Climbing Forecast › Lake District — West Coast › St. Bees Head

LAKE DISTRICT — WEST COAST · SANDSTONE · tidal bird ban

St. Bees Head climbing conditions

Good — dry and climbable

Right now

Temp18°C
Wind14.4 km/h
Gusts22 km/h
Humidity94.7%
Rain 48h0mm
Last rainNone recent

Assessment

No recent rain
Tidal access: Base completely submerged at high tide — climb strictly 3h either side of low water.
Humidity 94.7% — potential fog/cloud, rock may be damp from condensation
Check sandstone is genuinely dry — condensation can wet the surface
loose_rock

7-day forecast

Scroll through each day — hourly detail is shown inline.

Today Friday 14 August
Good
Temp19°C
Rain0mm
Wind27 km/h
Gusts22 km/h
Humidity78%
No recent rain
  • Hard sandstone climbs well when dry
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 18° 0mm 14 0 94.7%
07:00 19° 0mm 13 0 92.9%
08:00 19° 0mm 12 0 90.1%
09:00 19° 0mm 17 0 88.5%
10:00 19° 0mm 24 0 90.4%
11:00 18° 0mm 27 0 87.9%
12:00 18° 0mm 27 0 84.3%
13:00 19° 0mm 27 0 76.7%
14:00 19° 0mm 28 0 70.6%
15:00 20° 0mm 27 0 67.6%
16:00 19° 0mm 27 0 65.3%
17:00 19° 0mm 26 0 65%
18:00 18° 0mm 25 0 64.3%
19:00 18° 0mm 26 0 65.8%
20:00 17° 0mm 27 0 70.5%
21:00 16° 0mm 30 0 75.3%
Sat Saturday 15 August
Good
Temp17°C
Rain0mm
Wind23 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity60%
No recent rain
  • Hard sandstone climbs well when dry
  • Breezy — helps drying
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 15° 0mm 28 0 87.8%
07:00 15° 0mm 25 0 83.9%
08:00 16° 0mm 23 0 78.4%
09:00 16° 0mm 24 0 69.5%
10:00 16° 0mm 23 0 64.2%
11:00 17° 0mm 22 0 60.8%
12:00 17° 0mm 19 0 58.2%
13:00 17° 0mm 21 0 56.6%
14:00 18° 0mm 24 0 55.9%
15:00 17° 0mm 27 0 59.6%
16:00 17° 0mm 26 0 64.8%
17:00 17° 0mm 25 0 58.8%
18:00 17° 0mm 25 0 57.2%
19:00 17° 0mm 24 0 59.7%
20:00 16° 0mm 23 0 63.2%
21:00 16° 0mm 23 0 64.5%
Sun Sunday 16 August
Poor
Temp17°C
Rain0.8mm
Wind15 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity73%
0.8mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 15° 0mm 17 0 79.1%
07:00 15° 0mm 14 0 75.5%
08:00 16° 0mm 13 0 75.5%
09:00 16° 0mm 10 0 74.3%
10:00 16° 0mm 10 0 72.9%
11:00 17° 0.1mm 11 0 70.8%
12:00 16° 0mm 11 0 73.6%
13:00 16° 0mm 15 0 73.4%
14:00 17° 0mm 17 0 71.4%
15:00 17° 0mm 20 0 73%
16:00 17° 0mm 18 0 73.5%
17:00 17° 0mm 17 0 73.9%
18:00 17° 0.72mm 20 0 74.7%
Mon Monday 17 August
Poor
Temp17°C
Rain0.3mm
Wind10 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity90%
0.3mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Hard sandstone climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 16° 0.15mm 13 0 93.8%
12:00 17° 0.02mm 10 0 90.1%
18:00 17° 0mm 16 0 84.2%
Tue Tuesday 18 August
Poor
Temp18°C
Rain1.7mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity92%
1.7mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 18° 0.8mm 25 0 93.6%
12:00 18° 0.15mm 19 0 92.2%
18:00 18° 0.03mm 10 0 80.1%
Wed Wednesday 19 August
Poor
Temp16°C
Rain0.4mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity78%
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 15° 0.1mm 9 0 90.3%
12:00 16° 0.08mm 19 0 77.6%
18:00 16° 0.12mm 19 0 76.8%
Thu Thursday 20 August
Poor
Temp16°C
Rain2.9mm
Wind19 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity79%
2.9mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 14° 0.33mm 16 0 91%
12:00 16° 0.12mm 19 0 79.4%
18:00 17° 0.4mm 20 0 70.9%
Fri Friday 21 August
Poor
Temp16°C
Rain1.6mm
Wind14 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity81%
1.6mm rain forecastDo not climb wet sandstone
  • Wet sandstone is slippery — let the rock dry before leading
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 14° 0.32mm 8 0 90.3%
12:00 16° 0.37mm 14 0 80.9%
18:00 17° 0.15mm 21 0 79.1%
Sat Saturday 22 August
Poor
Temp17°C
Rain0.5mm
Wind14 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity76%
0.5mm 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° 0.05mm 11 0 93.2%
12:00 17° 0.07mm 14 0 75.8%
18:00 17° 0.03mm 16 0 67.3%
Sun Sunday 23 August
Caution
Temp16°C
Rain0.1mm
Wind13 km/h
Gusts—
Humidity74%
Should be drySandstone may still hold subsurface moisture
  • Hard sandstone climbs well when dry
Time °C Rain Wind Gust Hum
06:00 13° 0.03mm 13 0 91.6%
12:00 16° 0mm 13 0 74.2%
Tidal access
Base completely submerged at high tide — climb strictly 3h either side of low water.
Bird ban (03-01 to 07-31)
RSPB nature reserve bird ban closes entire cliff during spring/summer breeding season.
St. Bees Head is a dramatic coastal red sandstone sea cliff standing prominently on the Cumbrian coastline near Whitehaven. The rock consists of soft, friable Permian red sandstone featuring steep roofs, sandy breaks, and bold sea-scoured walls. Facing west directly onto the Irish Sea, the cliff catches afternoon sun, but sea spray and humidity mean dampness is common. Climbing consists of adventurous traditional sea-cliff climbing, with bold E-grade routes on unusual sandstone formations. Classics like Iron Man offer intense, pumpy climbing on steep hold features. The approach takes twenty to thirty minutes along the coastal RSPB path from St. Bees village. Tidal cutoff is absolute, loose rock is widespread, and total bird ban restrictions prevent summer climbing.

About St. Bees Head

St. Bees Head is a dramatic coastal red sandstone sea cliff standing prominently on the Cumbrian coastline near Whitehaven. The rock consists of soft, friable Permian red sandstone featuring steep roofs, sandy breaks, and bold sea-scoured walls. Facing west directly onto the Irish Sea, the cliff catches afternoon sun, but sea spray and humidity mean dampness is common. Climbing consists of adventurous traditional sea-cliff climbing, with bold E-grade routes on unusual sandstone formations. Classics like Iron Man offer intense, pumpy climbing on steep hold features. The approach takes twenty to thirty minutes along the coastal RSPB path from St. Bees village. Tidal cutoff is absolute, loose rock is widespread, and total bird ban restrictions prevent summer climbing.

Region
Lake District — West Coast
Rock type
sandstone
Aspect
west-facing
Altitude
30m
Exposure
low
Seepage
high