UKC

We were climbing there this weekend, and with having tried about 7 campsites in the peak before finding one that was not full, I was expecting every crag to be rammed.
However we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

Easy walk-in, quality lines, on sharp, unpolished rock, with the tree cover providing a nice escape form the sun, what's not to like?

I'm not complaining at all (in fact, maybe I should keep my mouth shut so that it remains quite), but I'm curious as to why quality venues like this get overlooked in favour of the usual honeypot crags.

In reply to SuperLee1985:
There's a great campsite, permanently quiet right next to it too.
Gardoms is a brilliant crag, but can be midgie this time of year.

In reply to deacondeacon:

The best routes are 1 vs, 2e1s, and 4e3s iirc. The next time I go, I will probably want to do eye of faith and then one of the E3s, but if I'm not confident in getting the E3 target, I won't go. I imagine others think similarly.

It is indeed the quietest of the good crags near Sheffield though, and it's lovely.

In reply to SuperLee1985:

Not quite as many clean classics of all grades next to each other I guess as Stanage or Froggatt. Some routes in the trees are a bit more hassle to get to. It's not as quiet as Chatsworth just down the road though!

In reply to Cake:




It's also probably the best bouldering venue on Eastern Grit for 7Bs

In reply to SuperLee1985:

If I remember correctly it has more than its share of sandbags, at least in the sub E grades.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

Once perhaps, but the latest guides have corrected most of them.

In reply to SuperLee1985:

Been a few times, but the tree cover and aspect make it too damp/green in winter/spring and midgey in summer through to Autumn. It takes a very specific set of conditions to make it pleasant (very windy in Summer/prolonged dry spell in winter).

There's closer, more reliable crags for the majority of people.

Saying that, I've walked away from a v. busy, v. windy Stanage to go and climb at an empty Lawrencefield, so maybe conditions aren't the driving factor here.

In reply to Simon Caldwell:


That's good to know. I haven't climbed there probably since the last century!

In reply to Oliver Houston:

I agree with all of this. I've walked in a couple of times over the years and walked out again on account of its emerald hue. Probably won't bother for a while, although I would like to go pick off the *** classics one day.

And Lawrencefield would always be my crag of choice when it's too windy at Stanage.....so good call there too

In reply to TobyA:

Thats why its nice and quiet : ). Lovely crag though - best in spring and autumn.

In reply to SuperLee1985:

You want to try the Chew Valley then!