Rivelin Edge

Trad climbing conditions · Peak District · Gritstone · New service · Give us feedback

Poor

34/100

Wet sandstone or gritstone in the forecast: wait until the rock is fully dry before climbing.

Inadvisable to climb while wet.Some porous rocks, including sandstone and gritstone, can be weakened by moisture. Climbing on them while wet can damage or break holds. BMC wet-rock guidance.
270 m · representative sector

Crag-wide signal

Climbing wet sandstone or gritstone is inadvisable. Wait until the rock is fully dry.

Rock surface
Wet or seeping
Recent rain
0.2 mm / 24 h
Climbing-window rain
4.4 mm
Face wind / gust
20 / 33 mph
Above-crag gust
35 mph
Best drying window
13:00–18:00
Greasy-rock risk
High
Midge risk at belays
Low · 0/100

Sun and shade

About 3.9 hours of sunshine at the face, mainly after 1pm. Open ground above may receive about 6 hours.

Sun at the face
About 3.9 hours
Sun above the crag
About 6.0 hours

Approximate sunshine from 08:00 until sunset (about 19:44), allowing for cloud and nearby hills. Individual routes and belays may differ.

How we estimate sun and shade

We use a digital elevation model (a 3D map of the land), the sun's position and the direction the crag faces to estimate when nearby hills or the face itself block the sun. Forecast sunshine and cloud then help estimate how much sunshine is likely. Where terrain or face-direction data are missing, we show general sunshine only.

Vegetation is not mapped in detail, and we cannot resolve small rock features, ledges or overhangs. Hills beyond the sampled 2 km can also change local shade. Sunshine does not guarantee dry or ice-free rock.

Wind, rain and daily score: 08:00–18:00 local time.

Experimental wind estimate: Shelter at individual holds and belays is unresolved. Strong gusts may differ substantially; summit-station validation does not establish crag-level accuracy.

Wind: The cliff face and open ground above have broadly similar wind exposure. Trees may reduce wind at the base, but woodland shelter is not resolved; these are exposed-sector estimates, not a measured sheltered-belay wind. A precomputed terrain-flow profile refines how the face shelter changes with wind direction. The face is broadly most sheltered in northerly flow and most exposed in southwesterly flow.

Midges: Forecast conditions are generally unfavourable for midge activity on the face, though the most sheltered corners may differ. The breeze should suppress them on exposed ground, but sheltered pockets may differ. Rain in the preceding three days may leave wetter habitat. Bright sunshine should suppress activity during the sunnier spells.

Climbing is inadvisable until the rock is completely dry.

Did this match the crag?

A broad sector and surface report is enough; no route-level claim is needed.

Forecast generated 5 September 2026 at 11:21 UTC. Weather input cached 5 September 2026 at 08:43 UTC. Includes Mountain Weather rock and exposure estimates. This is a build time, not a single model-run time.

Weather data: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0). Adapted by Mountain Weather.

Use it as a starting signal

Gritstone still needs an on-arrival check.

Typically rough and very grippy when dry. Damp gritstone can feel greasy, while seepage, polish and softer or saturated holds still need careful checking. Broad crag-level rock context; individual sectors and routes may cross different rock, polish, lichen, superficial deposits or seepage.

Rain is model-grid precipitation, including any snow as water equivalent; nearby crags can share it. Aspect and terrain refine wind and drying, not cliff-by-cliff rainfall or rain shadows.

Crag drying and sheltered-wind estimates have not yet been validated against crag-level observations. Published summit checks are not a validation of low crags, woodland or individual belays.

The forecast combines recent and expected rain with broad drying, humidity, dew and wind signals. The climb and open ground above the crag are treated separately where the mapped face gives useful shelter context.

A representative climbing-face direction has been checked against a published crag description, but the named point does not resolve individual sectors, route boundaries or exact belay positions. Forecast-grid weather and representative sector geometry only. Check live access information and touch-test the rock before climbing.

Official access advice: BMC Regional Access Database. We link to the source without reproducing its access notes or restrictions. Check it before travel; no endorsement or partnership is implied.