[Fiend]

See title  :wink:

Obviously a weekend at Bowden is going to be somewhat more productive than a weekend at Cloggy when it's mid-December and everything is bleak as fuck....but that other areas, particularly in the Lakes or Wales, or indeed any limestone areas, are good in winter? I.e. quick drying, accessible, shortish routes, fairly sheltered etc etc...

I can think of:

Most of Northumberland.
South-facing Lancs quarries.
Lower crags in Borrowdale?
Gogarth on a calm day?

any more?? specific recommendations would be good...

[andy_e]

brownstones is south-facing.  but it is grit duh.

[webbo]

giggleswick,twisleton,chapel head,scout crag near kendal,malham.

[Bonjoy]

Malham, Beeston Tor, Stoney, Upper Pen Trywn, Slate, Tremadog.

[squeek]

Does Chapel Head Scar stay dry over winter?

[dave]

Scugdale? Slate? Some of the tor, Some of rubicon (would have thought dragonflight E3 would be fine in winter), stoney, staden (maybe a bit cold?), wharncliffe (apparently strictly a coarse coal measure sandstone), roche abbey??????

[webbo]

i should imagine some of it will.i've been twice in summer and both times it was red hot.
i remember stripping down to my boxers for rp it was that hot.ended up with sheep ticks in some very delicate places.

[fatboySlimfast]

Trouble with crags like stoney in winter is that there muddy as and very bleak also seepage becomes a prob on the lower reaches. You need your belayer to enjoy himself as well so trees at the bottom of the crag will have your second colder than a polar bears scrotum
Gold Walls at Trwyn, ive climbed there in feb in a T'shirt. Lots of short routes up to 7a+ with E4s next to them, they dry very quickly.
Rhoscolyn can be a great sun trap, avoiding most of the wind (and with the best E3 in north wales) Gogarth can be a tad to unpredictable and you dont want to get stuck there so i would say what bout Holyhead mountain(only if out of the wind, believe me it was frigging freezing last weekend) Bril E1, E2 and a mutha of a E4.
Of course Malham
Dont large sections of Portland /Swanage come into there own during winter?

[Bonjoy]

Was thinking more of Garage Buttress and Windy Ledge for Stoney.
 Portland would be ideal in winter.
 Wildcat, Rainster and Ravensdale are good for easy stuff in winter.

[dobbin]

I went and did Medusa (at ravensdale) one december. It was thoroughly brilliant and I had to finish the top pitch and set a belay in the dark. Excellent.

[Fiend]

Cheers, some useful suggestions there. Done enough at Scuggy but need to get back to the Wainstones... Also done Dragonflight as well, E2 really but a nice route.

Slimboy, what's that best E3 in North Wales then?

Also, any more suggestions from the Lakes?

[IanP]

No sure you're looking for sport climbing and Malham has been mentioned a number of times but it is worth noting that the catwalk area can provide good climbing in pretty unlikely conditions.  As long as there hasn't been too much rain (Jan / Feb often better than Nov / Dec) then with a wind from the North and bit of sun you can climb comfortably in almost any temparature.

Early Feb this year we turned up at the car park at 11:00 and temp according to car was 1 degree. Walked in through a blasting wind with some flurrys of snow then after a bit sun came out we climbed in T-shirts and belayed in a fleece for the rest of the day.

[andy_e]

don't go to woodworm early january. froze.

[fatboySlimfast]

Slimboy, what's that best E3 in North Wales then

?
Got to be the Sun at Rhoscolyn. Do it direct if you can from the bottom of the zawn(not always possible cos theres a wet streak to one side) and climb the groove on awesome holds in a great position with great gear, superb. Only downer is trying to find a belay on the football pitch like top, the gear is there but takes some finding

[Fiend]

Surely The Sun is the best E2 in Wales??   Or possibly the best HVS 5b if it was on gritstone??  :shock:

No quibbling with the quality though, was all about looking down between one's legs near the top and seeing the ropes arc back towards the base  

[fatboySlimfast]

Im not a grade cruncher muncher fiend :roll:

[Fiend]

I chew em up and spit em out for breakfast  :wink: Rather than actually climbing them  

[Fiend]

Add Clwyd limestone to that list.

Although whether you'd want to climb there is another matter. Although there's some neat mid-grade trad in the quarries.