[SA Chris]

Swine to get back into if you catch a crab and capsize the bastard though! Had one out once at school, stuck to 4s after that.

[Johnny Brown]

Well what a disappointment, Simon Quinlank must be spinning on his swivel chair. Road biking will clearly suit you, it requires no skill, a good power-to-weight ratio and an obsession with training and numbers. Get into mountain biking and a finger injury will sound like a holiday.

I've also enjoyed rowing (mostly coxing tbh) and kayaking, but the Peak District has next to no water that's not banned.

My Dad went full-on for gliding at Abney about ten years ago. It's mostly retired older guys, a few ex-climbers but not many under 50 and somewhat budget-limited for the competitive type.

If you actually want a hobby here are some real hobbies I have enjoyed:

Photography. The gateway drug. Unfortunately rather debased from a true hobby now that we have smartphones and instagram, but you can start by buying a proper camera and opening a flickr account. Spend a year or two learning to take pictures that reliably garner 'likes', then realise the hollow vacuity of chasing mainstream approval. Buy a film camera and start taking pictures of things like uncared for allotments and dilapidated barns. With proper application by the time your finger has healed you could be developing film in the cellar, running a drum scanner in your spare room and producing three or four dull photos a year that nobody gets.

Birdwatching. You like being outdoors, you like numbers and competition? You're not afraid to clock up 100's of miles for your next tick? With proper twitching you can skip the years of learning bird plumages and calls and instead sign up to a subscription rare bird news service and then dash over to stand in line, get your tick and beat your rivals in a species/year list that makes 8a.nu look like peer-reviewed science.

These is ideally placed to lead you into the next hobby, Pyschogeography. This is basically high-minded rambling. Go on long walks, preferably alone, to furtively visit obscure historical sites of no interest to anyone, now overgrown but mentioned in some old paperback you found in a skip. Make some notes for a book you'll never write. Can be augmented by taking some of the aforementioned dull photos and ideally with a (next hobby):

Field recording. Nobody bats an eyelid when you take a photo. Why does everyone think it so weird to pull out a microphone and record the ambience? At first you can tell people you are recording bird calls, after which they usually lose interest, but once properly combined with the previous hobby there shouldn't be anyone around anyway. A good field recording is meditative to make and transportative later in a way that vulgar visual recordings can't match.

Headphones on? Good. You may now drink your weak lemon drink.

Limited time in the day? TV hogged by your partner watching box sets you don't like and are already two seasons behind? Just think, you could be sat in your cold, quiet backyard looking back into immensity of deep time and growing your piles. If you spend too much time in front of a computer already get a manual reflector and start ticking double stars of ever increasing difficulty. If you love tech and spending money you can get into astrophotography and spend all night hovering over a computer while your remote-controlled scope gathers hours of subs for yet more pc time post processing. Or, perturb you neighbours by emerging into your backyard with a dob the size of a teenager which you cobbled together in the cellar. Both of these options will extend your hobby time onto daylight and fill those pesky cloudy nights.

Love staring into optics but find the universe a little static and, well, lifeless? Don't like the cold or the clouds? Combine all the fun of astronomy with a boundless world of wriggling nature by buying a microscope. As with telescopes, modern microscopes all run on digital cameras so you can first buy a 1970's classic Zeiss or similar from ebay, then go pond-dipping. The diversity of life in a drop of pondwater is genuinely staggering. Unfortunately the victorians were on to this before smartphones so not only are you very unlikely to find anything new but all the books are ancient. Still, there's some good forums. Buying more microscope parts on ebay is always a good diversion, with the holy grail of DIC ever leading you on. Rotifers are the coolest animals you've never heard of which can make it very hard to wash them down the drain afterwards.

