UKH

As per title, nominations being taken for the most disappointing belay ledges. 

The rules are: the ledge should promise a supreme belay experience and therefore nominations will naturally only relate to world class multi-pitches.  However, the ledge will turn out to be horrible for some reason.

Ledges/belays that are simply horrible and look horrible don't count. They have to promise and then disappoint to merit nomination.

My nominations are:

(1) The sloping ledge on Gogarth top of pitch 2.  Amazing scenery, ledge the size of a minibus, good gear etc and it looks like you could happily settle there forever looking out at the seals and the sea.

However it's next to impossible to find a resting position, neither sitting nor hanging but the worst of both. The only place to stand is the only place to put the rope and the slope means the rope constantly makes a bid for freedom even if you put it over your feet or knees.  Despite the size of the ledge and the multiple anchors there's no space and flaking the rope, swapping leads etc is all a massive pain in the arse. 

It's the only bit of the climb you wouldn't want to revisit.

(2) The comfy corner ledge of pitch 2 of Aplomb. Pitch 2 is a dirty, loose, vegetated, insecure and scary VS with succulent grass making the polished foot holds well oiled slippertunities but behold the belay - it looks great and restful, a real moment to calm your nerves before the intimidating pitch 3. 

However, it's just off-angle, you cannot find a stable position and it's a nightmare to wrangle your second and ropes.  You'd like to enjoy the great position but you cannot turn around and when you try the angle means you can't see around the bulge. You'd like to take your shoes off but you can't because every time you lift your foot you fall over.

Luckily the belay after the third pitch deserves a picnic and 4 * so makes up for it.

Gogarth is not a world class multi-pitch route.

In the parochial world of UKC where 80% of the the best climbers come from the UK, Gogarth is definitely "World Class" and I sympathise with the comments on the belay 'ledge'.

World class should mean just that. Anyway, Gogarth is not even that great a route by UK standards - it's ok, but pretty overrated.

A vote for the second belay on The Moon (E3 5c)? I never did it pre-rockfall but since the guidebooks are all pre-rockfall I was expecting a reasonable ledge (presumably someone will be along shortly to tell me this was never the case).

I remember arriving at the belay pumped stupid and roasted alive, with my eyes popping out on stalks from the exposure, and seeing an in-situ thread on a small sloping ledge, a most inviting prospect at this point as it looked more than ample for my small person to perch on. Didn't take long to realise there was no way to sit on the ledge and weight the thread properly, and besides it was far too cramped and the block the thread was on wobbled, so had to drop back down below the ledge to a world devoid of footholds, engineer the belay one-handed as the gear was all above a little lip and there was nothing to stand on (thank god I'd been practicing my one-handed clove hitches), and eventually consign myself to an almost-hanging belay with miles of air beneath my bum, followed by the sea. Things only got more uncomfortable when my mate arrived and clipped in as well, bringing a third dimension of discomfort to the affair. A cramped and painful half-hour handover of the rack ensued before he set off up the last pitch, eventually letting forth a little whoop as he topped out, much to my relief as I realised I would soon be back in the land of the living.

I nominate the one after the 1st pitch of Cruel Sister (E3 5c). At first it seems like a lovely little cave you can sit in and almost have a comfy lie down, only to realise too late that if the leader falls on the crux you will be violently slammed into a big spiky roof.

final belay ledge of Valkyrie (HVS 5a) , feels a bit wobbly 🤣

My vote for Tensor II (VS 5a)

tbh the ledge is fine. Our experience was not. When starting out, the party beside us ashamedly told us that one of them (both looking guilty) had to take an unexpected dump on the belay ledge. Once up there we found said turd hidden under a loose rock, stinking out the place.

Once at the top we met up again. "Great climb, sh*t belay ledge" we said. 

Quite clearly not a world class route and only bad because of the circumstances, but the 1st belay of Utopia in Cheddar. We arrived to be informed by a certain Martin Crocker that he was terribly sorry but he'd had a dump there...

Not world class but the ledge on Grey Arête (HVS 5a) is not quite big enough and with a belay not quite good enough to feel like you could really brace adequately against the factor 2 fall from a wobbly leader strung out high up on the unprotected second pitch. One of the few occasions (other than in winter climbing) where I have felt more in jeopardy belaying than climbing.

So you pick on Gogarth (E1 5b), but don’t mention that other world class route Aplomb (E1 5a)!

I've not done it, so am unable to offer a definitive verdict on its quality. In fact I'd not even heard of it.

I can't remember the name but as it was in Eldorado Canyon, the route definitely was world class. I thought it was fine but my mate thought otherwise. You see, I was bursting for a pee and it was a windy day. But when you've gotta go, you've gotta spray the ledge ...

Not sure if this counts, but..

