UKC

Hi everyone,

In the next couple of weeks I'm going to head up to the Peak District for my first climb on grit. My question is what crag should I visit and which guide would you recommend?

I'm looking for trad routes in the easier half of grades.

Any tips for what to expect or whether to go quarried or natural welcome.

Cheers,
Asher

In reply to Asher Collins:

Windgather is a great place to start on grit.. pretty much exclusively in the lower half of the grading.

In reply to Asher Collins:
To savour the true grit experience you need to go for natural. IMO Stanage is THE best grit crag but my personal favourite was always Millstone Edge which is of course quarried.

Al

In reply to Asher Collins:
The Burbage Valley is a great place to explore (I'm probably biased because I've been going since childhood, but there is a lot of routes in the lower grades, and it's a beautiful place).

In reply to Asher Collins:

Go with the clichés, Stanage, Froggatt, Millstone and Burbage. 3 star classics at whatever grade you fancy.

Do yourself 1 favour as a first time visitor, drive up from Hathersage past the Scotsmans pack and let Stanage unfold to your left as far as the eye can see, everytime I do that I find myself thinking how I'd feel seeing that if I was new to grit or didn't live nearby.

In reply to Asher Collins:

Yeah it's a no brainer. Stanage for a few months then do the rest. Even on a busy Sunday there's plenty for all. The only trouble is parking but that's not even that bad if you're prepared to walk. Froggatt is my favourite but it's just personal preference. All the honey pot crags in the rock fast guide are good.

In reply to Asher Collins:

Birchen is another good low grade venue and has some of the softest VS's you are likely to find.

In reply to Asher Collins:
The BMC guides are good too.

If you sit in a certain place at Burbage at twilight, there's some spikey rocks which can trick you into thinking there's some people just within the corner of your vision, and you can end up glancing up a couple of times before realising it's 'still' just a collection of rocks.

In reply to mrphilipoldham:


I assume this is a joke? Not a single 3* route at the crag

Burbage is about 7m high

Go to millstone, bamford, stanage, cratcliffe, froggatt

In reply to Asher Collins:

Pop

In reply to Asher Collins:

Thanks for the replies everyone much appreciated.

I'm thinking stanage via the drive recommended. Is eastern grit the best guide for the job?

Also which area of stanage do people recommend?

Thanks again.

Pop indeed.

In reply to ashtond6:



all true.


i'd go natural, personally (fully clothed mind you) and would avoid cratcliffe until climbing e2 (you don't want to fluff suicide wall do you?). stanage and the roaches are the best crags, although i enjoyed the roaches more once i started climbing in the e grades. curbar is great too, but can beat you up pretty badly.

a lot of people really rate quarried grit, but i just don't like quarries very much. the rock is more chossy and sandy (much of millstone is loose, particularly the finishes) and the environment a bit dingy. the natural edges on the other hand are beautiful and the friction climbing has far more character than the cracks and flat holds in the quarries.

In reply to Jon Stewart:

Agree 100%

Burbage is a little bit higher in places than 7 meters, but it is a lower crag in character than Stanage.

It's lower height needn't be a bad thing.

In reply to ashtond6:
Get off your high horse.. did he ask for 3* routes? He asked for somewhere to go for his first experience on grit, with options in the easier end of the grading. It wasn't the be all and end all.. but in terms of getting using to the gear and rock you can't go far wrong. Assuming he has more than a day then he could quite happily head to the bigger crags.

In reply to Asher Collins:
Stanage Popular has friendly 3* routes at all grades, all next to each other. The grades are very reasonable and everything is big (for grit), clean and well-traveled. But on the weekend, it's a circus - you can't have it all (unless you're local and have weekdays off of course [smugface emoticon]).

The other end of Stanage is quieter, more spread out, some sandbags, some routes are a bit green, much of the edge is smaller and more broken. It has plenty of charm, and none of the brashness of the crowded classics of the Popular End. So, depends what you're looking for.

If you don't mind a busy crag, I would head for Pop, as it's never so busy you can't get on a 3* VS etc.