[Will Hunt]

My school had a rowing club that I was roped into as a cox (pre growth spurt and very skinny). I won loads of tankards by sitting down and not doing a lot while the Ford twins did the hard work (family was massively into rowing. The twins and the younger brother eventually won gold and silver at the 2012 national championships - the gold was taken by the boat with two Fords instead of one; locals fact - if you ever see the Fords of Winsford sticker on the back of a used car in the North West then it's the same family).
On the odd occasion that I got on an ergo or went out in a single scull I realised that it's a brutal sport. Barrows will probably love it because he loves the pump, but as a non-sporty person I just couldn't motivate myself to try harder. The problem with rowing is that if you stop or slow down to rest then you keep going forward, albeit slower. Cycling up hills/climbing up rocks is much easier to try hard at because if you stop trying then you go backwards/fall off which is itself the motivation to keep trying. I think if I wanted to get the same pleasure of floating down a river then I'd go down the kayaking route.

Is there a musical instrument you've ever wished you could play? Might be a bit difficult to take lessons at the moment. I had a couple of years of taking fiddle lessons after uni and really enjoyed playing, but the real joy was playing at pub sessions which I never really had the skill/confidence to enjoy fully.

If I didn't hate aerobic misery and didn't have knees that explode if I so much as run for a bus then I'd want to do fell running. I just love the thought of eating up miles and miles of Lakeland ridge. That's why road biking is fun - it's not the turning of the pedals, it's the feeling of zipping along through a landscape; you experience the geography of a place in a way that you don't when you're in a car. Once you've done a little bit of it then 60 miles with some up and down is just a nice day out.

[abarro81]

Did you make that all JB or is it from somewhere? It's brilliant!

Played guitar as a kid but never really liked it, just did it because I "should" if I'm honest.

Sounds like spending a few months trying to break in the running very slowly might be worth a punt on the side, see if the legs can adapt. Especially since it's free so if my finger gets better and I can go full-bore on climbing again in a year or two I wont have 5k of stuff sitting around taunting me! I did like it a lot in between being broken when I was a teenager, but it definitely wouldn't fulfil the "all in" criteria. I get the feeling I really need to learn to dabble in multiple things for a while given my propensity for injury (climb, run, bike and more) but have always struggled with that in the past!

[SA Chris]

You could start by getting some ultra cushioned shoes that look like Neil Armstrong's boots, and drop a few quid on some running school analysis to teach you proper technique so you aren't pounding the shit out of the ground all the time. A bit of strength and conditioning, a few expensive sports massage sessions, some excruciating foam roller sessions and you might find yourself running without pain. It could happen.

[TobyD]

Did you make that all JB or is it from somewhere? It's brilliant!

Played guitar as a kid but never really liked it, just did it because I "should" if I'm honest.

Sounds like spending a few months trying to break in the running very slowly might be worth a punt on the side, see if the legs can adapt. Especially since it's free so if my finger gets better and I can go full-bore on climbing again in a year or two I wont have 5k of stuff sitting around taunting me! I did like it a lot in between being broken when I was a teenager, but it definitely wouldn't fulfil the "all in" criteria. I get the feeling I really need to learn to dabble in multiple things for a while given my propensity for injury (climb, run, bike and more) but have always struggled with that in the past!

Getting injured all the time was why I got a road bike originally,  as its satisfyingly aerobic but low impact compared to running.  It can be great, there's no obligation to be on Strava and to obsess about VO2 max and power output; I usually just zoom (plod) around as far as I feel like it,  you can go to interesting places easily from home and see more things than with running.  To be honest I treat running much the same,  I'm pretty happy running for 30-60 minutes ideally somewhere nice but if not it's a great way to relax your brain. 
I'd second Andy P's comments on walking, I do lots of that at the moment too, despite previously regarding it as a bit boring.  It burns off lots of energy and can be combined with several of JB's suggestions ie photography,  bird spotting as well as foraging.
You could get a really powerful sports bike,  that's popular in the Peak... although then everyone would hate you,  and its probably very expensive.

Try going to a good yoga class. Minimal risk of injury,  hits the concentration/ movement spot that climbing emphasises.  Some crossover benefit to climbing,  and a solid ashtanga class is really physically hard. 

[Will Hunt]

Something that Fiend hinted at was climbing activism. There must be loads of rusty bolts on popular routes in the peak that need replacing. Doesn't have to be something that you do all the time but it would be a really useful thing to do a bit of. The problem with being a performance based climber is that the drive to get sessions banked on a project/ticks in the logbook is that there's never any time left for doing the important stuff that keeps everything going. I bet, unless it's a horribly rainy day, that nobody who climbs in the upper 7s will turn up to the Almscliff path building day in May.

