Climbing Forecast › Northumberland — Northumberland Grit › Back Bowden

NORTHUMBERLAND — NORTHUMBERLAND GRIT · SANDSTONE

Back Bowden climbing conditions

Good — dry and climbable

Right now

Temp19°C
Wind15.8 km/h
Gusts24 km/h
Humidity86.2%
Rain 48h0mm
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 14 August
Good
Temp23°C
Rain0.1mm
Wind22 km/h
Gusts24 km/h
Humidity59%
No recent rain
  • Hard sandstone climbs well when dry
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 19° 0mm 16 0 86.2%
07:00 21° 0mm 17 0 77.1%
08:00 22° 0mm 20 0 69.6%
09:00 23° 0mm 18 0 67.3%
10:00 24° 0mm 20 0 64%
11:00 24° 0.1mm 20 0 65.9%
12:00 23° 0mm 21 0 65.5%
13:00 24° 0mm 22 0 58.4%
14:00 24° 0mm 24 0 54.1%
15:00 23° 0mm 24 0 52.5%
16:00 22° 0mm 23 0 53.9%
17:00 21° 0mm 21 0 54.9%
18:00 20° 0mm 20 0 57.6%
19:00 19° 0mm 19 0 60.7%
20:00 17° 0mm 17 0 65.7%
21:00 16° 0mm 16 0 68.5%
Sat Saturday 15 August
Good
Temp19°C
Rain0mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity49%
No recent rain
  • Hard sandstone climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 13° 0mm 19 0 81.8%
07:00 14° 0mm 21 0 72.7%
08:00 15° 0mm 21 0 64.9%
09:00 16° 0mm 19 0 58.5%
10:00 18° 0mm 18 0 52.7%
11:00 19° 0mm 19 0 47.1%
12:00 19° 0mm 17 0 47.6%
13:00 19° 0mm 19 0 48.2%
14:00 19° 0mm 19 0 51.2%
15:00 19° 0mm 20 0 49.3%
16:00 19° 0mm 19 0 49.5%
17:00 19° 0mm 21 0 49.3%
18:00 18° 0mm 20 0 51.2%
19:00 17° 0mm 17 0 53.5%
20:00 17° 0mm 17 0 56.6%
21:00 16° 0mm 19 0 64.2%
Sun Sunday 16 August
Poor
Temp18°C
Rain0.9mm
Wind14 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity56%
0.9mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 13° 0mm 18 0 78%
07:00 14° 0mm 18 0 73.5%
08:00 15° 0mm 15 0 69.1%
09:00 16° 0mm 16 0 61%
10:00 18° 0mm 16 0 53.3%
11:00 18° 0mm 15 0 50.4%
12:00 19° 0mm 16 0 49.7%
13:00 18° 0mm 14 0 54.4%
14:00 17° 0mm 13 0 61.7%
15:00 18° 0mm 12 0 61.8%
16:00 18° 0mm 13 0 62.7%
17:00 17° 0mm 12 0 64.5%
18:00 17° 0.88mm 13 0 67.5%
Mon Monday 17 August
Poor
Temp16°C
Rain0.4mm
Wind7 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity85%
0.4mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 14° 0.18mm 4 0 95.3%
12:00 16° 0.17mm 7 0 84.7%
18:00 17° 0mm 4 0 93.6%
Tue Tuesday 18 August
Poor
Temp21°C
Rain0.6mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity75%
0.6mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 17° 0.03mm 12 0 91.5%
12:00 21° 0.07mm 19 0 75.2%
18:00 20° 0mm 14 0 68.4%
Wed Wednesday 19 August
Poor
Temp19°C
Rain0.4mm
Wind7 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity68%
0.4mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 12° 0.17mm 5 0 87.2%
12:00 19° 0.23mm 7 0 67.7%
18:00 18° 0mm 8 0 65.1%
Thu Thursday 20 August
Poor
Temp19°C
Rain1.4mm
Wind4 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity64%
1.4mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 11° 0.03mm 7 0 92.2%
12:00 19° 1.3mm 4 0 63.5%
18:00 15° 0.02mm 4 0 90.5%
Fri Friday 21 August
Poor
Temp14°C
Rain1.1mm
Wind17 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity91%
1.1mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstoneHumidity 91% — potential fog
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 11° 0.65mm 1 0 95.5%
12:00 14° 0.42mm 17 0 91.2%
18:00 15° 0.02mm 5 0 84.8%
Sat Saturday 22 August
Poor
Temp14°C
Rain1.4mm
Wind12 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity90%
1.4mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstoneHumidity 90% — potential fog
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 11° 0.8mm 10 0 94.7%
12:00 14° 0.48mm 12 0 90.4%
18:00 15° 0.07mm 4 0 88.6%
Sun Sunday 23 August
Poor
Temp14°C
Rain0.6mm
Wind14 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity84%
0.6mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 11° 0.58mm 10 0 98.7%
12:00 14° 0mm 14 0 84.2%
Back Bowden sits just south of its famous neighbour, offering secluded Fell Sandstone walls and isolated boulders set amongst heather moorland. The rock quality is superb, featuring crisp break edges, slopers, and technical flutings that reward delicate footwork. Facing southwest, the crag catches ample afternoon sun and benefits from quick drying times, though its open position leaves it exposed to wind. The venue features an excellent spread of intermediate to advanced traditional routes alongside world-class bouldering circuits. Key lines that attract visitors include The Scoop (E2 5b), The Sentinel (E1 5b), and Panther (E5 6a). Reaching the crag requires a short fifteen-minute walk across open moorland paths starting from the main Bowden Doors parking areas. The primary factor to remember is rock conservation; sandstone loses structural integrity when damp, so allowing the crag to dry completely after rain is mandatory to avoid snapping delicate flakes.

About Back Bowden

Back Bowden sits just south of its famous neighbour, offering secluded Fell Sandstone walls and isolated boulders set amongst heather moorland. The rock quality is superb, featuring crisp break edges, slopers, and technical flutings that reward delicate footwork. Facing southwest, the crag catches ample afternoon sun and benefits from quick drying times, though its open position leaves it exposed to wind. The venue features an excellent spread of intermediate to advanced traditional routes alongside world-class bouldering circuits. Key lines that attract visitors include The Scoop (E2 5b), The Sentinel (E1 5b), and Panther (E5 6a). Reaching the crag requires a short fifteen-minute walk across open moorland paths starting from the main Bowden Doors parking areas. The primary factor to remember is rock conservation; sandstone loses structural integrity when damp, so allowing the crag to dry completely after rain is mandatory to avoid snapping delicate flakes.

Region
Northumberland — Northumberland Grit
Rock type
sandstone
Aspect
south-west-facing
Altitude
170m
Exposure
medium
Seepage
low

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