[205Chris]

Looks like I'm off to the Wye Valley for a week. It's where I grew up so I'm pretty familiar with the area but never really climbed above HS there.

Anyone got any route recommendations for Wintour's Leap / Shorn Cliff etc. up to E2? Or any of the sport stuff at Ban-y-gor up to about 7c?

[remus]

Shorn cliff is great for stuff in the HVS-E2 range, stuff like Laughing Cavaliers (HVS), Run for Home (E2), Easy Rider (E1) etc. Basically anything with a couple of stars is guaranteed to be worthwhile, so just pick and choose. If you're feeling keen, Lundy Calling E4 is pretty soft at the grade and has some quality climbing on it. think the guide says 'honest climbing' which sums it up nicely. Worth noting that a lot of the grades in the current guide are quite soft.

At wintours, Ive only climbed on GO wall and Fly wall. Can highly recommend GO wall, big routes and lots of multi-pitch fun. King Kong (E1) is meant to be pretty good, though i didnt really enjoy it myself. Ive got fond memories of Kangaroo Wall (E2), theres some fabulous positions and interesting climbing to go with it. On fly wall, wurlitzer (E1) was good fun, as is Firefly (E2).

[SA Chris]

I recall Tigers Don't Cry as being pretty good, awkward groove at the top. Must be getting a bit ploished by now though. And I think there's an E1 called Moving Pictures, which I found enjoyable. The E2 just to its right with the crux being some excrescences in first bit up to some tat was good fun.

[duncan]

I've not done much at Wintour's but I like the area and the recent guide is excellent and (so far seems) reliable in it's grades and judgement.  Most importantly it is now possible to find routes without a tame local. 

Wintour's North Wall has old quarried rock, compact and friction-y, a bit like Avon but without the noise or polish.  White Feather and Yesterday's Dreams are good.  They get E3 and E2 but have a lot of fixed gear and feel more like 6b+ and 6a+ respectively.  There are some decent looking sport 6s in the vicinity.  Nothung is very good at easy E1 5a.  Mostly fixed gear again but this one definitely feels trad.   

Lamentably, I have done nothing on the GO wall but this is clearly the place to be.  Heil Hitler (7a+) gets good reports if you fancied the unusual experience of UK multipitch sport.

[Robsons]

Wintour's shouldn't be overlooked for sports either...
Heil HItler (7a), as said by Duncan is a good route, first pitch being the hardest and best...
Scaremonger (6c+) is a quality and varied route.
Easier said than done (7b) is very grit-like in nature when pulling over the crux and relying on a surprisingly bad sloper side-pull...really fun though!
If you're operating at 7c, then jump on Mein Kampf (E5 6b...but HARD 6b)...first half of the route is protected by bolts, then goes into pegs as you go up...crux protected by bolts.
Bang-y-gor - haven't done much there, "up a gum tree" (7a) was good fun,although bolting was a bit stupid...
SC - not done much there either, but youth on fire (or touch the fire - one of the two...the other one is in Pembroke) is a good E2...

[SA Chris]

there's an E1 called Moving Pictures, which I found enjoyable. The E2 just to its right with the crux being some excrescences in first bit up to some tat was good fun.

Motion Pictures, not Moving. And Touch The Fire is the E2.

[fatboySlimfast]

i didnt like ban y gor, thought it was shite.

[SA Chris]

I was underwhelmed by Tintern Quarry, not sure if it's cleaned up any in 10 years, but loads of loose stuff; wear a lid. And possibly body armour.

[metal arms]

I had quite an enjoyable day at Wynd Cliff.  There's a good E2 called The Don.  Keep meaning to head back down that way...

[duncan]

i didnt like ban y gor, thought it was shite.

So did I, but I could have been having a bad day.  Some people seem to quite like it, but see comment below...

I was underwhelmed by Tintern Quarry, not sure if it's cleaned up any in 10 years, but loads of loose stuff; wear a lid. And possibly body armour.

Underwhelmed?  It's probably the worst crag I have visited in the last 10 years.  Dolomitic piles of rubble on every non-vertical surface.  It doesn't even have the benefit of the glorious local scenery as it is a true hole in the ground.  I'm sure it will clean up in, oh, 100 years or so. 

A testament to the crap that people will climb if it is easy and bolted.

[SA Chris]

I was being polite!

Nasty, nasty place.

This looks quite cool though.

http://esotericbouldering.com/wales/huntsham.html

[jimmykay]

I went down to Ban-y-Gor a few months ago and it was quite good for steep boulder-y routes. I got on Nelson Mandela, 7b and Really Big Sur, 7b+. Both pretty good. A few friends recommended Almost Me, 7c and Pet Cemetery, 7a. Loads to do down there though. There are a couple more 7c/+'s that I haven't mentioned.

As mentioned Wintour's Leap is a good trad place.

And I could be talking out of my arse but Huntsham could be within 30mins drive? Sandstone bouldering venue. I'm not a big fan myself, but there's a good range of problems there and an online guide. Pretty overgrown in the summer though so take some gardening equipment if you head down.

[SA Chris]

Hunstham; see my post above!

[205Chris]

Some good knowledge there, thanks everyone.

Having endured one afternoon of my life that I will never get back at Tintern quarry there is no chance of me returning there. Looks like plenty to go at between Wintour's / Shorn Cliff and Ban-y-Gor.

I know Symonds Yat isn't far away either but has a reputation for being polished and a bit rubbish. Is this fair or are there some routes worth doing there?

[horn]

TBH, Symond's Yat is a bit shit, better off going to Shorn Cliff if you want single pitch trad. 

Or just spend the week at Wintours, one of the finest inland cliffs in the UK. Get on Kangaroo Wall and Never Say Goodbye (both e2), Isle of Dogs (7a+), Surrealist (e1 just do the top pitch from the pedestal). If you can push it to e3 (which you should be really if you're climbing 7c!) you absolutely have to do Vulture Squadron, Joe the Lion and A Nightmare of Brown Sugar. On Fly Wall have a go at Bulging Flies, Firefly and Wurlitzer. If it rains, most of the routes off the Pedestal on the Right end of GO Wall stay dry and there's always the Umbrella Girdle to do!

[i_a_coops]

I was pretty underwhelmed by Shorn Cliff tbh, the Laughing Cavaliers wall had plants growing out of a lot of the holds and I was told it was one of the best bits of rock there. The Lundy Calling area has nicer rock, and the E2 there looked good (Cool Heat). I didn't get on it though so can't reliably comment.

Lovely views though!

[andy popp]

i didnt like ban y gor, thought it was shite.

So did I, but I could have been having a bad day.  Some people seem to quite like it, but see comment below...

Admittedly only had one day there but I liked Ban-y-Gor; did Latest Craze 7b+ and Gimme Back My Head (I think) 7b, both were worthwhile, the former especially.

[Monk]

I was pretty underwhelmed by Shorn Cliff tbh, the Laughing Cavaliers wall had plants growing out of a lot of the holds and I was told it was one of the best bits of rock there.

Lovely views though!

I don't know where you normally climb, but around the Wye/Avon/Cheddar area plants are a constant feature on slab routes in summer - it's clearly a fertile area! They don't generally detract from the climbing though, but could make the place look a little unloved compared to well-travelled routes in virtually all other areas.