UKH

If you were in Chepstow for a few days where is the one place you'd go for quality climbing to cherry pick a few select routes? VS-E2, 6a-7c? Not got a lot of time so rock-up and climb sort of venues are best...

Shorn Cliff

Wintours is the obvious choice if you haven't been

At Wintours you have trad and sport in close proximity and a short approach.  Shorn Cliff is a half hours walk.  

Assuming you are talking about going shortly you need to think about where will get the sun. Wynd Cliff is the obvious choice for trad or the Quarry for sport if you must.

Much more choice at Wintours Leap but the sun won't be on it until early afternoon this time of year so unless it is unseasonably warm it might not be that pleasant.

Shorncliffe would work as Mthr says but there will be a bit more faff finding and moving between the routes there.  Maybe not the best place if time is short unless you are going with someone who knows the place.

Wintours Leap

Avon Gorge

Shorncliff

in that order.

Gilwern is 27 miles across the border, quality limestone sport.

Wyndcliff or Shorncliff are the two best trad crags imo, especially at those grades. 

Shorn Cliff. Everything's the right grade and really good and it's super easy to smash through loads of routes. Navigation isn't that hard but download the LWVPDS.pdf from cc if you only have the old guide.

What you lose on the walk in you'll more than gain on the descents. I find wintours is a lot more faffy and (I'll get crucified for this) not as good.

If you're talking about any time soon though, beware seepage wherever you go.

Also if depending on where you're coming from the drive+faff+walk time can be shorter if you park at the tintern quarry spot.

Thanks everyone!

I think that Gilwern is in Wales - whereas if you cross the border from Chepstow you'll be in England!

My mistake!

Easily made - including, I'm quite sure, by me! I think that it probably took Covid, with its occasional restrictions on crossing the Welsh/English border, for many English climbers to realise that if you drove across 'the bridge' to get to Wintour's you were actually passing through a bit of Wales - and hence, at those times, not encouraged.

If you do go Shorncliff, the bridge at Tinertern was closed last month when I tried to go. You'll have to approach from Tinertern Quarry side. 

As it’s been pissing it down this week, I’d suggest Wyndcliff for sport at F6a to F7a, as it flash dries. All single pitch and nice when the suns out.

For the trad (and sport), Wintors Leap. Probably some dry stuff up there and in Woodcroft quarry.

Ive done a small guide on rainy day climbing in the Wye and Forest: https://forestofdeanboulderingguide.blogspot.com/p/rainy-day-bouldering-cir...?

You should probably make clear that Biblins/ madawg cave is closed 1st October - 30th April as part of the access arrangement 

Aside from the first 5m or so on the RH and 10m or so on the LH, which can hold the damp a bit, Wyndcliff main is almost as fast-drying as the quarry (and seeps surprisingly little, for a crag in a forest). 

That’s good to know, cheers for the info

Good shout, I’ll add that in 👍

Shorncliff is really good single pitch routes at those grades, but it's a good half hour walk in and will take a while to find the right bit the first time you go. Plus you have to ab off every route.

Wintours has plenty of great routes and you can walk off most of them. Short walk in and easy to find your way around. Mostly multipitch though. So if you're after single pitch it's not the best.

Wyndcliff has great routes, all single pitch and about 40m high, so you get your money's worth. You can ab or walk off but can be a faff setting up a decent anchor or finding the way off. Easy walk in. Catches the sun all day, it's the best choice in winter.

ah thats a shame. I have many fond memories of a day climbing at shorn cliff and then making sure to redeem the cost of parking by drinking a few beers in the Anchor pub  

Wyndcliff has some quality routes in the VS-E2 bracket, it also gets every second of sun going so makes one of the best winter venues around in cold but dry weather. 

While Wyndcliff Quarry is almost entirely sport, it's worth taking a modest rack for the two trad cracks at the left end of the upper tier: Canine Crack (E1 5b) and Bodger Bob (E2 5c). [The latter always used to be 'Bogger Bob'; I've no idea whether Bodger is a typo or a reference to the fact that it's now a bit easier than it was originally due to now finishing at a lower anchor.]

I'll second Wyndcliff and Shorn Cliff.

Be sure to go to Wyndcliff, the trad crag, with epic 35-40m high single pitches, not Wyndcliff Quarry, which is primarily a sport crag.

I've never rated Wintours, as it's quarried, it's heavily reliant on pitons, with endless dusty horizontal breaks, lacking the flowstone, pockets, threads, features, etc, of Shorn Cliff.

I tend to agree with those who prefer Shorncliff and Wyndcliff over Wintours. For trad at Wintours I quite like Fly Wall - natural limestone as opposed to quarried - and probably seeps less as there's nothing above. It is polished on the classic routes though. As everyone has said, if you want to climb most of the day in winter sun, then Wyndcliff is the place (and Avon Gorge of course). Shorncliff has more routes (and lots at your grade). Moving between the sectors at Shorncliff shouldn't be a concern if you've not visited before as there's a full day's entertainment either at the Great Central Cave area (superb routes, though perhaps a little samey) or at Abbey Buttress - Fallen Block (easy to move between these sectors and lots of variety). I've only been "in season" though when it seems to dry quite quickly. I suspect a dry period might be required as we move further into autumn.

Martin

If you head to Wintours The Rising Sun pub close to the usual parking is back open and well worth a visit. 

As others have said the bridge from Tintern over the River Wye to Shorn Cliff is shut until next year. So you could need to park on the other side near Tintern Quarry.

There were people climbing at Wyndcliff Quarry today and it looked fairly dry. I would be careful there as a lot of climbers there during and since covid appear to have not had a lot of outdoor experience. So rocks are often dropped from the upper tier with no call of below. But as you're looking for trad this probably won't appeal anyway (controversial I know)

[The latter always used to be 'Bogger Bob'; I've no idea whether Bodger is a typo or a reference to the fact that it's now a bit easier than it was originally due to now finishing at a lower anchor.]

I believe Bodger is original, and Bogger the typo.