UKC

I've got next week off and based on the long range forecast opted not to go sunny euro bolt clipping but booked some accommodation in Fort William (I know what was I thinking)! 

The forecast now is pretty pants but can anyone tell me how quick things dry in Glen Nevis? Should I chance it with showers or resign myself to staring out of the window into the endless grey forcing another morrisons budget macaroni pie down imagining what could have been - eating fresh fish in the Glaros bar after a day of endless sunkist limestone?

Wait until you try one of the orange flavour ones. It’s a lot less chalky and a lot sweeter than the limestone ones.

In a breeze Polldubh can dry in ten minutes: approximately the time it takes for the next shower to arrive.

Climbing here in the wet can be very stimulating.

Stick to the crags at the Pinnacle Ridge end and the ones that have had the trees cleared from the base of them from there up to the Alp and Alan Moore is spot on- fast drying. He is also right about climbing mica schist in the rain being rather absorbing! (Although the polished route perversely aren't so slippery in the rain as the lichen has gone from the holds and thats what makes things really slippery. The Gutter (Diff) is a local wet weather classic).

If it's wet in the Fort, you can sometimes find better weather way out west on Ardnamurchan, or east towards Creag Dubh etc. All a fair drive, but worth bearing in mind.

Thanks all

I was wondering about Creag Dubh, it always had a bit of stiff reputation which put me off. I have also packed a mountain bike which could be my saviour

Plan B is to go out in N Yorkshire today and get so pumped out of my tiny brain I can't climb for a week

Creag  Dubhh has some great well protected lines VS to E1. Ardverikie well worth a visit too if you heading East esp with a bike which makes access very quick.

Creag Dubh does have a lot of bold routes, some just a bit run out and some actually serious - but it has plenty of safe ones too, and the grading there is quite reasonable so you shouldn't get any nasty surprises.

If you get really desperate you could try a bit of sports climbing at Weem.

I mention it because it seems to be in a bit of a rain shadow and is South and East of the Fort.

Hmmm.

PLANNING OUTLOOK

All mountain areas of Britain from Sunday 30th September 2018

Low rainfall most or all next week England and Wales where often sunny, particularly Wales, but further chilly nights in valleys will give slight frost. Total rainfall also small eastern Scotland, but across the W and particularly NW Highlands, rain frequently. Upland gales will also be frequent Scottish Highlands.

http://www.mwis.org.uk/scottish-forecast/WH/

So basically great everywhere apart from where I am, great. 

At least it's raining in font, other people being miserable always makes me feel better.

Yep.

Scotland's most prolific and experienced climber, Andy Nisbet, would be able to suggest a few more venues I'm sure. Unfortunately he's climbing in Kalymnos at the moment so won't be posting here .

Creagdubh is just over an hour away and is a brilliant crag.

How did some of the UK a best cragging end up with the worst weather? I'm always going through my guidebooks thinking wow! These places look great why do I never go. Then I look at met office and remember...

After brexit and we've taken back control I'm writing to my MP asking all Scottish crags moved to somewhere in the south east

Actually no, the south east is full of people from the south east, somewhere in the midlands instead.

You can have peak limestone, no one can say I'm not reasonable.

We always used to talk about annexing the Lake District as the climbing was too good to be English...

The key to climbing in Scotland is flexibility. Pick your venue depending upon the forecast and be prepared to travel. Aviemore is a better base than the Fort as it is easier to get to a wider variety of crags, for example it's perfectly practical to have a day at Sheigra, a day on the Etive slabs or a day in Dunkeld.

Anyway, good luck. Maybe it's not going to be as shite as they say it'll be.

We just had a day out in Glen Nevis at Polldubh and had a brilliant time. It was pretty windy but dry and some fantastic bursts of sunshine! Today is pretty minging though.

Best weather forecasts for the area seem to come from Meteoblue and I use their "Rain Today" app which, for about a 4hour window, is pretty accurate.

B*start! Went to polldubh and steal gorge on Mon and everything was wet, (i see what people mean about the slippy lichen) went to look at plauge of blazes but i think a canoe would have been more useful, even edgehog was decidedly damp! tried ardverikie wall yesterday but it was wet, cold and very windy so backed off, still holding out for Craig dubh later in the week...

100% correct. I've had climbing weeks in Scotland where the weather has been mixed or even poor but we've managed to climb in actual sunshine almost every day, but we've driven hundreds and hundreds of miles to do it. Ardnamurchan one day, Moray coast the next, day trip to Skye, half a day at Reiff...

Check the forecast for several areas of the country at least once a day to decide where you are driving at breakneck speed, spilling chalk and hexes from the boot, next.