Britain is rich in the amount of fantastic climbing locations we have especially given its size. And, with it also being an island, you’re never that far away from cliffs even if there are no mountain ranges close by.
The Peak District
The Peak District in Derbyshire is considered by many to be one of the best places to climb in the UK and is the most popular choice for climbers by far. Stanage Crag attracts hundreds of climbers at weekends but there are so many crags here for both sports climbers and traditional climbers to enjoy. Froggatt, Burbage North and Birchen are also popular locations and a little less crowded than Stanage tends to be.
Although you’d think you were miles from anywhere once inside the Peak, one of its attractions is that it’s so close to major cities like Manchester and Sheffield and so easy to reach from both of them. However, once you’ve left urban life behind, the Peak offers challenging climbing in an amazing setting.
For more touristy caving experiences, explorepeakdistrict.co.uk has good info.
The Lake District
Once again, as it’s a National Park with easy access for both cars and for those using public transport, the Lakes are also extremely popular with climbers. The valleys of Borrowdale, Langdale and Buttermere being possibly the most popular within the climbing community.
Furthermore, the highest peaks, which include Bowfell, Great Gable and Scafell, which is England’d highest peak, are also only an hour’s walk from the road.
North Wales
Snowdonia National Park has so many good climbing points all within a short distance of each other. The Llanberis Pass is popular in the north of the park whilst Craig Cowarch in the south is also good for climbing. However, the south of the park is less popular as there is often more vegetation preventing easy route navigation.
An equally spectacular climb is off the coast of Anglesey on Holy Island called Gogarth. However, access is restricted during the bird nesting season so you should check before you go.
Scotland
Many climbers will tell you that it’s the peace and solitude of climbing in Scotland that makes it so attractive and, whilst it is generally true that the mountains north of the border tend to be less crowded, the Cairngorms are certainly popular, with Creag an Dubh Loch drawing climbers from all over the world. There’s also the UK’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, and Glencoe. Climbing unusual sea stacks is also enjoyed by many with the most famous of these being the Old Man of Hoy in the Orkneys.
The South West
Many people tend to forget about Devon and Cornwall when thinking about suitable areas to climb but there are many magnificent sea-cliff climbs along the coast. The Culm coast and Berry Head in Devon are extremely popular from March until September when they are at their best but there are also restrictions during this period too, due to bird nesting activity, so check before you travel. Bosigran, off Land’s End is also renowned for climbing.
However, although the areas mentioned here are probably some of the most popular and concentrated climbing locations in the UK, there are sure to be some great climbing locations not too far from where you live.
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