UKC

5 pitches.

Rockfax Description
One of the finest mountaineering Diffs in the UK, a real gem of a route. Start below a well-worn slabby crack just left of a gully.

1) 28m. Head up the well-used crack to where it is possible to either carry straight on up the crack (HS 4a), or make a move up and right onto a ledge that leads into the gully. Traverse this ledge right to below a groove that leads back up and left to a prominent ledge and belay.
2) 28m. Move leftwards over ledges to reach a rampline below a slab. Follow the rampline left then up to gain an exposed crack/slot. Either climb the slot (or better still, the arete ) to reach a bay and belay.
3) 35m. From the bay, move out right heading towards a ridge-line. Gain the ridge and then follow it as close to the crest as possible. Near the top of the ridge, move off it to the right and climb easy ground to arrive at a terrace/rampline. Belay up on the right at the beginning of an amazing hand-traverse.
4) 10m. Head leftwards along a line of jugs (all very photogenic) to arrive at a ledge and belay.
5) 40m. The steep crack above gains a ledge. Two more walls separated by a ledge reach the top and a belay by a drystone wall. © Rockfax

Bentley Beetham 10/Jun/1950.

Ticklists

Connoisseur's Classic Rock , Heather's Multipitch Climbs , Kendal Wall's Best 100 climbs in Britain , Lakeland's Best Multi-pitch Routes up to HVS , Mountaineering Routes in the Lake District , Borrowdale FRCC Guide 'Top Fives' , Nuts of Legends , York University Students path to greatness , Steve Ashton's 100 Classic Climbs The Lake District , Mountain Rock , ROCKFAX Lake District: Top 50 , Rock Stars Trad Routes , Lakes 2022 , Turbo-Punter's Tradification , LSMC to do , Combe Gill , Lake District Multipitch Diff , Top 20 UK Diffs? , ROCKFAX TOP 50s upto e3 , Dewimpification , Lake District Ultimate Ticklist , Chasing Stars across the UK , Top 25 routes

