UKC

Hi all,

I am looking for ideas for a location for a stag do. Ideally some easy climbing or exciting scrambling near enough to a good place to go out.

Not everyone in the group will be climbers so I thought bouldering or somewhere we can set up a few top ropes for the day and not get in too many peoples way. Maybe an exposed ridge for scrambling that is not on the tourist trail as an alternative to climbing.

UK or Europe, ideally cheapish with good nightlife nearby. What about Fontainebleau which isn't to far from Paris; or the Peaks or Lakes not too far from Manchester?

Thanks

In reply to jasonpather:

For Mancunians the Saturday evening venue "du jour" is Holmes Mill in Clitheroe, partly, I suspect, because Northern Fail who run the hourly service from Manchester Victoria to Clitheroe are so incompetent that it's perfectly possible to travel both ways without paying, despite your best efforts to pay. Holmes Mill is the brewery tap for the very excellent Bowland Ales and in the words of Sid the Sexist, is "heavin' wi' blart". Clitheroe has plenty of small hotels and B&Bs and is in great cycling and walking country and just outside Longridge there's Craig y Longridge, a rather steep bouldering wall at the back of a quarry. There is also a small quarry called Witches' Quarry near the delightful village of Downham and there is at least one climbing wall in Manchester for when the weather is bad and of course, Manchester is a great city for a night out

In reply to jasonpather:

Not near any of your locations but have you considered some coasteering/sea level traversing?

Great fun and gets people into fun places, big splashes and some heavy ozone to help the salt water cure for the night before.

Even the non-climbers feel a bit more relaxed with a helmet and a buoyancy aid.

In reply to jasonpather:

The Falls of Bruar with some Irish dude instructor was one of the best days of my life.

In reply to jasonpather:
Kendal could serve as a decent base. Doorstep to the lakes, climbing wall for if it’s rubbish weather.
Great train link for people coming from further afield too. Night life isn’t amazing but we’ve got some decent real ale bars, pubs and vaguely decent eateries.

Keswick and Ambleside are good options too.

In reply to jasonpather:

IT'S THE PEAK GODDAMMIT!!!!




Apologies its been one of those says.

In reply to jasonpather:

How about Tenby?
Most of the climbing nearby is a bit tougher and more serious, but there are loads of other outdoor activities. Coasteering can be a good one for a stag do, and you can get a bit of climbing in yourself before or afterwards.
And at one time Tenby was one of the main hen night locations in the country.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

Further to this rail related inspiration, and also out of Manchester, there is the ale trail. Which happily passes by the Chew Valley for climbing.

http://www.realaletrail.net

I'm sure you could fashion a similar route out towards Hathersage and it's nearby vertical challenges with a base in either Sheffield or Manchester - both excellent venues for the pre-nuptual partying.

In reply to jasonpather:
I'm somewhat puzzled why no-one's suggested Sheffield? Good night life and easy access to shed loads of bouldering.
Pembroke and Keswick both have at least one pretty awful night club.
Newcastle has reasonable access to the sandstone crags in Northumberland and is a hell of a night out.

In reply to TMM:


Have to say I like this line of thinking. Something like an organised or semi-organized session coasteering, canyoneering, caving, kayaking or whatever might be more fun than dragging a load of non-climbers out to the Roaches (or Font) to scrape around on slabby boulders in trainers.

In reply to jasonpather:

I had my stag night/weekend in Aviemore.
It's got everything. Winter and summer climbing (my Stag was in February) great walking (Glenmore forest or along the tops above the Coires.) Plenty of great bars and there was a nightclub somewhere obscure behind the railway station. About 8 inches of snow fell over the Saturday night and we all caught the funicular up to Cairngorm on the Sunday and cleared our hangovers by walking down to the car park via the ski runs.
There were about 10 of us and we rented a couple of holiday homes for the weekend.
Aviemore is great, especially when it's cold and snowing.

In reply to jasonpather:

Thanks all, keep them coming. Great suggestions so far. Are there any suggestions for good days out / scrambles in the hills / mountains. I would be keen to stay away from the really touristy trails. I was thinking one of the classic ridge scrambles.

I like the caving, coasteering, kayaking, canyoning ideas. going to do some research now.

In reply to jasonpather:
What time of year are you planning this?

In reply to jasonpather:

Went to Betws-y-Coed for mine, meant we could do a range of activities some organised (i.e. with guide) others self sorted. Over the weekend we did, 'Go Ape' style course, gorge scrambling, mountain biking.

Climbing would have been a great option but not everyone was up for it and we didn't have enough competent climbers/belayers to cater for those who didn't which would have led to a lot of standing around/faff etc.

Also organised one in Manchester which provided easy access to a range of outdoor activities for the day elements (Peak District) and city for night if people need the 'excitment' element.

In reply to jasonpather:

We did coasteering in Pembroke for a stag do. In April, absolutely Baltic. Night out in swansea afterwards. That was an eye opener.
Good craic.

In reply to jasonpather:

A stag do? And you want to go easy climbing??? Conjures up images of litter, empty packets/tin cans, bottles, vomit piles, noise and turds.

In reply to jasonpather:

For my mate's ...

Left home at 0400, drove to Snowdonia. Tryffan north ridge, Bristly Ridge, rest of the Glyders, and then down over Y Garn.

Pitched tents and had a huge gut busting mixed grill. Went around to Pen y Pass, up over Crib Goch to hit Snowdon summit at sunset. Watched a stunner of a sunset while enjoying a bottle of single malt. Rolled down the Pyg Track slowly and got back to the tents just after midnight!

Biggest cost was the fuel to get there and it was a fantastic stag do!!


For a train based suggestion...catch train to Torquay (Torre Station). Book Coasteering in Ansteys Cove (quite a few providers organise trips there). Plenty of accommodation in the town, especially cheap away from peak season. Biking to be done on Haldon Hills, Dartmoor etc, or kayaks/canoes can be hired in Exeter to complete the canal pub crawl....Prospect Inn, Double Locks, Turf Lock Inn!