There is plenty of debate as regards the ethics of climbing limestone in the Peak District. With grit, no placing of bolts is allowed and anyone caught doing so will consider themselves fortunate not to be left hanging by the bolts they have placed. Whereas with limestone a mixed bag of ethics exists. Some crags are strictly traditional in that all protection is hand placed and then removed such as the crags of Dovedale, The Manifold Valley, Staden Quary and parts of Cheedale. With some crags however, with the help of local activists, are becoming sports crags with climbs for all abilities and it is these areas this page will be covering. The protection at sports crags consist of permanent bolts being drilled into the rock. It is the sports climbing areas that are to be primarily concentrated on. There are also crags where both sets of protection exist. Harpur Hill Quarry is an example as are the Lifts in Cheedale. The two main sports climbing areas of the Peak are Cheedale and the surrounding area of the A6 and Water-Cum-Jolly where the renowned and serious Raven Tor crag is situated.

Cheedale

This amazing wooded valley is situated between Topley Pike (outside Buxton) and Miller's Dale which follows the meander of the River Wye. Many of its sports crags and routes are well publicised as test pieces the world over. Cheedale is primarily a summer climbing venue due to it's situation whereby it can become exceptionally wet in winter and most of the crags suffer major seepage, but when in condition, the climbing cannot be surpassed. Cheedale consists of the well established sports crags such as The Embankment, Long Wall and the Cornice as well as some fine new sports crags which are being prepared, cleaned and bolted. The new crags open up sports climbing to the masses by offering many routes between F6a to F7a. However, the established areas are still the realm of the dedicated bolt clipper with grades starting at 7a and going to about 8c but even here there is scope for new routes.

The Embankment

The Embankment was the first crag to be bolted. Grades range from 6b+ to 8a and many of its routes are established classics. The Embankment is still very popular, especially in spring and at weekends. Sometimes the crag can feel crowded and the end result of such popularity is that some routes are becoming polished but loose very few holds in comparison to newer crags.

Long Wall

Long Wall is directly opposite from the Embankment and over the other side of the river. It is another of Cheedale's buttresses and has been transformed from an unapproachable and unjustifiable crag to a popular summer venue with many nice routes. Take some sandals for wading the river and don't wear shorts as those nettles sting! The climbing is steep and grades are from 6c to 8b

The Cornice

Probably Cheedale's most impressive buttress is the Cornice, but due to the amount of seepage it receives during the winter months it could be forgiven if it was thought that there was no decent climbing while walking under it. However in recent years it has dried out completely and even in wetter summers brilliant climbing can be found. The climbing goes from steep to unbelievably steep on it's long walls with wild bulges and overhangs thrown in for good measure. The grades are between 7a to 8c but there is still scope for new routes with some wild lines still left unclimbed. The Cornice is the realm for the dedicated sport climber. If you like clipping bolts then this is the place to be.

There is still scope for new routes and even new crags in the Cheedale area. With the help of dedicated local activists and a new breed of up and coming sports climbers this looks set to continue into the future. It is noted that two of the most active new routers are Gary Gibson and Sid Siddiqui. Along with other nameless locals bringing good quality sports routes to within the reach of the average climber. As well as adding more than just a few routes for the dedicated they are making Cheedale what it is today.

Other notable crags in the surrounding area of Cheedale are Beer House Buttress and Crag X. To find out about these crags plus other development in the surrounding area click here to visit Gary Gibsons website.

Water-Cum-Jolly

The River Wye continues from Cheedale to cut another dale characterised by sweeping bends and short, sharp routes on steep limestone. In many ways Water-Cum-Jolly is as equally attractive as Cheedale but distinctly less populated for the bolt clipper but is gaining popularity with the boulderer. This is definitely the case as regards to Raven Tor where all passers by can see is some semi naked men grunting in bushes. Water-Cum-Jolly lies on the River Wye between Litton mill and Cressbrook. The rights to the river banks in Water-Cum-Jolly are owned by an angling club. They are willing to allow climbers and walkers access to the dale but it is not a right of way . Please do not disturb their fishing activities and please respond to requests to move when the route you are doing is in their way. A reasonable amount of Water-Cum-Jolly is still mainly traditional climbing but it also has a few sports crags which are as good as any in Cheedale if only a little different in character. The main sports crags are Rubicon Wall, The Cornice and of course Ravon Tor which lies a little farther down the dale. There are some other crags which offer good, varied sports climbing. Moat Buttress (take a boat or a pair of wellies), Belladonna Buttress, Jackdaw Point and also the Upper Circle.

Rubicon Wall

Rubicon wall offers both technical, fingery climbing on steep walls as well as some powerful roof problems for those that rely a little less on technique. Rubicon also offers great bouldering but sadly it is getting very polished and muddy. The climbing at Rubicon is on good solid limestone and grades start at about 7b and go up to 8b+.

The Cornice

The only place you can get a good look at the cornice is from directly underneath it. This is why most people are so impressed on their first visit. The Cornice is probably the peak's best hard roof climbing venue and is guaranteed to give your second neck ache. The climbing is steep to say the least and grades are from 7b to 8c.

Raven Tor

This crag is the original home of hard sports climbing in the Peak, if not Britain. From Ron Fawcett's initial assaults on the old aid routes to Ben Moon's Hubble and Steve McClure's latest test pieces, it has been at the forefront of hard climbing in the UK. Whether doing the top end 'E' grades for training or bouldering on the infamous Powerband or other problems. This is a crag only for those that are rather strong! The climbing at Raven Tor is hard to say the least. This crag holds some of the hardest climbing found anywhere in the world. The routes here are either long, sustained and hard or short and exceptionally hard. Grades start at F7b and currently go up to F9a+. Raven Tor can become very hot during the summer months but does have some seepage problems after prolonged rainfall.

Even though the above concentrates primarily on bolt protected areas, there are large crags in the area surrounding Matlock that are all traditional. These crags offer some of the longest routes on lime in the peak and do have some old bolts and pegs from the old days when aid was popular. These routes can be long, committing, strenuous and technically demanding but there are benefits in that while climbing in the area your guaranteed to have tourists clicking away with their cameras.

Important Notice: This text is based on extracts from the
RockFax Peak Limestone Guide
Copyright©ROCKFAX 2001.