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Can't remember my login for ukclimbing... so posting here as I know there are some climbers on here.
Looking for a crag in the lakes, preferably Buttermere area for some low-grade fun climbs. Preferably single pitch. Can anyone recommend anywhere and a good guide book?
Ta!
Grey Crag is probably best for low grade routes. Might be an issue with single pitch stuff though. Also it's high up with a good walk-in. Fair number of routes in the D to Severe band. However, Slabs West, Grey Wall, Fortiter & Dexter Wall are good at VS.
Guide book I have is now out of print so unsure of what's out there.
Just over the hill in Borrowdale is Shepards Crag, which has some nice low grade routes especially on Brown's Slab, and then there is the classic Little Chamonix for a bit of easy multi-pitch fun.
Grey Crag is lovely but the walk in is a fair slog. There's an interesting 2 pitch moderate which is easy but fun - can't remember the name.
The Fell and Rock guidebooks are excellent, either the area guides or the "selected climbs" book which covers the whole Lakes.
Not many single-pitch routes in Buttermere. As mentioned above Grey Crag has some lovely routes from Diff to VS that catch the sun. Well worth going to although it's a proper mountain-crag complete with walk-in to match 😉 In fact it's really a collection of crags - worth getting your bearings from the floor of Burtness Combe on the walk-in to figure out which buttress is which, can be confusing once you're up among them! With a bit of imagination you can piece together a sequence of routes with some sort of logical progression (but always escapable if required).
In Borrowdale you have more valley level options eg. Shepherds Crag and Wodens Face. For super-friendly one-pitch Diffs and V Diffs (but not much else) Intake Ridge near Seathwaite is a lovely spot.
I remember doing a really nice climb called Ardous on Shepherds Crag.
A cracking low grade climb is Corvus on Raven Crag which is on the North side of Glaramara. It's a multipitch route but with no tricky belays so is really a series of easy single pitch climbs.
Includes a hand traverse which is good fun and a bit unusual on such a low grade climb (diff)
Guidebook would be the F&RCC guide - Borrowdale.
Just behind Shepherds Crag in Borrowdale is Black Crag with the mega-classic Troutdale Pinaccle. It is about 6 pitches though (all easy).
+1 for Little Chamonix. Not hard but succumbs to a confident approach.
+1 for easier stuff, the Brown Slabs to the left hand end of Shepherds Crag.
Troutdale Pinnacle is indeed mega-classic though maybe not a route I'd suggest for a team who aren't confident on multi-pitch routes, it's a complex line and the top belay / exit pitch are quite out-there for a Severe.
I've just realised it's 28 years since I first did it 😯
Troutdale pinnacle is for folk that like queues!
I've just realised it's 28 years since I first did it
1970 for me and we had queues back then. Direct & SuperDirect are top routes too.
From memory single pitch routes are in the minority in Buttermere & Borrowdale