We are exceptionally lucky in the UK to have such freedom of the hills. The outdoor spaces have been a playground for generations of outdoorsy folk and as such, thousands of miles of walking trails and climbing routes exist throughout the land. Additionally, having such an extensive and wild coastline is a truly exceptional thing. Here too some committing and memorable training routes can be undertaken.
Amazingly climbing as a sport has been practiced in Britain for 200 years and as such many old climbing routes of yesteryear can be found in the hills and mountains. By todays standards they offer very little challenge technically - however they can be used undoubtedly as a tools for building mountain fitness and techniques.
We are lacking "proper" mountains however. There really aren't many cliffs south of the Scottish highlands that you can't rappel to the ground in one rappel. And there even less that you can't simply just walk off once the summit is reached. So how do you actually train here for the commitment and fitness required for rock climbing in the larger ranges of the world?
1) Scrambling
Scrambling in the UK hills is a good way to practice moving fast over steep exposed terrain and a great way to train the mountain legs in off season conditions. Generally they are soloed in approach shoes but climbing in stiff boots and gloves during the winter or shoulder seasons is good Alpine training.
A couple of memorable scrambles I have done are...
Ill crag Scramble (Grade III, 400m), Eskdale , Lake District
With a gorgeous walk though a quiet remote valley Ill Crag was perfect for a May bank holiday. We had the valley to ourselves bar some lads who were swimming in the waterfalls somewhere near Esk Buttress. The route itself follows buttresses and slabs up to the summit where you join the masses in the tourist track to Ska Fell . The route is unfortunately disjointed and there isn't much exposure to speak of. However the rock is perfect and with some good approach shoes and good conditions there should be no need for a rope. And with many variations on the line it is just a case of climb what looks best and have fun. This is a good route to train for mountain fitness being remote and can be combined with an ascent of Ska Fell.
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 | The Approach walk
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 | Some great positions
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 | Summit
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Tower Ridge (Diff, 600m), Ben Nevis
The super-classic winter climb can be done in summer conditions. 600m of perfect scrambling and easy climbing Tower Ridge is a must-do. We spent four days camping up on the North Face of Ben Nevis - this in itself is great training for the mountains as lugging camping gear, food and climbing equipment up to the north face is back breaking work. Camping below the awesome Carg Dearg Buttress we have a lot of great trad climbing and scrambling to choose from.
 | | Gruelling walk in fully equipped |
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 | | Our Home for 3 days |
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One morning we choose to solo Tower Ridge. The route is good for dealing with exposure as the Tower Gap involves crossing a gap with buckets of exposure and atmosphere. The route would make good "moving together" practice on poor weather or simply makes a good solo. In winter it comes into its own for a superb grade IV winter climb (which I've yet to do). Ideally descend via
Ledge Route (Grade II) for the full outing.
 | | Tower Ridge |
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 | | Cavern on Eastern Traverse |
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 | | Nearing the great Tower |
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 | Alpine Glow
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Other memorable scrambles I have done are...
Snowdon horseshoe ridges (S1) (Here) Bryant's Gulley (S3, 500m) (Here) Cneifion Arete (Diff, 140m) (Here) Castle Ridge (Mod, 275m) (Here)
2) Mountain Link-ups
Linking up traditional climbing routes to give one continuous (or nearly continuous) climbing route to the top of the hill is a good way to get a full Mountain Day out. If there is no rock left to climb upwards, often a scrambling descent can be found on the other side of the hill continuing the adventure and prolonging the day out.
Cadir Idris link-up (E2, 450m), Snowdonia
This is a fantastic outing for a hot weather day as the north face of Cadir Idris is usually shady and cold. However with a stiff walk in and some multi-pitch routes followed by a scrambling descent a full mountain day can be had. Slabby Buttress has a handful of descent rock climbs that require a dry spell to come into condition. Over a weekend we climbed....
Then There Were Five (E2 5b 70m) - which we continued giving a long enchainment
Obsession (VS 4c, 100m)
Obsession Direct (HVS 5a, 100m)
Gwydrin (E1 5b, 70m)
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 | | Climbing routes |
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 | The complete enchainment
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 | Ready for the steep approach
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 | | Pilar following |
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These routes tend to be 2-3 pitches long and follow natural lines on perfect slabs. Summiting on a small pinnacle an abseil descent is required. Alternatively another 70 meters or so of pitched easy climbing or moving together through gulleys finally brings you to the summit plateaux.
However the day isn't done yet as a scrambling decent down the Cyfrwy Arete (Diff, 300m) continues the adventure. All in all there is roughly 450m of climbing (which ain't bad for a UK hill). A cold swim in the lake is your reward.
