UKC

Hi all
Actually I live in Switzerland but I am going to work in London during July and the half of August and I don't want to miss out on climbing during this time. So I am looking for advice for someone who is everything else than new to climbing but new to climbing in the UK.
- Which are the best crags in the UK and how are they reachable (from
London)?
- Which are the best places for indoor climbing in London?
- Where do I find a climbing partner?
I'm looking for areas wehre I can climb around 6a-7a (french scale) or higher if the routes are bolted, lower if they are not. I don't now anyway how much of my gear I can take with me since I travel by plane.

cheers

In reply to th1nk:

London is not very near to the climbing in the UK:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/map/

Most climbing in the UK is not bolted. The nearest climbing that is bolted is Portland, which is about 3 hours drive away.

Your best bet is to try and meet up with other London climbers, and share lifts if at all possible.

There are several climbing walls in London - where abouts will you be staying? London is a massive city and it can take a long time to travel from one part of it to another.

It's worth trying to sample some of the other climbing in the UK, so meeting other climbers will allow you to do this. I would recommend Snowdonia, Cornwall, the lake district and the Peak, but all of them really need you to go there for a weekend at least from London and can be hard work without a car.

There are several London based climbing clubs too, that might help you hook up with local climbers:

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/map

Good luck and have fun!

In reply to th1nk:

My favourite London climbing wall would have to be The Castle
http://www.castle-climbing.co.uk/

This is probably one of the nearest mainly bolted crags, a bit more than a two hour drive away, which is just about within daytrip territory. The Wye Valley is very scenic:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=70

As tlm said, trad is generally more popular than sport in the UK.

In reply to tlm:

Thank you for the hints. I know that London is not very near to the climbing in the UK. But I hope that I'll have time to spend a weekend further away. My favorite crag to visit would definitely be peak.
But I think I have to take things as they come.
I will stay near Central so I think the castle, the mile end and the arch should be reachable.
cheers

In reply to Trevers:

Thank you. The castle looks nice, I think I'll check that out.
As I said, the routes don't have to be bolted. We also know trad climbing, it's just not that popular here. Particularly Multi-Pitch routes are often poorly equiped with bolts.
But I think I'll take care of outdoor climbing when I know if&when I have time for it.
cheers

In reply to th1nk:

The Arch no longer exists, but there is the Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey.

The Wye Valley is also great for trad (Wintours Leap is awesome)

In reply to Trevers:

So probably I'll better visit the Biscuit instead of the Arch, should be easier to find hence it exists

thank you

In reply to th1nk:

There is also climbing in the county of Kent, just south-east of London, on interesting sandstone crags where only top roping (or soloing) is allowed. Top rope anchors are installed. Try Harrisons, Bowles and High Rocks, although payment required for the last two.