[quejada]

Ok I know there seem to be no bouldering around Cambridge, I have read it everywhere.
Having to relocate there though  , and being quite desperate, I thought I'd give it another shot, so here are my questions for the 'locals':
1) how far is the nearest decent rock? Is there anything closer than the peak,maybe whithin 1.5-2 hours drive?
2) is there any boulderer in Cambridge who goes up to the peak 'regularly'? As in once a month? I'd be happy to split petrol and driving up there, even on a daytrip if need be.
3) realistically,how long does it take to the peak? Googlemaps says 2hr and 45 minutes is that right? Someome told me it's only 2hrs, some other 3 and a half..

Many thank from a desperate boulderer.
q

[Three Nine]

I live in Oxford, where the nearest decent bouldering is 3hrs+ ish. You just get used to it.

[quejada]

How?

[r-man]

There's Forest Rock in Leicestershire, plus various other bits in the area. The locals recently started a facebook group... https://www.facebook.com/LeicestershireClimbs?fref=ts



Decent venue with lots of link up potential. Loads more vids online if you search around.

[tomtom]

IIRC there are two walls in Cambridge - one new and pretty decent by all accounts - so I would expect there to be lots of folk there who want to get out at the weekend/share lifts etc...?

[Sidehaas]

Admittedly this is 10 years ago, but when I was at Uni there we drove up to the peak every weekend, sometimes separately on Saturday and Sunday. We thought nothing of it - it was just what we were used to. I'm sure the club is still fairly active.
There is nothing worthwhile that is significantly closer, you might get to the churnet in about 2 hours?

[andyd]

I live in Oxford, where the nearest decent bouldering is 3hrs+ ish. You just get used to it.

Nope. I don't agree. Don't get used to it. If you love climbing then find a way to not live in the East. Moving from somewhere crap to somewhere with good climbing is as good as it seems.

[SEDur]

I have had to move to Huntingdon, and I drive to the peak more or less every weekend. It is 2hr31 from my front door to Cheedale Car Park. 

I have also built a reasonable woody for training.

The plus side is that I don't really have to be here for any more than 2 years, and the benefit to my career is worth far more than the cost of living away from good climbing for that period.

If you really want to climb outside, you will do whatever it takes to go climbing as often as possible.
If you really want to improve at climbing while living away from rock, you will have to make the decision to train properly (something I am still struggling with) and make the extra effort to organise the facilities you need.

If you think about the scale of the country, we don't live that far away from rock.
Look at America, and I can only imagine people regularly drive for longer than 3 hours to get to the nearest rock.
England is comparatively pretty small.

[quejada]

Thanks for the reply guys.
The situation is not so desperate after all... that Forest Rock place seems quite alright, will not be the peak but for a shorter day out it seems a nice spot. With wife a 2 young kids I can't spend every single weekend away to the peak..although my wife loves it up there as well.

Unfortunately I'm not in position where climbing can be my first priority, first I need to find a stable job to provide for the kids, then comes the climbing. I'm no longer in my twenties, I can't simply find a job as waiter in a sheffield pub or stuff like that.

but as long as there are people in Cambridge willing to go to the peak or forest rock every other weekend or so, I'm a happy climber. I can't live in the peak, but I can do all that I can to go there as often as possible...

q

[Nibile]

I know who you are.

[Muesli]

From Cambridge if you fly from Stanstead to Orly you can be in Font in just over three hours.