Climbing Forecast › Southern Sandstone › Bowles Rocks

SOUTHERN SANDSTONE · SANDSTONE

Bowles Rocks weather & climbing conditions

Poor — wet, too windy or closed

Right now

Temp10°C
Wind40 km/h
Gusts59 km/h
Humidity94.5%
Rain 48h2mm
Last rain0h ago

Assessment

0.8mm rain forecast
Do not climb wet sandstone
Windy — 36 km/h, gusts 0 km/h
Humidity 94.5% — potential fog/cloud, rock may be damp from condensation
Check sandstone is genuinely dry — condensation can wet the surface
Windy — 40 km/h, gusts 59 km/h. Take care on exposed routes

Drying Time

1% dry · 13-25h to dry

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Wednesday 21 October
Poor
Temp10°C
Rain0.8mm
Wind36 km/h
Gusts59 km/h
Humidity79%
0.8mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstoneWindy — 36 km/h, gusts 0 km/h
  • Do not climb — wet soft sandstone is damaged by climbing
  • Very windy — consider sheltered alternatives
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
11:00 10° 0.2mm 40 — 94.5%
12:00 10° 0.5mm 37 — 89.1%
13:00 10° 0.1mm 37 — 83.5%
14:00 10° dry 35 — 77.1%
15:00 11° dry 33 — 69%
16:00 11° dry 33 — 59.3%
17:00 10° dry 30 — 61.9%
18:00 9° dry 28 — 66.1%
19:00 9° dry 25 — 69.3%
20:00 8° dry 25 — 71.3%
21:00 8° dry 23 — 72.6%
Thu Thursday 22 October
Poor
Temp12°C
Rain7mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity71%
7.2mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Do not climb — wet soft sandstone is damaged by climbing
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
06:00 10° dry 23 — 96.5%
07:00 9° dry 22 — 96%
08:00 8° dry 21 — 95.8%
09:00 9° dry 22 — 94.3%
10:00 10° dry 26 — 84.7%
11:00 11° dry 21 — 78.6%
12:00 12° dry 21 — 72.6%
13:00 13° dry 18 — 67.8%
14:00 13° dry 18 — 64.2%
15:00 13° dry 16 — 64.5%
16:00 13° dry 13 — 64.9%
17:00 13° dry 8 — 72.3%
18:00 10° dry 8 — 83.1%
19:00 10° dry 9 — 86.1%
20:00 10° 0.4mm 14 — 81.4%
21:00 11° 1mm 17 — 88.1%
Fri Friday 23 October
Poor
Temp11°C
Rain18mm
Wind26 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity92%
17.9mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstoneHumidity 92% — potential fog
  • Do not climb — wet soft sandstone is damaged by climbing
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
06:00 12° dry 34 — 94.1%
07:00 11° dry 32 — 93.5%
08:00 11° 0.3mm 30 — 90.8%
09:00 11° 0.7mm 25 — 89.8%
10:00 11° 2mm 20 — 94.5%
11:00 11° 1mm 18 — 96.3%
12:00 11° 0.2mm 19 — 95.9%
13:00 12° dry 22 — 94.2%
14:00 13° 2mm 23 — 88.2%
15:00 12° 0.4mm 38 — 89.2%
16:00 10° dry 41 — 88.2%
17:00 10° dry 39 — 73.8%
18:00 10° dry 37 — 65%
19:00 9° dry 34 — 64.2%
20:00 8° dry 34 — 63.1%
21:00 8° dry 31 — 63.5%
Sat Saturday 24 October
Poor
Temp11°C
Rain3mm
Wind16 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity89%
3.2mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Do not climb — wet soft sandstone is damaged by climbing
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
07:00 6° 0.1mm 18 — 77.9%
13:00 11° 2mm 16 — 88.9%
19:00 13° 1mm 36 — 95.5%
Sun Sunday 25 October
Caution
Temp13°C
Raindry
Wind29 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity57%
Should be drySandstone may still hold subsurface moisture
  • Check rock is fully dry before climbing
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
06:00 10° dry 22 — 83%
12:00 13° dry 29 — 57.2%
18:00 10° dry 22 — 68.1%
Mon Monday 26 October
Poor
Temp11°C
Rain0.6mm
Wind28 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity83%
0.6mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Do not climb — wet soft sandstone is damaged by climbing
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
06:00 9° 0.2mm 9 — 79.3%
12:00 11° 0.3mm 28 — 83.4%
18:00 15° dry 33 — 97.3%
Tue Tuesday 27 October
Caution
Temp13°C
Rain0.1mm
Wind17 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity62%
Should be drySandstone may still hold subsurface moisture
  • Check rock is fully dry before climbing
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
06:00 11° dry 24 — 84.8%
12:00 13° dry 17 — 61.5%
18:00 9° dry 10 — 81.8%
Wed Wednesday 28 October
Poor
Temp16°C
Rain0.3mm
Wind23 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity93%
0.3mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstoneHumidity 93% — potential fog
  • Do not climb — wet soft sandstone is damaged by climbing
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind (km/h) Gust Hum
06:00 10° dry 12 — 90%
12:00 16° 0.2mm 23 — 93%
18:00 13° dry 12 — 99.2%

About Bowles Rocks

Never climb here when the rock is wet or damp: the sandstone has only a thin outer crust, and wet climbing damages it permanently. Bowles faces south and the face is clear of trees, so it is usually the fastest of the Southern Sandstone crags to dry after rain, and it gets busy on sunny days as a result. It is generally described as the hardest and least sandy sandstone in the area. The crag is owned by the Bowles Rocks Trust, a charity that runs it as an outdoor education centre: the public pay a fee to climb (card only) and yearly passes are available, with free parking and toilets on site. Public climbing is at weekends and on weekday evenings; check the centre's website for current times, and expect to be asked to move if a course needs an area. Top-rope or bouldering only, using the bolted anchors with a static rope or sling. Pig's Nose (5c) is the classic.

Region
Southern Sandstone
Rock type
Sandstone
Aspect
south-facing
Altitude
100m
Exposure
medium
Seepage
low

Other crags in this region

Harrison's RocksHigh Rocks