Yes, Eastern Grit is best for the visitor as it has all the classics and plenty more on the main crags. The BMC guides are far better but it's a lot more expensive to buy the whole lot!

In reply to Jon Stewart:
That's why Burbage is nice, it's often less crowded than Stanage popular. I'm definitely biased towards it though - it's a part of my childhood.

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

Good point, who would wanna climb decent routes on a trip to the Peak?
Could go to Stannington to be fair.

In reply to Asher Collins:

As above, Stanage is the obvious choice,
But I'd recommend Bamford. Parking's a bit limited but some of my favourite S', VS' and HVS' are at Bamford. For quarried grit, Lawrencefield is pretty friendly and not really loose IMO, just a bit sandy on top.
Millstone really comes into it's own at about HVS, but might be a bit intimidating if you're not used to quarried cracks.

In reply to ashtond6:

Quite, esoterica is some folks' thing.

Sorry.. I mean to say, I assume this is some sort of joke? Not a single star at the crag.

In reply to Asher Collins:

Stanage High Neb (or Stanage End as it called in Eastern Grit/UKC) is great for easy grades and easy to locate routes especially for the first timer. I'd avoid Cratcliffe and Curbar coz they will spit you out also Froggatt and Bamford as they are not easy to find the routes. Others to consider in the Eastern Grit area are defo Popular End, Burbage North and Birchen and on the Western Grit, the Roaches and Windgather. enjoy and let us know how you got on.

In reply to ashtond6:




You are a complete kn0bhe4d if you think Millstone and Cratcliffe are places suitable for a first timer should go to.

In reply to Paul Hy:


His profile says he onsights VS,

3* VSs at Millstone
2* VSs at Cratcliffe

All safe routes,

You complete kn0bhe4d

In reply to ashtond6:
I'm wondering how interested anybody after advice would be in people exchanging insults?

You're Sheffield based, too, go out into the Peak and chill instead. Much healthier

In reply to Timmd:

Only justified my reasons then copied and pasted his delightful comment

In reply to ashtond6:
No, his profile says his best onsight is VS.. without a complete logbook I'd be careful of assuming he's regularly cruising up them. Infact, as he mentions the easier half of the grades I'd wager he's looking at anything below VS predominantly.

Edit - It was only in May this year that he seemed to be having trouble getting up 10m indoor routes due to pump.. and long trad VS's are being suggested with gear placements and all to worry about!!

In reply to Asher Collins:

Asher, be aware of the Peak District hornets nest, it's located somewhere between Kettleshume and Winster and just got inadvertently kicked (again!). You should be clear of it up on Stanage, go, have fun.

In reply to Asher Collins:

dont forget western grit as well as the eastern edges, , The Roaches is a really special place, a bit taller than the eastern grit (a few two pitch routes, with longer on Hen Cloud just over the way) and a unique landscape

In reply to mrphilipoldham:

I should probably clarify what grades I like climbing.

On this trip I'm looking for routes below E grades with some good routes below HS to find my feet on.

My profile is a bit out of date, that VS onsight was actually a solo I did a few weeks after starting climbing, previous experience some bouldering and a soloed diff. Ignorance is a blessing I suppose?

In reply to Asher Collins:

In that case, there's plenty of excellent advice across the board given.. check out the guidebooks and logbooks on here and see what takes your fancy. Most of all, have fun

Stanage or Froggatt

Get Eastern Grit Rockfax and be done with it!

In reply to ashtond6:

Good grief this forum is f*cking fractious sometimes.

But the point made was valid really, even if someone is regularly onsighting VS's, they'll probably not want to jump straight on a VS on a rock type they've not climbed on before. Grit especially, most likely. When you're comfortable at HVS it'll definitely be time to go to Millstone, but even so I wouldn't put it top of the list for a first-time visitor to the area.

I'd say for a first visit to Peak grit you'll be best off with one of the big 3, those being Stanage, Roaches and Froggatt. And Stanage is the most obvious choice, it's a bit of a cliche but for very good reason. (Froggatt is often a good bet on a blustery day, as the foot of the crag is quite sheltered by the trees.)

