UKC

Climbs 157
Rocktype Gritstone
Altitude 505m a.s.l
Faces E

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Looking to Laddow from Crowden Great Brook © Nicholas Livesey

Crag features

In the early days of our sport, Laddow Rocks were one of the prime venues visited by climbers operating at the cutting edge. Today the place is very much out of fashion, haunted by ghosts and almost always quiet. It is perhaps Western Grit's equivalent of Wharncliffe Crags; in both cases the nearness of the railway line gave (relatively) easy access, and both places were immensely popular 100 years ago. Since the production of Peak Gritstone East, Wharncliffe has undergone a bit of a renaissance; it would be nice to think we can do the same for Laddow's lofty and lonely buttresses.

The main bulk of the cliff is away on the far right just below the crest of the moor, and from here the rocks straggle leftwards, gradually descending the hillside until they fizzle out close to the point where the approach path climbs onto the plateau.

Approach notes

There is extensive parking by Crowden Youth Hostel in Longdendale. The approach path follows the Pennine Way (signed) towards the distant cliff, rising in a series of steps until, having passed by the edge of Laddow South, it reaches the crest of the moor. From here, it is usual to head straight to the right-hand side of the cliff, descending past the famous bivvy-cave to then work through the guide backwards!

Approach time: 50-60 mins

Access Advice

The well-publicised bearded vulture which has flown to the Peak District from the Alps is currently active in this area and using number of different crags to roost on. If the bird is present on any crag in the area, please avoid climbing on it so as not to disturb the bird. from 01/09/2020

Pair of Scarpa Maestro’s lost at the base of Tower Wall, if anyone sees them please leave a comment below or message me.
os2729 - 19/Aug/22
Visitor's book was missing from the cave. Does anyone know where it has gone? Might need replacing. (July 25th 2020).
luke_blazejewski - 30/Jul/20
Went for the first time today, the climbing is really good (especially tower face/long climb) the crag is in a stunning position. Theres quite a lot of vegetation & when we visited there were hundreds midges. Defo worth a visit tho!!
jimbonfire - 27/Jul/14
Great crag though I found it hard for the grades. The walk in is not too bad and if you stick to the main Pennine Way path there's no bogs or shrubs - it brings you nicely to the top of the crag.
matt_chan - 01/Apr/11
The book of lies states this is a 50-60 minute walk. Allow plenty more - especially when you're near the crag. Lots of shrubbery/swampy bits to get through. On the plus side there's some fantastic views from there. Just make sure you've been to the gym before hand :-).
Gaz - 15/Aug/10
Really good!!! Well worth the walk in. Not nearly as dirty and green as I expected (climbs largely unaffected by the slight green), in fact in pretty good nick. A little more traffic would make things even better GET UP THERE!! Enjoy the great climbs, geat positions and views!!
Graeme Hammond - 14/Sep/09
The "trad" approach from Dovestones is truly knackering!
badpants - 15/Apr/07
An epic hike to get there - probably the crux of most Laddow climbing, particularly if you're fat, weak, and lazy (2 out of 3 ain't bad) - but you are rewarded by a splendid situation. The greenness isn't a problem on the classic routes.
Fiend - 31/Aug/04
Should have a 'kermit' symbol, very green even after several warm dry days. The 'old pennine way' approach is no more boggy than the rest of the walk in, and has the advantage on a first visit of giving you a good look at the crag.
Simon Caldwell - 07/Jul/03
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