UKC

Does anyone know of any moderately easy relaxed single pitch trad routes in Portland? Down there for the weekend and would like to spend a day just easing back into trad after a break. 

There aren't many! Few remaining trad routes at the cuttings I believe (unless they have been retro bolted since I last looked).

Better off heading to Swanage for single pitch trad (subluminal etc)?

If you've got the CC guide to Portland, then there are several trad routes described south of Neddyfields. They don't get much (if any) traffic though, so be warned.

Apart from Pete Oxley and Martin Crocker, I've probably done more trad on Portland than anyone else and my strong recommendation is: don't do it!  If you disregard this, it's unlikely that you'll be 'just easing back' and more than likely that you'll be fighting for your life. Maybe about 5% of the routes would give you safe(ish) trad - but they're spread around all over the place. Do you know where they are? (Even I've forgotten!)

Re the routes Steve mentions, they're hardly done at all (neither are the bolted routes beside them) and there's been at least one major rockfall there in the last couple of years, in the Crows Nest area.

Enjoy what Portland's got to give - tons of fun bolted stuff - or go to Subluminal. (But don't expect an easy time there - or anywhere else on Swanage.)

Mick

Portland certainly isn't the place to be easing back into trad. Even the easiest routes tend to be loose, choss filled chimneys and gulley's, without much protection.

Swanage is an hours drive away at the most. Your best option is Subluminal. A very short abseil onto a wide ledge and a good selection of nice routes.

TJB.

Don't do it! The trad only lines tend to be very loose. I've occasionally come across people climbing them and the risk of sending rocks down towards your belayer is very high. Which is ok if that is what your belayer has signed up for but not ok for the people on the sport climbs either side, or those walking underneath. 

Swanage is a better idea, or just go with the flow and have a day doing clip ups.

Even easier than the Subluminal suggestions (which are good ones) is to head to Cattle Troughs, no need to abseil and the routes feel less steep.  Have fun

Best to have a sport climbing weekend there - I say that having climbed there a lot. Other posters have illustrated that very well......hope you have a good time !

In Bill Birkett's Classic Climbs in Southern England there's a great photo of a youngish Dave Birkett on Big Corner at Blacknor South (VS 4b) (the huge corner just right of Pregnant Pause?).

He doesn't look like he's enjoying it.

Bill's caption is "Dave Birkett exiting left from the corner...decidedly happy with the rock."

Look at the picture and the rock. 

Says it all.

And in his unusually short account, Bill concludes with "Within the context of the area this was a classic line... I sent Dave up first."

Best to do some Portland sport instead!

PS - it's a great photo. Green Boreal Ninjas, white socks and a knee support. Wonder if he'd perfected the Birkett warm up by then.

Generally a life-shortening experience in the pre-bolt 1980's and still best avoided.  I can still remember the trauma after over 30 years, which tells you all you need to know.  One of those 'How did my life lead to this' moments - actually several of them one after another, and repeat.