No doubt DerwentDiluted and I will be hurling insults at each other in a minute, but if you want an impressive view of Stanage the first time you see it don't drive up 'The Dale' from Hathersausage past the Scotsman's Pack as he suggests. Instead take Jaggers Lane then Coggers Lane towards High Neb. Do try to keep your eyes on the road while you're moving though.

Better yet possibly, arrive at the North Lees campsite in the dark and walk up through the plantation in the morning.

The best guidebook for Stanage by far is the current BMC definitive guide, but that covers only Stanage so may not be good value for money for an occasional visitor. The Eastern Grit Rockfax is likely your best bet.

In reply to deepsoup:


Me and you DS, on top of the Cowper stone, sunrise. Weapons will be guidebooks wrapped in socks.

Rockfax or BMC? The choice is thine.

In reply to DerwentDiluted:


Pretty sure the Geneva Convention has a clause specifically dealing with the Lancashire Brick.

In reply to Asher Collins:

Be prepared for midgies.

I would start on the eastern edges especially stanage and burbage north. The climbing tends to be a bit friendlier (more holds, less grity rock) and there tends to be more gear.

I would start on the natural grit myself.

In reply to Asher Collins:


Worth being flexible, with the weather and all. If it's blowing a gale it can be worth avoiding Stanage and Burbage. Lawrencefield is a good sheltered crag for example.

But if it's nice, Stanage should be high on your list I think.

In reply to DerwentDiluted:

No way. If we're going to fight to the death armed only with a guidebook in a sock, I'm bringing an old-fashioned ramblers red sock and Lancashire!

In reply to Lemony:

D'Oh! Denied.
Ok then. On Peak Rock. (In hardback, naturally.)

In reply to deepsoup:



I'll bring Mrs Diluted to act as second, and if that doesn't terrify you... well it should, you've met her!

In reply to DerwentDiluted:
Ok, ok! I give up!

In reply to Asher Collins:

If you want to know how to move on grit,try bouldering at Stanage,or Burbage South.No need for a rope to start with.

In reply to paul mitchell:

I like Burbage West

In reply to Asher Collins:
Hi,

First visit to grit should be Stanage in fairness imho, and RF eastern grit covers the area well. If you come and like it, buy the BMC guides they are a work of art.

But to throw a curve ball, What about Peak limestone? On the basis much of it will be edging out of its best condition as the summer closes, come get on it while you can. Grit will still be there in the colder months and without midges!

Wayne

In reply to Asher Collins:

Thanks again for the advice everyone. A copy of eastern grit is on its way and I'll be heading up to stanage as soon as I get a free weekend.

In reply to Asher Collins:

Just to upset everyone I'm going to chime in and say that the best place for gritstone climbing is in the Rhinogydd, N Wales. No multi pitch mountain grit at Stanage is there?

*dons asbestos clothing, runs for bunker*

In reply to Asher Collins:


You won't regret it


Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:


He might if he tries to do The Tippler. :S

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Telescope Tunnel at Birchen. The only mod I have ever failed to lead.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:


He only leads VS so should be OK for a couple of years

Chris

In reply to Chris Craggs:
i remember going to millstone with a first timer out doors and wondering wether to let my friend lead the great slab hs 4b him self or me lead it and let him second it, whilst waiting on the route to be free ,the person strugling to get started on the route said to me ::" you should not bring beginners to this crag ." well this advise got my goat and i decided to lead the route myself as she could not do it, aprox 10 minutes later my friend seconded the route and the look on the person face made up for the remark i was 50 years old at the time and she was mid 20 s and obviously from the way she was climbing only a beginner herself . so milstone is a great place even for beginners BUT it can be intimidating and there are some great routes to be found in your grade be care and stay safe
ps once you get istablished on milstone slab it is a fantastic route . and combines all sorts of techniques which would help a "beginner "

In reply to Asher Collins:

Go somewhere beautiful.