easy lakes idea's (Read 6876 times)

mark s · May 21, 2009, 06:39:03 pm

weather permiting next week im going to take the g-friend to the lakes for a bit of climbing.
got a couple of guides of andi but would like to hear some recomendations.
upto to hvs with some nice

spots would be good

Eddies · May 21, 2009, 07:15:31 pm

Can you get hold of a porta-ledge!?
Prob best not telling Dave Simmonite about this one tho

GCW · May 21, 2009, 07:26:15 pm

How much walking are you willing to do?

mark s · May 21, 2009, 07:57:55 pm

dont mind half an hour trekking if the climbing is good.

GCW · May 21, 2009, 08:09:01 pm

Forgot to ask where you're based? Got a car?

mark s · May 21, 2009, 08:25:16 pm

will be going in the car,going to stay at one of the camp sites.will chose one when i know what area to climb at.

mini · May 21, 2009, 08:30:13 pm

Quote from: Eddies on May 21, 2009, 07:15:31 pm

Prob best not telling Dave Simmonite about this one tho

Why not? Probably get another front cover out of it! Though maybe not the type of cover his parents would have hanging on their kitchen wall

notbadforafatlad · May 21, 2009, 08:34:41 pm

you could try Route 1 on Middle Scout Crag in Langdale. Only V Diff but nice and quiet. Mandrake on Quayfoot Buttress in Borrowdale is a nice HVS. Both are near good camping venues.

GCW · May 21, 2009, 08:50:25 pm

Well, you have 2 options: the easy access, popular classics or the less popular areas.

White Ghyll is less busy, plenty of lower grade stuff (although the best is HVS/E1) with classic VSs.
Hodge Close can be popular, but not too much lower end stuff.
Wallowbarrow has plenty to go at, can be busy though.
Hardknott Crag- useful for quick access, a couple of good HVSs.
Buckbarrow is quick drying, a bit limited but a couple of VS/HVSs.
Buckstone How- less popular, a bit limited. Honister Wall is good.
Shepherd's has lots to do, if you can park and if you can get near the rock

Black Crag is visited mostly for Troutdale Pinnacle, so the decent HVSs are not usually too busy.
Goat Crag- supposedly good, but I didn't think that much of it. 1st pitch of Praying Mantis is good though.
Castle Rock- good, but can be busy at weekends.
Gouther- some nice lower end stuff, good setting and excellent bouldering too. Bit out of the way though, being over Shap side.

Probably the best venues would be Wallowbarrow, Shepherd's, Castle Rock. They are all worth a visit but be prepared to get there early and don't expect to have the place to yourself. The other places have good stuff too, and you may get more peace and quiet.
Hope you have a good time.

mark s · May 21, 2009, 09:04:52 pm

nice one,thanks.andi mentioned trout dale pinnicle.raven crag looks ok.

butters · May 21, 2009, 09:20:23 pm

Quote from: mark s on May 21, 2009, 09:04:52 pm

nice one,thanks.andi mentioned trout dale pinnicle.raven crag looks ok.

Mendes has a pretty good 2nd pitch at Raven Crag though I seem to remember the descent "path" being pretty interesting in the wet. Revelation is well worth a look as well from memory - avoid Bilberry Buttress unless you like jamming while getting pumped. Slip Knot at White Ghyll is a great 2 pitches climb as well.

bluebrad

Scraggadoo · May 21, 2009, 10:24:47 pm

Quote from: bluebrad on May 21, 2009, 09:20:23 pm

Quote from: mark s on May 21, 2009, 09:04:52 pm
nice one,thanks.andi mentioned trout dale pinnicle.raven crag looks ok.

Mendes has a pretty good 2nd pitch at Raven Crag though I seem to remember the descent "path" being pretty interesting in the wet. Revelation is well worth a look as well from memory - avoid Bilberry Buttress unless you like jamming while getting pumped. Slip Knot at White Ghyll is a great 2 pitches climb as well.

bluebrad

I'd agree with bluebrad on his recommendations although don't know about Bilberry Buttress. Slipknot is a great introduction into the grade and whilst not technically hard, it's quite exposed at one point (but a fantastic climb).

Fiend · May 21, 2009, 11:27:44 pm

What the dudes above said. Pluto @ Raven Crag is ace. Quayfoot Buttress is good. Gouther is nice and quiet, get her to belay you on One Step Beyond too. Sergeant Crag Slabs has nice HVSs too.

slackline · May 22, 2009, 09:16:05 am

In addition to these great suggestions, if you can stretch to 45min walk-in get up to Dow Crag (drive up as far as you can), lots of classics there. Eliminate A is brilliant VS with some stunning positions and the two I did the other week (Leopard's Crawl and Great Central Route) were both great HVS's.

Fiend · May 22, 2009, 10:04:03 am

Dow 45 minutes??

Last time I got my best tick of Dow by managing to drive over the trench and park a few hundred yards along, it's still not 45 mins tho...

slackline · May 22, 2009, 10:15:55 am

Pretty sure its about 45minutes from <a href=" ">here</a>, was in a hire car so didn't want to fuck the bottom of it by going up the track any further although some other climbers passed us and parked further up.

Fiend · May 22, 2009, 10:47:15 am

Is it balls!! You must have a hill-walking or fell-running gene or something.

This is the standard parking pre-trench, , it's an hour from here.

I got El Bruto to about here: , still a good 50+ mins.

Johnny Brown · May 22, 2009, 10:50:02 am

I'd reccomend Overhanging bastion as the best multi-pitch VS I've done in the lakes. Good boning spots on top too. A day at Shepherd's should go down well, with short walk-in and cafe. Make sure you do Eve.

slackline · May 22, 2009, 11:08:21 am

Quote from: Fiend on May 22, 2009, 10:47:15 am

Is it balls!! You must have a hill-walking or fell-running gene or something.

Hmm, maybe it was closer to an hour then, didn't seem to take that long though, and we'd caught up with the people who drove past and parked where you've pointed out

Would have been slightly easier too if I'd remembered to remove the BMC Lancs "Brick" from the bag from the previous day, only found it when gearing up

I'm no fell-runner, but not too bad at walking. Few weeks back walked from Wasdale Head up Great Gable (via steep ridge/scree) then over to Scafell Pike and back down to Wasdale in 6 1/2 total (including lunch and a beer at the top! and lots of picture taking) which I thought was an okayish time.

T_B · May 22, 2009, 11:32:21 am

The nice thing about Dow is you can swim in the tarn after climbing, though maybe wait until high summer for that... but I would agree, the walk is closer to an hour than 45 minutes. The track that you drive along is getting worse as well...

You could camp at Stonethwaite, Borrowdale and climb on Bleak How (some really nice HVS's) or as someone else mentioned, a little up the valley (Langstrath) is Sergeant Crags Slabs. Also have the option of roadside/quick drying crags like Shepherd's.

Or as JB recommends, Castle Rock would be an excellent option - warm up on the South Crag (e.g. Via Media), before getting on OB.

I'm assuming this is what you had in mind? http://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=47450

TB (Lakes Marra)