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Bangor climbing scene

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 Aidan Campbell 27 Jan 2022

Just applied to university, struggling to decide between Bangor and Sheffield, both got a good course so kinda up to how good the climbing scene is? I know Sheffield is mega and well known, and i know north Wales is awesome, but if Bangor has a good uni climbing scene?

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In reply to Aidan Campbell:

> Just applied to university, struggling to decide between Bangor and Sheffield, both got a good course so kinda up to how good the climbing scene is? I know Sheffield is mega and well known, and i know north Wales is awesome, but if Bangor has a good uni climbing scene?

It's worth stating that my first hand experience is over 15 years out date, but when I was there is was absolutely amazing, and the impression I get is that it's still as strong a scene as ever. 

As someone who also lived in Sheffield, and currently lives in the Peak, it's fair to say that the two areas differ quite significantly and which you prefer will largely depend on the kind of climbing you like doing. In/around Sheffield and the Peak you've obvioulsy got the Gritstone + Limestone, but that's it. Whilst there is a wide variety of styles (i.e. trad, sport, bouldering), the fact there's only two rock types makes it a little more samey than somewhere like North Wales, where you've literally got everything - mountains, valleys, coast; multiple different rock types; and a wide variety of climbing styles.

Obvioulsy all of this focusses on the climbing, as opposed to the course, but side-by-side I think if you're into more adventurous climbing, or particularly like the mountains and the sea (and the combination of the two) then North Wales is unbeatable. If you're more into bouldering, sport climbing and training North Wales still has a lot to offer, but perhaps that's a little more where Sheffield ideologically pips it to the post.

Either way, have the time of your life - both have the potential to be amazing.

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In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Cheers for the comprehensive reply, yeah that was one of the high living things about Bangor - the adventure climbing. Plus I’m from Leeds so I’ve already got the gritstone I guess 

 Brown 27 Jan 2022
In reply to Rob Greenwood - UKClimbing:

Having been to university in both Banger and Sheffield (and Leeds) I have the following observations. Like Rob's points they are all fifteen to twenty years out of date.

The climbing in N Wales is orders of magnitude better! The sea cliffs and single pitch mountain trad is world class and the variety is amazing.

However........

The scene in N Wales is order of magnitude smaller than in Sheffield. I think if you don't click with people it can be much harder to maintain motivation in Banger. 

The climbing in N Wales is much less accessible than the peak. Its not hard to get to but I remember it being much harder than getting to Burbage N etc. When I was skint in N Wales I found getting to the climbing an effort. Its not a lot of point having the Orme just down the road if you cant afford the petrol.

Bangor itself is really small. I think that the additional things on offer in Sheffield really make up for the minor inconvenience of having to make do with gritstone and limestone.

My only real complaint about Sheffield was that it had such a lot of good convenient climbing it became hard to motivate oneself to travel further than 40 minutes to go climbing.

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In reply to Brown:

Cheers for the advice, ye I don’t have a car so it world seem a little difficult to get to the climbing even though it’s what 20 mins away

 Brown 27 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

Its not objectively hard. Just harder!

 MisterPiggy 27 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

Bicycle, motorcycle? I went to uni in Bangor and used both. Buses too. (From memory, Bangor centre to Llanberis is just under an hour by bus. And coming down the pass from Pen y Pass on a push bike at dawn on a Sunday... Whoosh ! Then you have to wait for Pete's to open.))

As has been said, N. Wales has it all. And when you're tired of climbing, the uni has amazing sailing/kayaking. (Hoping that's still true...)

Bangor is also a small city compared to Sheffield, and it's easier to get to know the locals.

In either place, you'll have a fantastic time !

In reply to Brown:

Okay

In reply to MisterPiggy:

Cheers, yeah buses are my main way of getting to crags around Leeds like caley and almscliffe so was wandering how good the bus system was around Bangor.

 peppermill 27 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

Again 15 years out of date info, but as a student in Sheffield it was easy to climb as much as weather allowed without needing a car given that you could jump on a bus on Eccy road and be taken right to the Eastern Edges.

Would certainly agree that there is far more variety in North Wales (although I've never lived there) but obv you need to be able to get to the crag!

 Brown 27 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

If we are doing bus equivalence...

Sheffield access is like getting to Caley or Almscliff from central Leeds.

Banger access is like getting to Ilkley from central Leeds.

Both are better than Leeds.

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 ROFFER 27 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

It's 20 years since I was there so it might be different now but if you can't climb outside for whatever reason, you will need a way to get to a climbing wall. There was a wall on site but unless it's changed considerably its not really up to modern wall standards. Happy to be corrected on this.

I absolutely loved my time in Bangor. You won't regret going.

In reply to ROFFER:

cheers, I’m sure I’ll love it whether I go to Sheffield or Bangor, I heard there’s the Indy climbing wall which loooks good, obviously not the vast amount of guys in Sheffield but one is enough for me

 top cat 29 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

Warning: the crag access is so good in Sheffield that  I spent too much time climbing rather than go to lectures, dropped out after a year and then climbed full time for almost ten years.

Sheffield might seriously alter your career plans

In reply to top cat:

Hahaha

 robate 29 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

As someone who has attended both Sheffield and Bangor Universities, albeit many years ago, I think you are asking the wrong question. Obviously you should arrange some scheme where you study at both, because both are just brilliant.

I nearly choked on my cornflakes reading some of the comments here suggesting you might have to make do with Gritstone, or that North Wales can be inconvenient, I mean wtf?