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 | Pilar on the scramble down
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 | | A beautiful walk out |
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Cadir Idris
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Craig Yr Ysfa link-up (VS, 160m), Snowdonia
I found the walk-in to Craig Yr Ysfa an absolute battle. It was a hot day and it felt like I was carrying a pack full of lead on my back. Approaching from the Ogwen side is steep and once you arrive at the crag you actually arrive at its top. This means setting up two abseils to get to the base. So you feel like you've had a day out before you even put on your rock shoes. We linked two moderate routes giving a day out perfect for upping the mountain fitness. The routes were...
Mur y Nirwl (VS 4c, 84m)
Pinnacle Wall (S 4a, 75m)
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 | | Looking back at Tryfan - On the walk in |
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 | The Tough approach
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These routes meander all over the cliff but both contain good climbing on perfect rock. The ramp pitch on Pinnacle wall is superbly exposed despite being technically very easy. Great varied terrain away from the crowds.
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 | | Starting the Rap in |
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 | Great positions
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 | Pilar leading the final
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 | Moving together
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Rannoch Wall Link-up (V Diff, 245m) The technically easy (but very steep) route of Agag's Groove, (V Diff, 105m) on Buachaille Etive Mor can easily be followed with a scrambling descent of Curved Ridge (Mod, 240m).
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Pilar on the approach
 | | The Iconic Buckle |
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Nice and accessible this isn't really a "Mountain Day" but if out of shape and feeling a bit rusty this is the perfect choice for blowing away the cobwebs.
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 | | Agag's Groove - Classic |
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 | At a belay
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 | Other teams on the wall
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 | Scrambling down Curved Ridge
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Llanberis Pass North Link-up (VS 4c to E1 5b, 500m & 10km of walking)
This classic link-up from The Pass of Llanberis to Crib Goch is a must for getting fit for the bigger hills of the world. Typical routes enchained are....
Lorrain (Vs 4c) or Super Direct (E1 5a, 90m)
Slow Ledge Route (VS 4b, 115m)
Main Wall (HS 4b) or The Grooves (E1 5b), 100m
Persons Nose (VDIFF) or Gambit Climb (Severe, 83m)
Reade's Route (V Diff, 66m)
Crib Goch (Grade I)
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| The ultimate Welsh Mountain Day |
We had a go at the
Link-up (VS 4c, 500m+). It was great for training for a trip to the Swiss Alps. Sadly the popularity of
Main Wall (HS, 100m) meant we were held up for least 2 hours by a slow team of three ahead of us. As such we never made it to Crib Goch. Still 14 pitches and lots of hiking meant the day had served its purpose as a fun mountain day.
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 | | Pilar on The Mot |
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 | | Me high on Main Wall |
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 | | Me waiting (taken by passers-by) |
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 | | The trudge down |
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3) Multi-Pitching in the hills
The UK does a few cliffs that warrant the "Mountain Day" tag. Whilst miniscule by foreign standards they can give a big day out for many parties. I've done many over the years. Here's a few memorable ones....
Centurion and The Bullroar (HVS 5a, 200m), Ben Nevis
Camping below this great buttress was a great experience. We climbed both these classics in an early season heatwave with snow still lingering in the gulleys and some of the crag still wet. Centurion is a very decent outing just about being long enough to call a "Mountain Route" it follows corners for 7 pitches with pitch 2 being just sublime!
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 | CMD Buttress
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 | | The Pitch |
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 | | Me in full flow |
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 | The Snowy descent
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The descent is down No 5 Gulley. When we did it is was full of snow and bergschrunds - great practice for arduous descents in the big mountains for Europe.
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 | Descending
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 | The snow gulley
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The Bullroar has a really fierce first pitch off the floor but this is followed by 6 pitches of easy traversing in wild positions, rambling above overhangs and around aretes. Route finding is difficult and adds to the Mountain Route experience. We made the two long abseils down the Titan Face as a descent, however to make this a proper mountain outing head up another 6 pitches to the top. A real day out!
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 | | Us on Bullroar |
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 | | Other climbers on Centurion |
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 | | Pilar traversing |
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 | | Me |
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The Pause (E1 5a, 160m), Etive Slabs
Another short mountain route being 7 pitches long (okay so its long for the UK) is The Pause on Etive Slabs. This is a good crag for getting in to blank granite slabs. Protection on these is limited to say the least. Good trust in friction and a steady nerve is required along with some good route finding skills. A good warm up for huge foreign friction slabs in say Toulomne, Aillfroide or Valle de Mello.