[petejh]

Had a quick look through the thread and didn't spot flying or paragliding.

I have my PPL (fixed wing) which I did in Florida back in 2001. It's a great hobby - geeky, good one for physicists perhaps as there are lots of phenomena to learn about, gets you to amazing places, can maybe combine with climbing. I still have my licence (never 'lose' it) but haven't flown recently so would need to do a check flight to re-gain my type rating. My dream is to rent a light aircraft and fly across to Norway/France/Ireland to go on a climbing trip. Obvs it's not a cheap hobby.. but doable on a half decent wage with some sacrifice elsewhere. Big dream would be to own my own plane, something like a Europa.
Local airfields do intro flights with an instructor. Cheapest option to get the PPL is do it outside the UK - better weather so you an fly every day and get it done in a shorter time period. The US is set up for flying, with large aviation community and not at all an unusual hobby.

Related - paragliding. I'm hoping to learn this year if we're allowed out to play. What I really want to do is to buy a light rig and do long scrambles or long routes in the alps with my rig on and then fly down from the summit instead of walk down. Have spoken to some people who do this and they say it's amazing and quite easy to do. Rigs are so light now - on ly a few kg - that it's easy to do a climb with it in the pack and fly down.   

Mtn biking is ace, just got back into it last year and bought a nice full sus. It's nice to discover new areas of the country, and old areas but with new views, just for riding the trails instead of climbing. But it's sketchy as hell. I think I'm more likely to get an injury (that will stop me climbing) from mtn biking than any other activity I do.

[Ballsofcottonwool]

You could start by getting some ultra cushioned shoes that look like Neil Armstrong's boots, and drop a few quid on some running school analysis to teach you proper technique so you aren't pounding the shit out of the ground all the time. A bit of strength and conditioning, a few expensive sports massage sessions, some excruciating foam roller sessions and you might find yourself running without pain. It could happen.

Or go with minimal/barefoot shoes so that it is so excruciating to pound the shit out of the ground, you have to run with proper technique. You will have to build up much more slowly but this is likely to build a proper foundation so you don't end up injured.

[Paul B]

Getting injured all the time was why I got a road bike originally,  as its satisfyingly aerobic but low impact compared to running.  It can be great, there's no obligation to be on Strava and to obsess about VO2 max and power output; I usually just zoom (plod) around as far as I feel like it,  you can go to interesting places easily from home and see more things than with running.  To be honest I treat running much the same,  I'm pretty happy running for 30-60 minutes ideally somewhere nice but if not it's a great way to relax your brain.

There's also the calorific demand of such a sport which I think will do any climber the world of good (understanding how much fuel your body actually needs).

[andy popp]

On the odd occasion that I got on an ergo or went out in a single scull I realised that it's a brutal sport. Barrows will probably love it because he loves the pump

In it's competitive form, 5-6 minutes of utter brutality - must be the ultimate power endurance sport. I would have thought Barrows would love it.

I found a scull so incomparably more mechanically efficient than a kayak, which I was used to, that there was real pleasure in gliding forward with what seemed like very little effort. Amazingly, given how cackhanded I am, I always managed to stay upright. I know a couple of people who continue to row into late middle age and beyond, so I assume the wear and tear on the body needn't be that bad.

[Yossarian]

Watercolour painting
Mixed martial arts
Topiary
Asado
Modular synthesis
Shibari (you dismissed this last time, but I would reconsider)
Base jumping
Amateur entomology

[SA Chris]

There's also SUP paddling in its many forms. I love getting out on some of the local lochs or the sea when calm with an extended paddle and giving it a blast for an hour or so, can get a decent speed going and a good upper body work out, surprising tiring on legs too.