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 CantClimbTom 29 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

Bangor to the N Wales crags is far difficult without a car than Sheffield to their crags, many of which are on bus routes.

Arguably more variety in N Wales, slate/rhyolite/limestone/micro granite and even a little gritstone in N Wales (sadly though not very much grit unless you want easier slabs like Carnedd y Filiast)

The decider will be do you crave classic grit offwidth climbing and bouldering or epic slate/mountain adventures?

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 Cake 29 Jan 2022
In reply to MisterPiggy:

>  motorcycle?

I'm afraid times have changed. I had to give up my little 125cc about 9 years ago because the insurance was more than £1000 pa and would be more for a new, young rider.

Shame, cos it was green way to commute.

 Brown 29 Jan 2022
In reply to robate:

It's probably double the time to drive from the Frith site to the closest climbing than it is to get from the west Sheffield student halls to Burbage North.

If double the journey time isn't a comparative inconvenience I don't know what is.

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 robate 29 Jan 2022
In reply to Brown:

Well, it's still only 20mins from Bangor to Nant Peris. Another angle is that you can get warm days on Gogarth in mid winter when the Peak is perishing. But honestly I wouldn't want to quibble when comparing two fabulous locations.

 Rory Shaw 30 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

I went to uni in Bangor a fair few years ago. The climbing in the area is obviously amazing. We managed to get around using a mixture of buses, hitching, cars, club minibus etc.

I recommend you make you decision on how much of a party/ city student life style you want alongside the climbing. Bangor isn't a great town, limited club/nightlife, and is in general a bit rundown. That didn't bother me as the mountains/climbing/sea was more important.

It does have the best and most  easily accessible climbing in the UK. Plus the sea for surfing etc and the mountains.

 deepsoup 30 Jan 2022
In reply to robate:

> But honestly I wouldn't want to quibble when comparing two fabulous locations.

It seems a bit weird doesn't it - comparing 'two fabulous locations' and trying to choose between them by thinking about something they have in common while ignoring their massive differences?

OP says the course is about the same, so it comes down to the climbing scene. 

Given a choice between studying in a big sprawling city with two huge universities a short drive or train ride from the parental home, and being a student in a small coastal town much further away - is there really nothing else worth thinking about?  Seems strange to me, but I guess if the course and the climbing are the only things the OP cares about maybe it isn't.

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 Holdtickler 30 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

I studied in Bangor some twenty odd years ago and if I had a do-over I think I'd make the same choice in a heartbeat as I loved it. I'm sure whilst somethings will have changed like more students owning cars, the existance of social media, and people having phones they can afford to make calls on, I'm sure there will be many things that haven't much.

What I loved about Bangor was the sense of community you got from being in a small town (yeah a city but only by name) where you bump into people you know constantly as everyone is plodding up and down the same hill. By the time you've been there a few years you feel like you know half the population. I was a bit like in Neighbours where people just wandered in and out of each others houses because everyone lived so close together. Quiet nights in watching the telly just wasn't a thing, don't think anyone even owned one! What it might lack in big nights out, it made up for in the way people created their own scene and there was a really good house party culture, all you had to do was shout “where's the party?” when you all got kicked out of the same club at 1 and the night would go on. Bangor attracts a lot of sporty types because of it's location and because of the sports science courses too. So you won't just find climbers but surfers, kayakers, divers, hill walkers etc (and regular sports too), and I guess a lot of people who prioritise that over city life.

I didn't do anywhere near as much climbing as I should have when I lived there. That was partly because I didn't have all my own outdoor gear at that stage, partly because I didn't know other climbers with cars and probably because I got a bit swept along with the social scene. A shoulder injury played a part too I guess. If it's still there, the sports centre in the middle of the Fridd site (where most of the halls are) had a decent fully moulded boulder which you could have a lot of fun on with eliminates (with no screw/bolt on holds that could be reset, you had to be creative), but very small by modern standards. Think there was a pretty small roped wall. Could have all changed by now and there may be other walls. The climbing club (BUMS) ran regular trips out in the minibus to both outdoor and to bigger walls like the Beacon. I think as others have said, you'd get more climbing done if you either have a car or mates with one as that way you can be more opportunistic in terms of picking spots to match the ever changing weather. It rains every day but then it's also glorious every day up there. Maybe it's all possible with public transport if you are prepared to work for it and wait for it more.

 felt 31 Jan 2022
In reply to Holdtickler:

> It rains every day 

You say that, but I learnt to drive in Bangor and the only time it ever rained was on the day of my test, so I didn't really know how to use the wipers. That, together with going round a roundabout near Llanfair PG at 25 in 5th, meant I failed. 

It's a great place, emptier skies, and nearby's much more rural, much more wooded, more sea-y, if that counts for anything.

In reply to Holdtickler:

If I was young again, the fact that the climbing club was called BUMS, would swing it in their favor.

 MischaHY 31 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

My advice: go to Bangor, get a small job with a few hours per week which adds some life structure aside from studying and also means you can afford to run a little cheap car. Now you're the guy with the car at a university with proximity to adventure sport and automatically everyones best friend. 

Personally I would prioritize owning transport over pretty much anything else because you'll easily reel the petrol money back through ride sharing and it will give you so much potential for exploiting the area whilst having vast amounts of free time. Enjoy! 

 Greenbanks 31 Jan 2022
In reply to Aidan Campbell:

You should be in the library, studying.

Students....


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