UKH

Hello everybody, I live in Italy and was planning a climbing trip with some friends to the UK between the 29/10 and 3/11.

We plan to hire a campervan so we can climb various destinations, we would prefer to do some multipitches/trad climbing but we are open to everything. I would like some recommendations regarding where to go: wales, peak district, lake district etc. 

Thanks to anyone who offers any help

In reply to teodude:

Be aware it's often quite wet October/November and likely quite cold... 20% chance you get one day dry enough to climb on those dates.

However, if you are very lucky and get the right weather it might be glorious but have a plan-b in mind.

Wales is wetest, Lakes is pretty wet, the Peak is most reliable but has very little in the way of multipitch climbs. If you want long multipitches you need to go further (Scotland) but it will be wetter on average.

Best advice - decide what to do no more than a week in advance and remain flexible (and prepare not to climb at all, in which case walk/scramble in Wales or the Lakes).

And the days will be getting shorter...

In reply to camstoppa:

Thanks a lot, great help. I thought Cairngorms but will it not be too cold? snow? would it be too early for winter climbing do you think?

In reply to teodude:

In Scotland October/November used to be considered hill walking season, too cold for rock climbing and too warm for winter climbing. There is always a change of some nice weather in the mountains but I wouldn't count on it. Finding dry single pitch cragging is much more realistic. The Peak or Northumberland would be a good bet. 

In reply to teodude:

As said the best idea is to look at the forecast a few days before and pick based on that.

I just wanted to add the seacliff climbing in Penwith (Cornwall) or Pembroke is worth adding to the list of possibilities, as the climbing is great and there is a chance that they are dry when other places aren't.

I would have thought the Cairngorms is pretty unlikely, cold, wet and vanishingly small chance of winter conditions, but I guess you never know.

In reply to teodude:

Seriously, save your time and money and visit the U.K. in May or June when it’s fabulous. In late October/early November it is considerably less fabulous! You will probably get some climbing done if you watch the weather and are careful about where you pick to go, but it will be a bit of an uphill task, and it does get dark early. 

In reply to teodude:

Dorset coast seacliffs (Swanage) could be a good option at that time of year. The routes are either single pitch or 2 pitch. There are longer multi-pitch traverses that you can do as well. Tides are normally not a concern there, but the swell could be. 

In reply to teodude: I would not recoemmend going to Scotland if you're only here for 4 days as you'll use a day each side driving there and back.  If the weathers is decent the Peak is very do able, and very good trad climbing, but almost no multipitch routes.

Dorset on the South coast is also very possible, but will be mostly limestone sport so maybe not so interesting.

Wales or the Lakes are further to drive and on the west side of the country so the chance of rain is pretty high

In reply to Kirill:

 

Swanage is a great option if the OP has the skills and experience to deal with trad climbing on not so good rock, in a serious situation. Also they’d need a spare rope to act as an abseil rope. 

In reply to teodude:

You picked probably the worst time of year for the UK!

Avoid Scotland, the mountain crags won't be in condition for rock climbing or winter climbing.

Dorset has probably the best weather, and options for sport and trad (but not the best climbing IMO).

North Wales can be very wet, but you have options to travel around a little. If it's wet in the mountains you can head to the coast (Gogarth and Llandudno) or Tremadog. It's still possible to get some good mountain routes in, but you have to be very lucky with the weather. Lower crags like those in Llanberis Pass can be ok at that time of year.

Pembroke is great, and the weather is often good. The climbing can be good year round, but you likely won't see any other climbers in November!

The Peak District is a good option, the eastern side is drier than the west, there are lots of climbing walls in Sheffield and you can hire bouldering mats too. It's around 2.5 hours to drive to North Wales so they can be combined easily.

I would watch the weather forecast carefully and go where it's good. That said, you'd be much better off going to France or Spain, and coming back to the UK in May, when daylight hours are long and the weather is much better.

In reply to camstoppa:

Is your 20% actually based on something or just plucked randomly from the air? Overall I tend to agree that October/November isn't the most obvious time to tour the UK, but it doesn't rain all day every day!

In reply to teodude:

I reckon other people suggesting the South Coast or South West (Devon and Cornwall) could be your best bet. Drier and warmer likely than further North. Scotland can be full winter by then! People were ski touring about that time two years ago and winter climbing in the Cairngorms often starts in October. BUT it could also be horrible, temps a few degrees above freezing, lots of rain, short days. So going to Scotland is a gamble.

