UKH

Hello, I know that Cornwall is very much a trad region, but are there any cliffs or crags which have bolts/stakes (or trees) for setting up top-ropes, which are kid friendly?
 

We’ll be in the Falmouth area and although I have gear for sports climbing and static ropes for top-rope set up, I don’t have a full trad rack. From googling so far, it seems that a trad gear top rope set up would be needed in most places?
 

Thanks.

Cant think of a suitable venue, the sea and descents make it very awkward.

Rinsey is single pitch and well away from the sea but the belays are fiddly and awkward. 

Climbing wall at Penryn is a possibility if its raining, as it seems to be sadly!

Hi Sara, unfortunately the simple answer is no, there isn't, and all of the potential crags are anywhere between 45 mins and 90 mins drive from Falmouth. Perhaps the nearest, and most suitable, would be Trewavas and, although you could possibly get away with not using much trad pro in your anchor systems, the anchors themselves are few and far between, not always obvious, not always ideal (but the only option), and require a long rigging rope to reach between the anchors and the climbs.

Also, the climbing isn't necessarily the easiest for youngsters, despite there being a handful of Diff/V Diffs.

Not really selling it, am I?

Trewavas

There is a small climbing wall in Penryn, if your little monkeys need to burn off some energy, or when the weather isn't good for the beach (https://www.gpclimbing.com/), or a via ferrata in a local granite quarry (https://viaferratacornwall.co.uk/), also close to where you are staying.

Don't forget the logbook tool. I don't know the area around Falmouth but there are some easier boulders nearby and quite a few crags within 25k radius.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/map/?g=0&loc=Falmouth&dist=25&am...

Hi Sara,

I agree with everything Pete said. re Trewavas. I took 2 beginners there and did a bit of top roping a few weeks ago. The 'East Crag' is easy to get to - about 15 mins walk from the car park - and has a couple of big-ish blocks at the top which you can sling or use a static rope on, no suitable trees or stakes though. Since these weren't 'fridge sized' we did place some supplementary gear. If we hadn't had a small rack and a 15m static for the top I probably wouldn't have been completely comfortable.

The bottom is quite nice and the top is safe so it would be OK for old-ish kids, shady too.

The trouble with top-roping in Cornwall is that the setups can be difficult to orientate and somewhat adventurous to set up.  I've killed off many hours trying to do so in order to get on harder stuff in an effort to get better, and I'm quite glad I didn't have children with me.  Trewavas is your best bet, but you'll still need some gear for the anchor (no boulders/trees)

If you can place gear and set up anchors, I would buy a set of wires and hexes and get down the Lizard to Pen Olver slabs, loads of short easy routes to get on for an afternoon.  No need for a full rack.

Everyone’s replies have been really useful - thanks. One of our kids is quite a nervous climber as it is so I wouldn’t want to freak him out by trying to set up a tricky belay for ages in a challenging location. At some point I’ll buy some wires and hexes as I do know how to place gear, but for this summer will probably use a local guide to get out climbing there and get familiar with the venues in a kid-friendly way.

99% of those crags/boulders aren't suitable for what the OP was after. Also, it's more realistic to think of distance in terms of time, when down in Cornwall during the summer. The increase in population/road traffic, coupled with increased farming traffic (because of the harvest), on a road system that was never designed for such numbers, means that any car journey takes significantly longer than would normally be expected. I know many people's plans have been scuppered due to underestimating how long these journeys can take.

I've found that Google Maps is fairly accurate and updates as you drive.

Also, for anyone visiting Cornwall over the next two years, the A30 is being upgraded to a dual carriageway between the two roundabouts either side of Truro (Carland and Chiverton Cross). It hasn't really had a major impact to recent travel times yet, but as it's the main arterial route in the county, expect journey times to significantly increase as the work progresses. 

Local climbing instructors:

Stu Bradbury (http://wall-crawler.co.uk/)

Jay Jackson (https://www.climbcornwall.com/)

Phill Matthews (https://climbingcornwall.com/)

and me 😊 (https://kernowklimber.co.uk/)

We are all members of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors and are Cornwall based.

Kernow Coasteering also offer rock climbing (https://kernow-coasteering.co.uk/coasteering-cornwall)

Hi Pete, I had already reached out to Phil Matthews before I read your reply - thanks.

No worries, Sara. You'll have a lovely time!

Pete