When people think of the Peak District, many - including myself - will picture its sweeping Gritstone edges. These edges are, more often than not, situated on barren moorland, in quite a stark and lonely landscape. However, there's a whole lot more to the Peak District than these edges and if you travel towards the south of the national park, to the likes of Cratcliffe and Robin Hood's Stride, you'll find grit in a very different setting. This is a much softer landscape, and benefits from a better climate, being within the rain shadow of the hills further north. There are trees too, which isn't something you see all that frequently elsewhere in the Peak, other than a select few venues (and even then, these are often plantations). The rock itself has a different feel too, smoother, softer and finer-grained. As a result of its softness, care has to be taken, and signs of wear are already apparent, but if you tread lightly then this is a bouldering circuit to be cherished…
Given their close proximity to each other, Robin Hood's Stride (RHS) and Cratcliffe Tor make for a great, single day circuit. What makes this circuit even better is that there's something for everyone. The quality of problems is high throughout the grades, from easy through to hard, and there's everything from low to high - mostly with good landings. As such, this is a popular venue for beginners, intermediate and advanced climbers alike. It's also a fun place to take the family, as it provides (for the most part) a relatively safe space, with great potential for the kids to explore.
There are two points of access, the first from beneath Cratcliffe and the other from RHS; however, given the fact that they're so close it doesn't matter which you use - providing you park considerately. The Top Boulders at Cratcliffe are arguably the best place to begin, not least because there's a large selection of easier problems to warm-up on, then a plethora of others to engage with afterwards. You'll notice some erosion on some of these and it's essential you don't add to that. The rock is quite soft in this part of the Peak District and it's essential that the rock is completely dry and that your shoes are clean and dry too.
Once you're done with this area there's a whole lot more within the woodland just beside it, which is also home to the notorious 'Egg Arete'. This classic of the genre is supposedly somewhere in the region of 6B, but in reality it's best described as 'easy or impossible', as you can't pull your way up this one (not least because there aren't really any holds). To its left are several other Eggy options which are (thankfully) a whole lot easier, then in and around the woods are a host of other things that are a whole lot harder too, with the highlights being the brutal T Crack, with its big and basic moves, and Jerry's Traverse, one of the most picturesque around.
From here you've got two options: either head back through the woods towards RHS (the most popular choice, by far) or go in the opposite direction, which - with some bushwhacking - yields a fine selection of harder problems. We'll focus on the former, but here's a quick hit list for those of an exploratory nature:
If you do decide to head back through the woods you'll soon find yourself at Razor Roof, another classic of the crag coming in at 6C. It's pretty much the polar opposite of Egg Arete insofar as it actually has holds, with big, dynamic moves between them. There's a couple of other problems around here too which are worth a look whilst you're here.
Opposite Razor Roof, through the pines, you'll see your next objective: The Lower Boulders at RHS. The landings on these boulders are a little slopey, so it's worth being extra careful arranging your pads, and getting someone to spot you. These slabby problems are an absolute treat, with T Slab being my personal highlight. If you're after something harder head around to the appropriately named 'Green Boulder', where - depending on how green it actually is - there's some slopey classics to be had.
As you head around the hillside, with the summit blocks above you there's a tightly packed bunch of problems that will give anyone operating in the 7s a good time… or a hard time… depending on how you're going. There aren't that many easy problems here, and what there is is quite high, so if you're after something a little less unsettling - keep walking!
Carry on through the woods, curving around the summit blocks, and you'll eventually come out into a more open area just beside The Square Block. This area is an alternative area to warm-up, as there are some fantastic easier problems, plus a particularly brilliant slab which can - if you're feeling keen - be climbed hands-free.
Finally, to complete the loop, The Flipper is a flipping fine place to finish.
Guidebook - Peak Bouldering (Rockfax) offers the most comprehensive coverage and is currently available in digital form (new edition coming in 2023). RHS and Cratcliffe also appear within Niall Grimes' superb 'Boulder Britain', but the coverage within is quite select.
Circuits - Within this destination guide we've outlined a selection of problems which can be linked into a circuit. There are no rules to this and if you want, we actively encourage you to go off exploring other problems. If you're after more circuit based inspiration, there's a Green, Orange and Red circuit outlined for both RHS and Cratcliffe in the Rockfax Peak Bouldering guidebook.
Other Areas - There's a wealth of climbing within the local area and the greatest quantity lies on Stanton Moor, which is a 5-10 minute drive away (depending on where you're parked). The difference with Stanton Moor is that unlike RHS/Cratcliffe the problems are much more spread out and hidden away, hence there's a lot more walking (and getting lost) involved.
Comments
Sadly its popularity & softer stone has led to much of the more accessible problems becoming badly eroded (climbing in the wet, not wiping feet etc). Maybe an additional comment to highlight the importance of looking after the place since it surely doesn't need advertising as a destination
I wrote this within the very first paragraph:
“As a result of its softness, care has to be taken, and signs of wear are already apparent, but if you tread lightly then this is a bouldering circuit to be cherished…”.
Within the video we were keen to be seen to be doing all the right things, such as cleaning/drying our shoes and brushing holds. We’ve produced best practise videos and articles before, which tackle the issue directly, but within this we wanted it to be a little more natural.
Thankyou. I somehow missed that so i do apologise. Its just very sad to see whats happened there particularly over the last few years.. the erosion, bad parking etc
Bear with and I’ll take another look at the article next week and see if there’s anything we can do to make the information more prominent. It’s a valid point that you’ve raised and one that’s similarly close to my heart, so anything we can do to raise further awareness is a good thing.
Great stuff Rob. Definitely not pissing on your article. Given the points mentioned it wouldn't feel out of place or finger waggy to put a bit of ethics & stewardship at the forefront in this case