Feedback

User Date Notes
KelliePyart 27 Oct, 2023 Show βeta
βeta: Amazing day despite how soaking wet it was! Great gear throughout. Spicy chimney, hand traverse and the step into the gully on first pitch was spicy too. Great route. Felt more like a VDiff in the wet though.
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βeta: Amazing day despite how soaking wet it was! Great gear throughout. Spicy chimney, hand traverse and the step into the gully on first pitch was spicy too. Great route. Felt more like a VDiff in the wet though.
Tom Wharram 24 Jul, 2023 Show βeta
βeta: Sheep carcass at the base of the climb
βeta?
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βeta: Sheep carcass at the base of the climb
CameronDuff14 26 Mar, 2023 Show βeta
βeta: Pitches 1 and 2 are not trivial in the wet!
βeta?
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βeta: Pitches 1 and 2 are not trivial in the wet!
Lewis Callum Black 16 Dec, 2022 Show βeta
βeta: Rough weather conditions and loads of moss/algee and running water on big holds made the accent too slow and challenging for a party of three with less experienced seconds.
βeta?
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βeta: Rough weather conditions and loads of moss/algee and running water on big holds made the accent too slow and challenging for a party of three with less experienced seconds.
wolfiex 15 May, 2022 Show βeta
βeta: Dead sheep in gulley on the right.
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βeta: Dead sheep in gulley on the right.
twowheelsginge 13 Oct, 2021 Show βeta
βeta: What a fantastic route! First trad lead over 2 pitches, and it was soaking wet! Will come back in the dry and have another go too. The hand traverse makes you feel like an absolute legend!
βeta?
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βeta: What a fantastic route! First trad lead over 2 pitches, and it was soaking wet! Will come back in the dry and have another go too. The hand traverse makes you feel like an absolute legend!
Natj86 12 Sep, 2021 Show βeta
βeta: Completely memorable route in the rain and big boots: water trickling down, (occasionally) running through your sleeve and down the ropes; slimy in (few) places - be careful; placing gear in water streams; cheeky traverse; perfect footholds and smears - for stickies!!!! - much more committing in big boots, though it’s all there and the hand holds are perfect. Would consider it more committing than a VDiff in these conditions though. If I’m not making this sound fun just trust me that it is!! This is my first feedback as it is so worthy of a climb and should be on everyone’s list. Keen to try in the dry, though don’t want to tarnish today’s awesome adventure and beautiful climbing.
βeta?
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βeta: Completely memorable route in the rain and big boots: water trickling down, (occasionally) running through your sleeve and down the ropes; slimy in (few) places - be careful; placing gear in water streams; cheeky traverse; perfect footholds and smears - for stickies!!!! - much more committing in big boots, though it’s all there and the hand holds are perfect. Would consider it more committing than a VDiff in these conditions though. If I’m not making this sound fun just trust me that it is!! This is my first feedback as it is so worthy of a climb and should be on everyone’s list. Keen to try in the dry, though don’t want to tarnish today’s awesome adventure and beautiful climbing.
liensiwel 19 Jul, 2021 Show βeta
βeta: Gorgeous day climbing with Joy. Corvus was even better than I'd remembered it, after 25 years. The perfect Diff? The best mountain Diff in the UK? Spacious belay ledges with good anchors, easy to protect (and protect second), always a good handhold or foothold when you want it, weaves an easy to follow way up the crag and always at a consistent level of difficulty... We did this a few days after a repeat ascent of C Ordinary at Dow (also on a gorgeous day) which many might argue is the epitome of Diff level mountain routes. C Ordinary has few of the above attributes and feels harder now that the flake has left the penultimate pitch (I've done it before and after). UKC has subsequently upped the grade of C Ordinary to VD, much to the chagrin of those to whom C Ordinary was the definitive Diff. Putting my neck on the line, it's not. It's VD. Corvus is the definitive Diff. And it is the Diff by which all others will be judged. There. Let the howls of derision commence.
βeta?
Show beta
βeta: Gorgeous day climbing with Joy. Corvus was even better than I'd remembered it, after 25 years. The perfect Diff? The best mountain Diff in the UK? Spacious belay ledges with good anchors, easy to protect (and protect second), always a good handhold or foothold when you want it, weaves an easy to follow way up the crag and always at a consistent level of difficulty... We did this a few days after a repeat ascent of C Ordinary at Dow (also on a gorgeous day) which many might argue is the epitome of Diff level mountain routes. C Ordinary has few of the above attributes and feels harder now that the flake has left the penultimate pitch (I've done it before and after). UKC has subsequently upped the grade of C Ordinary to VD, much to the chagrin of those to whom C Ordinary was the definitive Diff. Putting my neck on the line, it's not. It's VD. Corvus is the definitive Diff. And it is the Diff by which all others will be judged. There. Let the howls of derision commence.
senorbeyonce 22 Aug, 2020 Show βeta
βeta: I found a drowned mouse on the second belay, awesome climb .RIP Eric
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βeta: I found a drowned mouse on the second belay, awesome climb .RIP Eric
Nejc 14 Jul, 2020 Show βeta
βeta: Works in wet conditions (though arguably not pleasant).
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βeta: Works in wet conditions (though arguably not pleasant).
xphoenix0 27 Jun, 2020 Show βeta
βeta: Biblical Rain All Day Epic Day Out !
βeta?
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βeta: Biblical Rain All Day Epic Day Out !

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Voting
High VD
Mid VD
Low VD
High HD
Mid HD
Low HD
High D
Mid D
Low D
High M
Mid M
Low M
Votes cast 216
Votes cast 213
Style of Ascent
Alt Leads
Lead
Followed
Soloed
Toproped
Not Set
Onsighted
Repeated
Flashed (β)
DNF
Dogged
Ground Up
Redpoint
Not Set
Route of Interest
Giant's Crawl (Summer)

Grade: D ***
(Dow Crag)

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