UKC

Slipstones is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. The sudden rise in popularity of this venue has caused concern from landowners and local residents. The land owner is not happy about climbers taking short cuts across the heather below the crag and residents have reported parked cars blocking the lane and access to gateways.

The BMC access rep has been in negotiation and a suggested compromise for the approach to minimise disturbance to the moor is for everyone to follow the side of the wall up to the right side of the crag and only cut across when level with the rocks. The whole area around the crag is also important for ground nesting birds in the Spring so please minimise noise on your approach

Please be considerate when parking. Share cars if at all possible and be prepared to walk from further back down the lane if the usual layby is full.

In reply to Dave Musgrove: Odd - I have never seen more than 4 other people there. Valid points though. Does this access apply for the other end of the crag too?

In reply to Dave Musgrove:

Is the usual approach of following the track below the crag and then cutting up to the crags left end now banned?
As there is a "scrappy" path this way.

In reply to Dave Musgrove: good points Dave- I always understood that these were the access points anyway? I would add that the main track below is eroded to hell and only seems to be getting worse due to trials biking, rather than climbers.

In reply to lummox:
Yep, would agree, have seen people up there before on their feckin' noise making machines completely tearing the track to pieces - shurely more of a problem than climbers??

In reply to Andy Robinson:

What ever happened to your topo guide for Slipstones.
(And I've seen the "pissed Bastards" photos, hope your mother doesnt)

In reply to FH:
Give me a chance! I have just moved countries - plus, I have some work to do, unlike some of the fellow fat weak boulderers who visit this site........

And I was acting in those photos - Jon can vouch that barely a drop passed my lips. My body is a temple etc......

In reply to Andy Robinson:

You were demonstrating excellent frostofonium (or whatever it's called) technique!

In reply to jon:
Well, I've been playing it for many years now!

In reply to Andy Robinson:

Fat? Weak? No Joke?.....oh you cant do it , old man!


That track is a Bridal way so motorbikes should not be there anyway.

In reply to FH: No, Its not banned as such but the land agent felt that parties were cutting through at diferrnt levels creating multiple tracks. It seems easier to keep everyone on the same track if the wall route is followed. The distance to the rocks from the wall is also less than from the old track from the Bridleway.

In reply to Dave Musgrove:we climbers get the blame for rock/land erosion/noise/litter/access/parking/pet dogs/etc.land owners would rather approach a mild mannered climber than a lawless thug on a qaud/scrambler hellbent on destuction/confrontation/violance/.on parking try scuggy we all seem to manage

In reply to Dave Musgrove:
Hi Dave, I have spoken to the person who lives in the house just before the crag, he also owns the track. I asked about any problems he had encountered with parking etc.. He told me that it was fine as long as people did not block access to his house. If the parking area is full, you can park 100m further back at the large opening.

In reply to Dave Musgrove:

It's your fault for stealing it (and thus popularising it) from the North Of England guide!!

Great little crag tho...

In reply to Fiend:

We just brought it back to its true home - but at least it gets climbers a little closer to those other hidden gems in your guide.

In reply to Steve D.:

Thanks Steve, I think the situation is manageable if we all act considerately.

In reply to Dave Musgrove:
Anyone got a suggested v grade for lay-by arete

In reply to Dave Musgrove:

Off-topic: Although that was a facetious point I made, I do think Slipstones should have stayed in NOERC, for the following reasons:

- Geographically AND style-of-climbing wise it fits into NOERC. I.e. It's reasonably close to NOERC crags such as Hag Wood and Crag Willas, and almost parallel with the Cleveland Hills crags (while in the main Yorkshire area only Eavestone (I think) is anywhere near close). The short micro-route style also fits better with Crag Willas, Goldsborough, Cleveland Hills etc etc than it fits with most Yorkshire crags.

- The Yorkshire guide is packed full of meaty goodness and thus BIG because of it. With all the great crags it doesn't really "need" Slipstones and the extra bulk that section gives.

- The NOERC guide on the other hand is basically a guide of minor crags - local crags for local climbers =). Some of which offer very enjoyable climbing but aren't going to achieve the popularity of the main Yorkshire crags. Having an exclusive on somewhere like the Slipstones might give the area the "credibility boost" it deserves.

In reply to robb:

V8? V9? I can't do it anyway.

In reply to Fiend:

Which county is it in?
What type of rock is it?

... so which guidebook should it be in?

In reply to JP:

Which county is it in?

Yorkshire - just like Crag Willas and the Cleveland Hills crags.

What type of rock is it?

Gritstone - just like Crag Willas and Goldsborough Carr.

... so which guidebook should it be in?

North of England Rock Climbs.

In reply to JP:

Yorkshire Gritstone Bouldering, it should of had a full chapter.
But it's popularity is growing, thats why the cover of OTE was a problem there last month and inside this months is a full page photo of lay-by.
It's great saving may well be it's isolated location.

In reply to Dave Musgrove:
surely the dilemma about Slipstones, and any other crag will never now be resolved, my thinking behind this, is the fact that more and more people want to make money from Climbing, this would be ok if it didn,t mean magazines , etc did not publish articles about places like Slipstones.
Thereby more , and more folk seeeing, or reading about these places, want to go.
Especially Bouldering venues, after all Bouldering is the new Rock and Roll, all that lovely gear to wear to look the part.
I don,t have an answer, only these thoughts, I have been climbing now for 39 years so have seen most things.