UKC

Quiet crags

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 Rog Wilko 20 Jun 2017
A fabulous weekend of weather, just past, forecast several days ahead, and two of the most accessible mountain crags in the Lakes, White Ghyll (Saturday) and Gimmer (Sunday) were almost deserted. We were enjoying a sociable club meet, and apart from our group there were at most 4 other pairs on White Ghyll and on Gimmer we only saw four other people. We expected both crags to be heaving, and the quietness was much enjoyed, but we couldn’t help wondering where everyone was. Was this just a freak chance happening, or were the other crags which require a walk-in similarly deserted?
 Mike-W-99 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

We were also in the lakes and thought the crags felt quiet.
Last time I was at white ghyll it was heaving due to being sheltered from the wind. I guess with widespread good weather everyone was more spread out?
 henwardian 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

The crags you were at were heaving by comparison with Scotland. I don't think I've ever seen another person climbing when I've been at proper mountain crags in Scotland like Shelterstone, Creag An Dubh Loch or Ben Nevis N Face. Basically people are lazy, prone to stick with what they know and afraid of the commitment and loose rock they might find on a bigger mountain face.
So 99.8% of the climbing fraternity frequent the same well known single-pitch-5-minute-walk-in crags.

Which is just the way I like it!
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 ianstevens 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Everyone went to Cloggy, becasue it's better than the Lakes. It was busy - 30+ teams.
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 Martin Bennett 20 Jun 2017
In reply to ianstevens:

> Everyone went to Cloggy, becasue it's better than the Lakes. It was busy - 30+ teams.

Oh no. There goes the neighbourhood! I'm a Lakeland climber who agrees Cloggy is the best, but I'd hate to be there when it's so mobbed.
 Martin Bennett 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

I was thinking where's everybody whilst driving towards the Lakes on Sunday Rog. Took my daughter for our annual Father's Day climb to Snailshell Crag, knowing we'd have it to ourselves, expecting all other potential venues to be crowded - maybe not?
 tmawer 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Nobody else on Swirl Crags Saturday...perhaps not a surprise, and a very brief single route visitor to Black Crag Wrynose on Sunday; and they are not long walks or particularly scary. Perhaps everyone was on the "real" high Lakeland crags as the weather was so good?
 Simon Caldwell 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Amphitheatre Buttress (Craig y Ysfa) was heaving on Saturday, must have been 20 or 30 ascents by the end of the day. The other routes nearby, not so busy - 1 team each on Pinnacle Wall, Amphitheatre Girdle, and Great Gully.

Same place on Sunday, 8 climbers all day, 6 on AB and us on something obscure and chossy.
 sparkass 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Black Moss Pot slab was mobbed!
 whenry 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Shorn Cliff only had two other parties on it. We were very surprised as it was nice and shady.
 The Ivanator 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Was at both White Ghyll and Gimmer in good weather at the start of this month (midweek, but it was half term, we did some of the same routes as you Rog ...Asterisk & Slip Knot). Gimmer was busyish (perhaps 6 or 7 other pairs, and we gave up waiting for D route), next day White Ghyll had 5 other climbers (a team of 2 and a 3), although we made it look chocka at one point by simultaneously getting on Moss Wall, The Palestinians and Slip Knot!
 GHawksworth 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

I did gimmer on the Saturday. very busy indeed! 10+ teams on the crag at any one time.
 Ian Hinkins 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Was at Gimmer yesterday and there were about 9 teams up there, so maybe you were lucky with a quiet crag.
 Simon Caldwell 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Maybe everyone assumed it would be busy at the weekend so went somewhere else and ended up queueing for routes on Kettle Crag...
OP Rog Wilko 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

On the other hand, 4 of our party went up to Esk Buttress - no mean walk-in - and two of them gave up waiting to get on Bridge's Route.
OP Rog Wilko 20 Jun 2017
In reply to tmawer:

> Perhaps everyone was on the "real" high Lakeland crags as the weather was so good?

That was one thing we surmised.
OP Rog Wilko 20 Jun 2017
In reply to GHawksworth:

We were just lucky then, I guess.
OP Rog Wilko 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Ian Hinkins:

> Was at Gimmer yesterday and there were about 9 teams up there, so maybe you were lucky with a quiet crag.

That's amazing for weekday in June.
OP Rog Wilko 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Simon Caldwell:
> and ended up queueing for routes on Kettle Crag...

Tell me that ain't so! If it ever gets busy there the gully will be a steep eroded scree slope before you can turn round.
Anyway it won't, because nobody can find it and the routes are all grossly over-rated.
Post edited at 15:08
 Michael Hood 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko: One time I went to Esk Buttress (many years ago) and counted about 40 climbers on the crag!

 Martin Bennett 20 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

We had High Crag, Buttermere to ourselves on Monday morning. A team turned up later, did Samson, abbed off and left - seems a lot of time/effort/sweat of an approach for one pitch, however good it is. We survived the light assault of evening midges and didn't leave the crag till 8.30.
 GHawksworth 21 Jun 2017
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Sorry, I meant Sunday!!!
 Cake 21 Jun 2017
In reply to GHawksworth:

I walked past Burbage north at 2 o'clock on Sunday and there was only one team, so they weren't in the honeypot crags of the peak either
 LakesWinter 21 Jun 2017
In reply to ianstevens:

Except the lakes is better than cloggy but it's good to have the overrated, honeypot fashion traps to keep everyone in wales. Obviously I'm exempting Gogarth from this comment.
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In reply to ianstevens:

> Everyone went to Cloggy, becasue it's better than the Lakes. It was busy - 30+ teams.

Have you climbed much on the Lakes' mountain crags?
In reply to henwardian:

> I don't think I've ever seen another person climbing when I've been at proper mountain crags in Scotland like Shelterstone, Creag An Dubh Loch or Ben Nevis N Face.

The crags are certainly much quieter but come on... I was on Shelterstone 2 weeks ago or something and the were around 8 other teams out. Carn Dearg usually has 1 or 2 out on a good weekend (rare!). Are you going out on completely rubbish days or something?

On the topic of the Lakes though, Scafell seemed busy, around 5 teams out on the Saturday, although it was absolutely sopping!

 henwardian 21 Jun 2017
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

> Are you going out on completely rubbish days or something?
Well, there were perhaps a few that were not ideal days, yeah
And tbh it has been a few years since I was at any of the big crags, I keep being on holiday in Europe during the summer and otherwise being seduced by the short walk-ins of single-pitch places! So maybe the mountain crags have gotten busier along with the general popularity of climbing in my absence.

Even single-pitch places are pretty deserted excepting the small number of most famous places like Reiff and Sheigra.
 Ron Kenyon 21 Jun 2017
In reply to Martin McKenna - Rockfax:

Was on Scafell on Sunday - seem to be 7 parties on the Scafell Crag side and a few on East Buttress - but was a bit damp in places - but great day though.

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