UKC

Hello y'all!

Outdoor climbing is basically non-existent in my country so please pardon my questions.

My school is setting up a trip to Glasgow and a few friends and I were thinking of going a little earlier (early August) to try out bouldering outdoors. 

Location: May I know which crag you would recommend that has tons of easier boulders? We don't mind staying at another location besides Glasgow to climb during that week or two.

If we were to stay at Glasgow, I found that Dumberton and Craigmore is really close and seems to have a decent amount of easy climbs V2 and below (We are currently climbing V6 indoors and I heard outdoor routes are significantly harder?)

Gear: The biggest issue would be crash pads, are there shops that rent crashpads out? And if so, how many would you recommend to bring?

Besides crashpads, are there any notable gear we should bring along to the crag?

Thank you for taking your time to read my questions! Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

Probably not what you want to hear but Glasgow is not a great bouldering destination. On the other hand it is close to some world class hill walking and scrambling. If it was me I'd pack hill walking gear rather than boulder pads and I'd head up into the highlands, Glencoe or Fort William.  Walking is still fun if you get a rainy or midgy day, bouldering less so.

The best of the bouldering near Glasgow is Dumbarton which is very scenic and likely to be midge free because it is on the coast but TBH there's not that many boulders.

Are you going to have a car? It would be pretty difficult to get anywhere apart from Dumbarton without.

I'd contradict both Tom's points about Dumbarton, it's not scenic but there is plenty there for a few days. I'm not aware of anywhere doing mat hire but if you put a separate post on here I expect you'll find some friendly locals with mats who'd show you around.

Craigmore is a nice spot but can be super midgy. Also check out Craigmaddie: https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/craigmaddie-8734/

If you have a car and are happy to drive for a few hours you'd be much better taking off south to the Lake District or Northumberland where there is a much higher concentration of good bouldering. The weather is also more reliable in Northumberland, there's a very real possibility of it raining every day in Glasgow.

I know we are spoiled in Scotland but a castle on a cliff beside a river would be regarded as scenic in most countries. OK the scheme just up the road isn't scenic but once you get to the bouldering it is pretty nice.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/dumbarton_rock-189/#photos&gid...

I'd agree that if you can climb V6 like the OP there's enough for a few days, but it's not Font or even Northumberland. I wouldn't call it a holiday bouldering destination.

Where are you travelling from? Is there scope to fly into Manchester and drive north through the lake district/yorkshire/Northumberland etc on the way to Glasgow? I'm not hugely familiar with Scotland but know there's plenty to play on South of the border. 

Hope you have a great trip!

I'd advise you to get a copy of the new stone country press, Glasgow Bouldering guide, if you haven't already. 

https://www.stonecountrypress.co.uk/?m=1

I think the Glasgow Climbing Academy, possibly hire Boulder pads. 

Thank you everyone for the reply!

The school's trip will be located in Glasgow so we will definitely have to end up there but we will be free and easy for a week or 2 before that. We will be looking into renting cars as well!

It seems like lake district national park and Northumberland are better choices for bouldering. We might visit Dumberton in the weekends during our school program instead. How many days would you suggest giving Lake district and Northumberland each if we have about 10 days in total?

The weather will likely dictate that, the east coast (Northumberland) has a drier climate. There is absolutley heaps to do in both those areas so you could easily do 10 days in either and it's only a couple of hours drive between them to chase the weather. 

How old is/are the drivers? Different companies have different policies but some will only rent to over 23 or even 25 and some apply a young driver charge.

Out of curiosity, where are you coming from?

Ohh! seems like staying somewhere between both locations would be a good choice.

In reply to DaveHK:

We're coming from Singapore! Thanks for the heads up on the rental cars, I'm currently 26 so it should be fine.

From the wording of the post I wondered if you were high school pupils!

As some have said Dumbarton is the prime area for bouldering when in Glasgow - easy enough to get the train to, only a 10 min walk from the station.

Within Glasgow itself there are the "artificial" boulders at Cuningar Loop https://www.climbscotland.net/where-to-go/get-outdoors/cuningar-loop-boulde...

If you have a car then some highball bouldering / solo climbing can be had at Neilston - pads def required; same goes as well for Graigmadie and also The Whangie, albeit it can be a bit loose but its def scenic.

Enjoy the trip, hope the midges aren't too bad when you are there.

I haven't rented a pad but heard people have used these guys in the Glasgow area https://www.instagram.com/pad_rental_scotland/

Dumbarton Rock is probably the obvious one, there's usually someone around who will be able to show you the problems. Easy parking and a short walk in. Cuningar Loop would be closest to the centre of town.

In reply to the OP:

Don't pay any attention to the comment above. Dumby isn't beautiful and you may encounter some interesting characters but the bouldering is excellent. It's detractors tend to be weaklings who've got their arses kicked.  

Definitely go to other places too but if you're in the Glasgow area it would be silly not to go to Dumby at least once.

I really enjoyed bouldering at Dumby! i just wouldn't recommend it to first timers in high summer.

PS. i have deleted my post  maybe my attempt at humor will possibly be taken the wrong way.

Here might be of interest to you....

https://issuu.com/stonecountry/docs/glen_lednock_mini_guide

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/glen_lednock_boulders-8933/

Not too far from Glasgow and in nice part of Scotland.

Definitely go to Dumbarton too.

For any summer climbing in Scotland you need to be prepared to deal with "midge".

The midge are very annoying small biting flys than can be a problem on still air days.

You'll need a head net and insect repellent for the days when they come out.

https://www.blacks.co.uk/15907220/smidge-midge-proof-headnet-15907220/?istC...

https://www.boots.com/health-pharmacy/travel-health/jungle-formula-max-pump...

Fair enough.

You can climb at Dumbarton in the evening in August, assuming your school program allows free time in the evenings. If it's sunny there will be people there with mats under problems you can try. 

As said by JLS above, it's light until some time past 10pm in the mid summer so Dumbarton easily doable on an evening.

For Dumbarton, it's just a case to make sure there is at least a bit of a Westerly wind as midgies (biting flies) can get quite annoying and may ruin your session.

If you go on a nice evening with a bit of a breeze, odds are there will be a number of people and you may get away with borrowing a mat. 

For easy bouldering (low 6's) and great scenery the best crag near Glasgow is Craigton.

Craigton

It's just to the north of the city outside Milngavie. But, as elsewhere in August, it can be bad for midges and the bracken will be high so moving between blocs will be a bit slower than at other times of the year. 

Guilty! I am old and weak, Dumby is not for me except as a parent taxi driver. 

Thank you everyone for the advice, we will definitely be planning the bouldering portion of the trip around Lake District / Northumberland and Glasglow (Craigton / Dumberton) and will try to visit other crags around it if possible.

We'll also look more into pad rental for each of those locations. 

Midge do seem like a big concern....

”Midge do seem like a big concern”

Often not an issue at all, frequently only a mild annoyance (particularly if prepared). However when they are bad they can be very bad. Any exposed skin will be attacked, leaving hundreds of small extremely itchy bits.

Weather and location are relevant.

On a sunny, windy day they do not fly, so you won’t be bothered by them. They generally are not a problem in the city.

On a dull, still day out at a crag in the countryside there could be millions of them after you.

Have I mentioned the ticks and the horse flys?