Many years ago while doing Great-Bow combination on Cloggy my partner convinced me to carry on past a nice comfy belay ledge, as per guidebook, to an 'amazing' looking belay ledge about 10m higher. Upon arriving at wasn't a ledge at all but a slightly slabbier bit of the slab that resulted in a very uncomfortable semi-hanging belay off a green alien and an RP.

I had a few choice words of what he could do with his belay suggestions in the future as he took my gear poised half way through a rockover onto the 'ledge'.

The belay before the last pitch of The Mostest (E2 5c) is pretty bad. We led through (me cleverly avoiding the big last pitch) so I spent quite a while there 

On a new route up a Tepui in Venezuela, the welcome ledge didn't quite live up to expectations. It was comfy enough, but we didn't name it Scorpion Ledge for nothing. Didn't help that we had to bivvy on it too!

Sticking with world class Gogarth:

Arriving pumped and flustered at the top of the first pitch of Britomartis I was aggrieved to find only one small foothold to stand on. Two rotten pegs sticking out of the same hole and a half in nut did not encourage a hanging stance. ( modern gear might have improved the situation.)

I spent an uncomfortable hour with my cheek pressed to the rock, shuffling rope through the belay plate down at my waist and wishing it would all be over soon. A good route spoilt.

I've always managed to make myself very comfortable sitting on that ledge, couple of convenient heel placements while I enjoy the sun and view waiting for my climbing partner

I remember that stance as being small but accommodating.

In the bad old days before belay plates were invented, we had to face outwards to make the waist belay safe, which could be excruciating on the feet on a small sloping stance. A really bad case was the stance at the flake (still there?) on Cemetery Gates. Once belay plates were invented, the belayer could face in any direction, including inwards, which made a tremendous difference to his/her comfort.

I found those awkward polished little divets to be in the wrong place and wrong angle for comfort, maybe my legs are the wrong length but it's painful for my knees, ankles or heels in turn for more than a couple of minutes and I end up slumped in my harness wishing I'd brought a bosun's chair (which would turn it into the height of luxury).

Coronation Street. 
Not world class, but I believe does appear in some coffee table book about climbing.

The belay ledges arent all ideal, or comfortable, or well protected, or well attached iirc. 

K

You didn't mention the fulmar that regularly occupies the Gogarth (E1 5b) ledge!

Steve

I'm going to nominate the ledge at the end of the 1st pitch of Rainbow Warrior (E3 6a). It's in a magnificent position on the edge of the  Am Basteir. However, the crack at the back is very disappointing, so the decent belay is in the crack below on end of the ledge, while your second comes up onto the other end. 

Thankfully I led both pitches so I didn't have to contemplate the belay, as I was too busy leading the top pitch

Steve

There must be quite a few examples of belay ledges which would be pretty good, except that to use the gear you have to hang just below the ledge. The top of pitch 1 of Sans Fer (E4 6b) springs to mind, which requires you to half sit, half hang on a slab, though thankfully you shift the belay before starting another pitch so it's not too bad really.

Not done Rainbow Warrior, but that awkward stance must be at least partially offset by the pleasure of what could be the best gearing up ledge in the country, on the crest before the traverse on Naismith's. A brilliant position, large enough to relax on and you can even choose whether to be in the sun or shade!

I think I'll nominate one of the ones near the top of the Old Man of Hoy.  Situation looks brilliant but to get there you run the gauntlet of fulmar vomit and when you get there it's knee deep in stinky guano. 

At last, someone mentions a route that I've actually done! I don't think it qualifies though. There is one nice ledge, but all the other belays are obviously horrible before you get to them. Especially the one after the shield.

The second belay on Right Angle.

Beautiful situation - until the waves come in .......

My nomination: The belay at the top of pitch 11 on The Shield on El Cap. This is just above the Triple Cracks and bang in the middle of the Shield Headwall.

On the topo we were using, this was marked as "The sweetest bivvy on The Captain". After a couple of nights on a portaledge (always a precarious existence) we were looking forward to being able to stretch our legs a little on what we envisaged would be a commodious ledge. Of course we'd got the wrong end of the stick - we arrived to find the only interruption to the 500ft vertical sea of orange granite was the row of 3 bolts.

Chuckling at our foolishness, we set up the 'ledge, cracked open a couple of beers, and settled down to enjoy what by any standards is one of the most spectacular bivvies in the World! 

Each to their own ! The top belay ledge on CS is one of my favourites. 

My wife once reached a ledge on a crag in Cyprus to find it occupied by a large blunt nosed viper.  She certainly seemed disappointed iirc.  The viper just seemed annoyed - I could hear the hissing from 15m below.  At least she said it was the viper. 

Was its nose already blunt when she got there?