Climbing Forecast › County Durham — Teesdale › High Force Quarry

COUNTY DURHAM — TEESDALE · DOLERITE

High Force Quarry climbing conditions

Good — dry and climbable

Right now

Temp16°C
Wind13.3 km/h
Gusts20 km/h
Humidity96.3%
Rain 48h0mm
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain
Humidity 96.3% — potential fog/cloud, rock may be damp from condensation
Loose shale layers between dolerite beds — check top-outs

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 14 August
Good
Temp22°C
Rain0.2mm
Wind22 km/h
Gusts20 km/h
Humidity74%
No recent rain
  • Dolerite climbs well when dry
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 16° 0mm 13 0 96.3%
07:00 18° 0mm 13 0 92.1%
08:00 20° 0mm 15 0 84.9%
09:00 21° 0mm 19 0 79.8%
10:00 21° 0mm 20 0 82.2%
11:00 21° 0.2mm 23 0 79.5%
12:00 22° 0mm 22 0 77.4%
13:00 23° 0mm 22 0 71.8%
14:00 22° 0mm 23 0 70%
15:00 22° 0mm 22 0 68.5%
16:00 21° 0mm 21 0 67.1%
17:00 20° 0mm 19 0 67.9%
18:00 19° 0mm 18 0 68.2%
19:00 18° 0mm 17 0 71.3%
20:00 16° 0mm 14 0 75%
21:00 15° 0mm 13 0 78.3%
Sat Saturday 15 August
Good
Temp17°C
Rain0mm
Wind17 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity58%
No recent rain
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Dolerite climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 12° 0mm 17 0 89.8%
07:00 13° 0mm 18 0 82.6%
08:00 14° 0mm 18 0 75.8%
09:00 15° 0mm 19 0 68.8%
10:00 16° 0mm 18 0 65.7%
11:00 17° 0mm 17 0 57.6%
12:00 17° 0mm 17 0 57.6%
13:00 17° 0mm 16 0 57.3%
14:00 17° 0mm 17 0 58.1%
15:00 17° 0mm 16 0 56.8%
16:00 17° 0mm 17 0 56.2%
17:00 17° 0mm 17 0 55.8%
18:00 17° 0mm 15 0 57.3%
19:00 16° 0mm 12 0 63.1%
20:00 14° 0mm 9 0 69.2%
21:00 14° 0mm 11 0 70.2%
Sun Sunday 16 August
Poor
Temp16°C
Rain0.9mm
Wind14 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity66%
0.9mm rain forecast
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Wet dolerite is slick — let it dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 12° 0mm 14 0 84%
07:00 13° 0mm 16 0 79.9%
08:00 14° 0mm 16 0 72.6%
09:00 15° 0mm 14 0 66.8%
10:00 16° 0mm 14 0 64%
11:00 16° 0.7mm 13 0 63.6%
12:00 16° 0mm 12 0 69.8%
13:00 17° 0mm 14 0 63.7%
14:00 16° 0mm 15 0 64.9%
15:00 16° 0mm 16 0 66.9%
16:00 16° 0mm 17 0 66.3%
17:00 16° 0mm 16 0 66.9%
18:00 15° 0.17mm 15 0 71.6%
Mon Monday 17 August
Good
Temp16°C
Rain0.1mm
Wind10 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity89%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Dolerite climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 14° 0.05mm 3 0 96.7%
12:00 16° 0.05mm 10 0 89%
18:00 17° 0mm 14 0 82.7%
Tue Tuesday 18 August
Poor
Temp19°C
Rain0.9mm
Wind22 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity92%
0.9mm rain forecastHumidity 92% — potential fog
  • Wet dolerite is slick — let it dry before leading
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 16° 0.33mm 21 0 98%
12:00 19° 0.27mm 22 0 91.7%
18:00 18° 0.02mm 18 0 88.6%
Wed Wednesday 19 August
Good
Temp17°C
Rain0.2mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity75%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Dolerite climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 13° 0.15mm 6 0 99%
12:00 17° 0mm 19 0 74.5%
18:00 15° 0mm 15 0 74.9%
Thu Thursday 20 August
Good
Temp16°C
Rain0.2mm
Wind17 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity76%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Dolerite climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 12° 0.05mm 8 0 94.3%
12:00 16° 0.15mm 17 0 76.2%
18:00 15° 0.02mm 12 0 77.7%
Fri Friday 21 August
Poor
Temp15°C
Rain1.3mm
Wind9 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity82%
1.3mm rain forecast
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Wet dolerite is slick — let it dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 12° 0.3mm 6 0 94.4%
12:00 15° 0.97mm 9 0 81.8%
18:00 14° 0.03mm 16 0 94%
Sat Saturday 22 August
Poor
Temp17°C
Rain1.4mm
Wind12 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity72%
1.4mm rain forecast
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Wet dolerite is slick — let it dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 12° 0.03mm 11 0 97.4%
12:00 17° 1.33mm 12 0 71.9%
18:00 14° 0mm 4 0 88.5%
Sun Sunday 23 August
Good
Temp15°C
Rain0.1mm
Wind9 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity75%
Should be dry
  • Good friction range for dolerite
  • Dolerite climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 9° 0.08mm 10 0 99.6%
12:00 15° 0mm 9 0 74.6%
High Force Quarry is a disused igneous rock quarry situated near the iconic High Force waterfall in Upper Teesdale, developed on the Whin Sill dolerite. The rock consists of dense, dark dolerite interbedded with fractured shale bands, offering steep, blocky wall climbing, corners, and arêtes. Facing southeast, the quarry benefits from morning and early afternoon sun, helping open faces dry fairly quickly after wet weather. The climbing style is strictly traditional, featuring mid-grade routes from Severe to E2 that test gear placement in vertical crack systems and stepped corners. Classic routes such as Force Wall showcase the steep, positive climbing typical of Teesdale dolerite. Access is gained via public footpaths near the High Force Hotel parking area, taking approximately ten to fifteen minutes across pleasant valley paths. The most critical factor for climbers is rock quality control; while primary faces are sound, the upper quarry rims and intercalated shale beds contain loose rock and unstable scree that require extreme care during topping out.

About High Force Quarry

High Force Quarry is a disused igneous rock quarry situated near the iconic High Force waterfall in Upper Teesdale, developed on the Whin Sill dolerite. The rock consists of dense, dark dolerite interbedded with fractured shale bands, offering steep, blocky wall climbing, corners, and arêtes. Facing southeast, the quarry benefits from morning and early afternoon sun, helping open faces dry fairly quickly after wet weather. The climbing style is strictly traditional, featuring mid-grade routes from Severe to E2 that test gear placement in vertical crack systems and stepped corners. Classic routes such as Force Wall showcase the steep, positive climbing typical of Teesdale dolerite. Access is gained via public footpaths near the High Force Hotel parking area, taking approximately ten to fifteen minutes across pleasant valley paths. The most critical factor for climbers is rock quality control; while primary faces are sound, the upper quarry rims and intercalated shale beds contain loose rock and unstable scree that require extreme care during topping out.

Region
County Durham — Teesdale
Rock type
dolerite
Aspect
south-east-facing
Altitude
310m
Exposure
medium
Seepage
medium

Other crags in this region

Goldsborough RockHolwick ScarCausey Quarry