[petejh]

Investing!
I love it - it's a hobby as well as a way to hopefully make my money work for me. The great thing about investing is you can research whatever subjects most interest you and there'll likely also be a business opportunity to invest in. And much of what you learn whilst researching gives insight into interesting parts of the world and how things work. Subjects I particularly enjoy researching and learning about are mining - partly due to the geology and geography, and them often taking place in interesting remote parts of the world; biotechnology; and low-carbon/'green' technology - transport, batteries, power generation etc.

[Falling Down]

No-one's mentioned cooking yet. Proper cooking. Learning all the different gastronomique techniques and recipes. The history; foods from around the world; the aha moments when you conjure up something you might have previously considered chef standard; sharing your food with family and friends.  People buy cool stuff like knives, appliances and books for your birthday and Christmas too.

[tomtom]

How about writing a semi self deprecating book about the journey taken by a climber with a frustrating finger injury - as he tries out all sorts of mad-cap and different pass times?

Along the lines of 'Tilting at windmills' where the author tries to find a sport he can be an international competitor in (it ends up being crazy golf...)

[Bradders]

Video games certainly won't fit the physical bill, but you can take your pick from a massive selection of experiences from epic storytelling to frustratingly addictive arcade stuff.

[SA Chris]

And Forza is a cheaper alternative to blasting round the lake district in an expensive supercar.

[andy popp]

No-one's mentioned cooking yet.

Seconded.

[Jerry Morefat]

Investing!
I love it - it's a hobby as well as a way to hopefully make my money work for me. The great thing about investing is you can research whatever subjects most interest you and there'll likely also be a business opportunity to invest in. And much of what you learn whilst researching gives insight into interesting parts of the world and how things work. Subjects I particularly enjoy researching and learning about are mining - partly due to the geology and geography, and them often taking place in interesting remote parts of the world; biotechnology; and low-carbon/'green' technology - transport, batteries, power generation etc.

You could even start your own thread in which you stipulate all discussion must conform to your own extremely narrow definition of investing and come down like a tonne of bricks on anyone who dares to deviate from this. 

[SA Chris]

No-one's mentioned cooking yet.

Seconded.

Good one. We've definitely upped the cooking in the last year of lockdown, given all the extra time. Kids have embraced it too, can be done at any level, we've done some complicated / faffy stuff, but also embraced the Iyer The Roasting Tin series, and had some amazing meals from there.

[Stabbsy]

You could start by getting some ultra cushioned shoes that look like Neil Armstrong's boots, and drop a few quid on some running school analysis to teach you proper technique so you aren't pounding the shit out of the ground all the time.

Not this. Or at least, not necessarily this. I'm not into the barefoot running thing (I'm sure it works for some people), but equally the super-cushioned shoes don't necessarily provide injury protection or might lead to different injuries. Just go to a decent running shop (Front Runner/MyRaceKit on Sharrow Vale, Up and Running in the centre) once they're open and ask their advice. Chat through the issues you've had, give them an idea of the sort of things you want to do and try some stuff on a treadmill. They should be able to look at your running to determine what might or might not work.

[Ru]

If you actually want a hobby here are some real hobbies I have enjoyed:

Nothing to add except praise for this post.

Oh, actually, i do: have some kids and watch dilemmas about what to do with your free time melt away.

[SA Chris]

You could start by getting some ultra cushioned shoes that look like Neil Armstrong's boots, and drop a few quid on some running school analysis to teach you proper technique so you aren't pounding the shit out of the ground all the time.

Not this. Or at least, not necessarily this. I'm not into the barefoot running thing (I'm sure it works for some people), but equally the super-cushioned shoes don't necessarily provide injury protection or might lead to different injuries. Just go to a decent running shop (Front Runner/MyRaceKit on Sharrow Vale, Up and Running in the centre) once they're open and ask their advice. Chat through the issues you've had, give them an idea of the sort of things you want to do and try some stuff on a treadmill. They should be able to look at your running to determine what might or might not work.

True, not intended a panacea, usual caveats apply. I'm guessing thigh overetension due to too many kneebars!

[lagerstarfish]

Has anyone mentioned getting a skateboard yet?

My two youngest have been having a go while I watch for cars. I'm going to end up having a proper go.

I've ordered a cheap surfskate from decathlon...