None of Stokes offering of shelling type peas are really climbing. One of few out there is Tall Tejlephone or Alderman. Snap peas, Sugar Snap, Super Sugar Snap are climbers. I have grown several of the Stokes listed varieties. Strike has been the best performer. Laxton's Progress is a prolific producer but not as sweet. Mr.Big has huge pods and peas and is a reasonable producer. Bolero is pretty good. Knight was somewhat of a dissapointment. All of them top out at about 3 feet.

I've grown Dakota as well and they are wonderfully sweet! Bolero is what I usually grow now; they hold really well if I can't pick every day and that's a big plus for me. Freezing quality is excellent, too. They fill better than Dakota did for me and the peas are just about as sweet. This year I wanted to try something different. In my zone, the peas are just coming up, so I can't comment on Legacy wrt flavour, etc. just yet. Here is a link that might be useful: Bolero garden peas

I'd wager peas should do fine planted now. As you've noted, this is the ideal time on a number of local planting calendars, and I've successfully grown several varieties in everything short of high summer. For snap peas, I like Cascadia. They're a nice short-season option at under 60 days and very sweet. Planted densely, they'll support themselves most of the year. In warmer seasons they can go a little leggy and will likely need trellising for support. (Though, to be fair, I had an entire bed fold in half last year but continue growing and producing.) For shelling peas, Green Arrow do well. They always need to be trellised in my experience. Haven't found many bell papers that don't do well; it really comes down to preference in size, taste, and appearance.

Yes, many people are turned down for their requests because they are just asking for seed for normal garden purposes. I have found that most pea varieties I try are beat down by the heavy rains here* and can't grow to well when the clay soil gets compacted, I'm trying to get more sturdy varieties. I'm sure these varieties do fine elsewhere, just not for me :( I hope that all the English landraces can offer the genes for sturdiness and tolerance of heavy (and I mean heavy) clay. The USDA has such a treasure trove of genes, I'm working now on making new Tom Thumb-type lettuces for cold frame growing, courtesy of seeds from the USDA. * I grow peas in the winter here, hence the heavy rain.