I live in the Peak and you can get lovely climbing conditions in late autumn, but of course it can also be very rain and soggy. The SW has wonderful trad climbing, some of the sea cliffs are big so getting into multipitch - even if they are traditional quite short British pitches. I would seriously consider a trip down that way.

The Lakes and North Wales are more likely to be wet and miserable - they're not always, but it is more likely. Thinking back over the last 5 years, I've managed to do wintery scrambles (basically, easy winter climbs) pre-Christmas 3 or 4 years out of the last 5, so it's not that strange to have some snow come and go on the highest tops in November. The pic below was taken in North Wales on November 10 in 2019. Don't worry, that's not particularly normal, but does give you some idea of what it can be like! No blue sky and rain is more normal though.

Hope you have a good trip wherever you end up.

In reply to teodude:

Yeah that's when everyone goes to Greece...

As said though, you'll have to be flexible and go where the weather isn't. Read about Pembroke, gogarth, Cornwall and the peak and have some days planned in each, then you can go with whichever looks best.

In reply to teodude:

Definitely the wrong season for the Cairngorms. Much too cold and wet for rock climbing (especially if you are coming from Italy and used to warmer temperatures) and it would be very unusual for routes to be in winter condition outside of December to March. Even in the Dec to Mar period, winter conditions are very fickle.

+1 to what other people have said - it's a very off-season time to come to the UK for rock climbing. I think you would have more luck scrambling and hiking in the mountains (North Wales is a possibility for this and the Lake District but overall Northern Scotland would be best for this as there is so much more variety and, well, you know, Scotland is just better )

In reply to teodude:

If you're coming anyway and genuinely, nationally mobile. Don't make a plan, just collect some ideas.

Most of our bigger climbs are mountain areas, most of our sea cliffs are on the wetter west coast, they get all the cool, wet, windy weather coming in off the at Atlantic this time of year.

That said, it's not all Atlantic storms and we do get weather systems where part of the country gets much better weather than the rest. I'd be prepared to head way up North to the Scottish Islands/coast *if* they're getting good weather or more likely way down south, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall or Gower and Pembroke. They're a whole day of driving apart so really it's one or the other.

Cairngorm climbing clings to the hillsides, unless anyone can confirm otherwise I'd assume a lot of it is already wet with seepage and autumnal Scottish mountain weather. It won't be in winter condition unless there's a freak cold snap.

The Lake district is lovely, perfect for what you want but notoriously wet. Avoid unless you happen to hit a freak warm sunny week.

North Wales gets a lot of weather but there are better and worse crags for it. Gogarth, Holyhead and Tremadog can be dry when the mountains are in the cloud. The Llanberis slate dries fast if there are gaps in the weather. The mountain routes hold onto the damp and many seep.

There's the Peak District and Yorkshire where there is almost always something drying up between showers but it's mostly short outcrops. There's some great stuff but it's not the season for a short trip to it.

If you're not coming anyway, I'd reschedule for summer and plan a road trip to take in some of the best bits or explore a remote area.

jk

In reply to teodude:

Speaking as a trad climber based in the South West I'll be in Sicily at the end of October

In reply to teodude:

A trip to the UK to trad climb in November is probably going to be a disappointment and a waste of time/cash - there could be worse places to consider - Scandinavia maybe? - but not many,

Chris

In reply to teodude:

I second/third/fourth/whatever number we are up to the south coast. Scottish winter needs to be done in winter for the full experience, otherwise it'll just be lame. What you guys dont have so much of is trad sea cliff climbing. Boulder Ruckle is a sight to behold and will most likely be a totally new experience for you and the micro climate around that part of the coast can produce productive conditions when everywhere else is a washout. If you are operating comfortably at UIAA VI- on trad gear with little to no fixed gear, and want to experience how fear can be augmented by bird shit, sea salt and the worry of getting washed off your perch by a wave, then this would be my recommendation. Wales will be cack, Lakes worse, I mean maybe the Peak if its not raining, but for an experience you'll not forget, boulder ruckle for the win... and if you get bored and want to drive further south, Torbay has Moonraker and the Old Redoubt...

In reply to teodude:

It'll almost certainly be dark, windy and wet everywhere in the country... You're probably better off staying in Italy! There's a lot of impressive multi-pitch to be had in Arco (as I'm sure you're aware). Some of it is at least semi-trad. Good time of year for it.

You'll need to book at least a week for the UK, and preferably some time between late spring and early autumn. Even then, you could lose half the days to rain. Or all of them. Or (most rare of all) your trip could coincide with a mini-drought. But then it might be too hot! It really is a gamble.