UKC

I'm thinking of taking the family to the Roaches on Saturday, but I've read that it's always ridiculously busy these days. On the crag overview here, it says there's a bus on busy days from Upper Hulme, which I've never heard of before.

Will it be running on Saturday?

Might I get a parking space, given we don't get out quickly in the morning?

In reply to Cake:

There's a large field you can park in for 2 quid. I'm sure you will be fine.

In reply to tjdodd:

I still recommend getting there early. The additional field parking was only partly open last time I went, and I got the last space at about 9am (the on-road bays were all full).

In reply to Cake:

I went there in January and it was absolutely heaving, solid traffic both ways up the road, swarms of walkers. It was a rubbish day too...still took me 30 mins just to turn round and get the hell out of there.

Headed over to Stanage and found a half empty Hooks Carr car park and largely deserted crag. Maybe I dreamt it!

Perhaps the Roaches just gets the January outdoors rush more than other places....but it's really put me off going there at the weekend.

In reply to midgen:

That sounds horrible. Maybe I'll try in the holidays some time then. A quiet day at Gardoms or High Neb may be in order.

It's a bit sad, though. We must have been to Stanage and Froggatt dozens of times, but they've never been to the Roaches. 

In reply to Cake:

I'd had a late start as it was a last minute decision to go climbing and I got there around 10. Likely to be a lot quieter if you go early!

In reply to midgen:

Yeah, I think getting to the Roaches from Sheffield by 10 is pretty unlikely with my clan

In reply to Cake:

If someone is leaving as you arrive maybe, but busy narrow road so frustrating either way. Im lucky and can go during the week, even then on a nice(sunny) day it is rather busy with walkers and this weekend everyone knows it is going to be nice so i should imagine there and most peak hotspots will be very busy.

In reply to mk one:

Agreed. I'm lucky in the same way and I can go mid-week sometimes, but the nippers can't!

In reply to Cake:

I climb at the roaches a bit and as others have said, I'd avoid. I'm actually there now and parking want too bad but it's getting busier.

I'm on nights so not climbing but would avoid the roaches . Ramshaw might be a better bet.

Just make sure you park in the proper bays .as I drove up an hour ago someone was getting out of their car in a place they will get a ticket. There was official parking but they chose the wrong spot. 

In reply to mark s:

I've just left and that car and one more had a ticket so the parking wardens are active 

In reply to Cake:I was there last Saturday and it was packed and ironically only with masses of boulderers, only six people with ropes and when I got back to my car a large number of people had been ticketed for parking on the grass!

In reply to Gary Gibson:

I went to Hen Cloud on Saturday, but we arrived just after 9 (not family climbing - early starts are reserved for adults, it seems). We ended up in the farmer's field, which I don't think got filled all day. I can't complain about £2 for the convenience.

A great day including Delstree and The Eliminate.

In reply to Cake: Delstree and Bachelors left hand should have been in Hard Rock imho, both great climbs

In reply to Gary Gibson:

Yes, incredible climbing on both. I've just found out that I shouldn't have been on Delstree, though, because the bird ban has started. Oops. Takes the shine off a bit.

In reply to Cake:

There seem to have been lots of people climbing in the restricted zone over the weekend judging by the logbooks I'd have thought a warden or other climbers would have said something to some of those climbing. The RAD was updated only recently so I'd assume this restiction is current without further information. No signs at the crag this year?

In reply to Graeme Hammond:

No sign of a sign on Saturday, but that was only the second day of the ban. I got a nice email from someone via UKC who put me right. Hopefully other people he has contacted take it well also.