UKH

I've tried looking online for a Benny Beg topo without success. Is there one available on the world wide web?

https://www.scottishclimbs.com/wiki/Benny_Beg

Pics embedded as jpegs

Thanks Ian. Those pics are no longer available full size, only the thumbnails.

You don't need a topo. All the routes are indistinguishable

Why not buy the guidebook https://www.smc.org.uk/publications/climbing/scottish-sport-climbs

Money spent on SMC guidebooks goes towards the production of more guidebooks, and any surplus goes to the SMT  https://thesmt.org.uk/ which supports -

Footpath construction and maintenance

Land purchases that ensure public access

Mountaineering education and training, especially that aimed at young people

Mountain rescue teams and organisations, for equipment and facilities

Renovation of club huts available to the wider mountaineering community

Expeditions with educational or scientific objectives aligned with those of the Trust

etc.

Agreed 100% Grahame. Buying SMC books is the best thing to do. I own quite a few already, about 8 I think. A small fortune but well worth the investment 👌 Just not sure if ordering today, it'll arrive by the weekend.

Yup, there is a great guidebook called 7a max which covers all the sport crags in Scotland up to the grade in the title (and also a few harder ones). A second edition came out recently with more of the newer crags added in. You can get it here:

https://www.7amax.co.uk/

Also, by buying it, some of the money you pay goes into a bolt fund so you are helping to fund the development of sport climbing in Scotland.

Sold! Really good discount on their site too. Cheers!

The ones that weren't 5c/6a then, now are because they're so polished... 

Don't feel bad Rob, everyone's eyesight fades in their old age :P

Glad to help. Hope it works well for you

If only there was some sort of U.K. climbing website that you could subscribe with to get an app full of topos.  

Have you climbed at Benny Beg before Dizzy? If not, a word of warning: BB is wonderfully accessible and a pleasant location but, in my opinion, it is hugely rubbish. 

That is actually quite a generous assessment.

Never been. Going for a look with a view to returning with the wife and daughter sometime. Ratho indoor probably won't be open for a while.

Ceuse it aint, but its fine if you want a sunny low-pressure venue with a good selection of 4s and 5s. Maybe just the thing for a family outing or as a warm up before returning to more exciting venues in the area, such as Weem or Dunira.

I like to be generous. Have you tried the trad version of Benny Beg across the road? It is equally terrible.

If you're planning to go climbing with a child, the BB is possibly the best option in Central Scotland.

Don’t listen to the nae sayers, Bennybeg is great if the grades there are what you are after.

That is true. The routes have grades. Not a lot else though.

Thanks Wicamoi 👍🙂

Not sure what my grade is tbh  I've only climbed 1 sport route before which was a 5a (Peashooter at Ratho). First climb of any kind in months. Got on alright apart from down climbing a bit from the top as I didn't know how to rethread the anchor. Could maybe climb about 5b/5c max so Benny Beg is looking pretty good 😋👍

One word of advice if you do go there. Check the lower offs before you start a route - the last time I was there - last summer - a few of the double chains were only singles. 

PS Climbing there is an acquired taste!

Having been starved for so long, anything tastes good 😁 Are they single chain on purpose or did they break off?

They were broken.

I knew we had one somewhere-

https://www.ochils.com/extras/forms-documents/bennybeg-pdf/download

!!!!

Hi DizzyVision

I think Benny Beg is great, perfect easyish venue, sunny, toilets and cafe, no walk-in. Lots that’s much easier than Pea Shooter.

BUT if you’re not sure about rethreading, do consider worst-case scenario if taking wife/daughter as non climbers. Watch YouTube vids and practise at home AT LEAST, but ideally take someone else who climbs.

at BB, you CAN walk round the end and up to the top, so it’s possible to lean over and set up a top rope at some bits (cos you wouldn’t have your non climbing wife belay you on lead, right?). You can also set up from a tree at the top if lower offs aren’t accessible (think about sharp edges...a rigging rope is handy).

Wishing you all the best...but be really careful mate.

Anyway, won’t be an issue yet...unless you live within 5-ish miles of BB

Maybe in Phase 3?

Hey! I think the weekend has been missed but you can also find the same (and oft updated) information presented in the SMC guidebook in the Rockfax App, who we've been working with to digitise our content. Check out this page the see the coverage so far...

https://www.smc.org.uk/publications/mobileapps

Using content in the app supports the SMT in the same way that Grahame outlined above.

Cheers,

Rob

Thanks Brendan. Really do appreciate that 🙂👍

Did plenty of rethreading practice, and also now equipped and well versed in the use of a Petzl lanyard (not cheap but brilliant).

Went to Ratho and did Peashooter properly last Thursday, then Benny Beg on Saturday. Watched carefully what others were doing just to confirm our technique. And we got on absolutely fine. Had a great day climbing and chatting with others. 

Will only be top roping with wife and daughter, and only at the far left where the rock is short and simple. They've done lots of indoor climbing at Ratho and did a course in Kinlochleven as well, so no big shocks for them 🙂

I'll be there with an experienced friend who's also taking his kids. 

Thanks again Brendan. Really great message mate

Hi Rob,

I'm going to buy the SMC guide as well - really enjoying sport climbing now so well worth investing in more great reference material.

The rockfax subscription will be next when I am able to get out more and further away 😀🤞

That's brilliant!

Thanks Ian 👍