more remote etc etc....

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