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 | | Working out the route |
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Like all good mountain routes the descent is quite involved. Here one is forced to scramble down a slanting terrace which is exposed, wet and a tad sketchy.
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 | | Crux traverse on Pitch 2 |
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 | | Run out slabs on pitch 5 |
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 | Pitch 6
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Llewedd / CloggyThese two cliffs represent two of the largest in England and Wales with Cloggy being one of the premier climbing venues in Wales (Llewedd being more of an old fashioned tweed and hobnail boots sort of crag). I've done several routes on Cloggy but I've yet to climb on Llewedd. However I love the idea of working my way up this massive cliff in stiff mountain boots probably on some cold December day.
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 | | Llewedd Routes - Low grade but long |
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.JPG) | Llewedd. Looks massive here..
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Eagle Front (VS, 150m), Upper Eagle Crag, Buttermere, Lakes
The Lake District is a great for multi-pitches which could be described as "Mountain Routes". This route on Upper Eagle was in condition thanks to a spring heatwave. The cliff faces North and receives no sun which is a great shame as it's a great looking piece of rock. Many of the lines are mossy and green for much of the year. Eagle Front being super popular is relativity clean. We did suffer in the shade for much of it and could see the masses on Grey crag baking in the sun (we had the crag to ourselves). This short mountain adventure we climbed in 8 short pitches, most being straightforward fun climbing and the crux pitch being a stiff 5a move with some real prang potential.
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 | | Crux Pitch |
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 | The walk out from Eagle Crag
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Eliminate A (VS 4c, 95m) Dow Crag, Lakes
This moderate route can be knocked out in half a day leaving the rest of the day for further cragging or perhaps another long multi-pitch on Dow Crag. The cliff gets morning sun and has a stiff walk in so an early start is required if you plan on getting a lot done here.
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 | Dow Crag
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 | The walk in
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We climbed Eliminate A on a sunny morning, in 6 pitches. The pitches are short and many could be linked though bear in mind it really is a rambling line with lots of traversing. The crux is airy but without any real hard climbing.
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 | | An early Pitch |
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 | Pilar on Pitch 1
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As with anywhere in the mountains the weather can change quickly and we narrowly missed being caught climbing a torrential thunderstorm. We did get soaked on the walk out however...
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 | View on the walk out pre-storm
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 | Lake District weather bomb hitting
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4) Girdle Traverses
Those living in the south of on England or Wales may find access to the hills more challenging. As such, being forced to climb sideways on cliffs can iron out those multi-pith nerves and give good practice in a multi-pitch environment. Perhaps good practice in swinging leads with a new partner.
Beeston Eliminate (HVS 5a, 74m), Beeston Tor
This classic adventure climb traverses Beeston Tor in some mind bending positions. The crag is in a gorgeous valley and catches all the sun going.
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 | Beeston Tor
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 | Pitch 1. a bit green
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The route starts from a wooded path and has you literally climbing through a bush to access the first pitch. This pitch starts out a tad green but improves with hight. Pitches two and three are just wild. Traversing the face on pocketed limestone in outrageous positions. We had a mission getting down and had to bramble bash our way back to the base.
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 | The traverse pitch 2
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 | The final moves
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 | Steep climbing
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The Angles Girdle (VS 5a, 110m), Wintour's Leap
Climbed in 4 pitches this esoteric route traverses the North Wall at Wintour's Leap. The Leap being a large (and quarried) outcrop overlooking the beautiful Wye river. The first pitch is probably the technical crux after which there are two pitches of traversing in exposed terrain over quarried ledges at a very amenable level. The final fourth pitch is wildly exposed and involves a protectionless down climb, further traversing, and up climbing before topping out. I had to use some creative rope work to protect the second. A real adventure route.
 | | The traverse |
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 | | Some great positions |
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 | | Impromptu Belay |
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 | | Top out pitch |
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Chee Tor Girdle (VS 5a, 175m), Chee Dale, Peak District Climbed in 5 pitches this route gives a birds eye perspective of Lower Chee Dale, a beautiful gorge that feels like a tropical lost world. Though the climbing is never too hard, it is pumpy, exposed and a bit polished. The route stays dry in light rain (which we can confirm).
The approach usually involves a river crossing. Lots of fun...
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 | Exposure
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 | A real unique experience at Chee Tor.
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| The wade out |
Swanage on the South Coast is the ultimate playground for multi-pitching in committing environments. Girdle traverses here (such as Traverse Of The Gods) really will help raise your game ready for your next Dolomites trip.
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| Me leading an E2 in "The Ruckle" |
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