Rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...

is a popular activity in the

Peak District The Peak District is an upland area in England at the southern end of the Pennines. Mostly in Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southe ...

; particularly on edges such as Stanage or Froggatt. Generally the climbing style is

free climbing Free climbing is a form of rock climbing in which the climber may use climbing equipment such as ropes and other means of climbing protection, but only to protect against injury during falls and not to assist vertical or horizontal progress. Th ...

(as opposed to

aid climbing Aid climbing is a style of climbing in which standing on or pulling oneself up via devices attached to fixed or placed protection is used to make upward progress. The term contrasts with free climbing in which progress is made without using artifi ...

) and the rock is either

gritstone Gritstone or grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for pa ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. Climbing has been practised in the Peak District since the late 19th century; James W. Puttrell is generally credited with starting the sport. The first climbing guidebook to the area was ''

Some Gritstone Climbs ''Some Gritstone Climbs'' is a rock climbing guidebook written by British lawyer John Laycock (1887–1960). The book's subtitle, included uniquely on the frontispiece, is ''Some Shorter Climbs (in Derbyshire and Elsewhere)''. It was published ...

'', by

John Laycock Christopher John Laycock (1887 – 3 December 1960) was a British lawyer, the founder of one of Singapore's earliest law firms, Laycock and Ong. He was also one of the founders of the Singapore Progressive Party. Early life Laycock grew up in ...

, published in 1913. There are over 10,000 routes in the Peak District. One of the most famous Peak District climbers, and a pioneer of many new routes, is

Ron Fawcett Ron Fawcett (born 6 May 1955) is a British rock climber and rock climbing author who is credited with pushing the technical standards of British rock climbing in traditional, sport, bouldering and free soloing disciplines, in the decade from the ...

. The climb known as " Master's Edge", on Millstone Edge, near

Hathersage Hathersage ( ) is a village and civil parish in the Peak District in Derbyshire, England. It lies slightly to the north of the River Derwent, approximately south-west of Sheffield. Toponymy The origin of its name is disputed, although it is ...

, is a testament to his skill and strength. The climb is graded E7 6c and rises 19m up the near vertical edge.''On Peak Rock'', published by the British Mountaineering Council, first edition 1993,

Gritstone

The gritstone crags include: Western Grit (

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, Kinder,

Bleaklow Bleaklow is a high, largely peat-covered, gritstone moorland in the Derbyshire High Peak near the town of Glossop. It is north of Kinder Scout, across the Snake Pass ( A57), and south of the A628 Woodhead Pass. Much of it is nearly 2, ...

, and the Chew Valley) *

The Roaches The Roaches (from the French ''les roches'' - the rocks) is a prominent rocky ridge above Leek and Tittesworth Reservoir in the Staffordshire Peak District of England. The ridge with its rock formations rises steeply to . Along with Ramsha ...

* Hen Cloud * Ramshaw * Windgather * Castle Naze *

Kinder Scout Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau and national nature reserve in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, in Derbyshire and the East Midlands; t ...

* Shining Clough * Dovestones Edge * Ravenstones * Rob's Rocks * Wimberry Eastern Grit ( Derwent Valley,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

) *

Rivelin Rocks Rivelin Rocks are a gritstone edge or escarpment in the upper Rivelin Valley at grid reference , west of Sheffield just off the A57 road in the county of South Yorkshire, England. Overview The rocks reach a height above sea level of approx ...

Stanage Edge Stanage Edge, or simply Stanage (from "stone edge") is a gritstone escarpment in the Peak District, England, famous as a location for climbing. It lies a couple of miles to the north of Hathersage, and the northern part of the edge forms the b ...

Derwent Edge Derwent Edge is a Millstone Grit escarpment that lies above the Upper Derwent Valley in the Peak District National Park in the English county of Derbyshire. An Ordnance Survey column marks the highest point of the Edge at Back Tor (538 metres, ...

Burbage Rocks Burbage Rocks is a gritstone escarpment in South Yorkshire, overlooking the village of Hathersage in the Peak District. The highest point along the escarpment is above sea level, whilst Burbage Moor rises above to . Burbage Rocks is a southern e ...

* Millstone Edge *

Froggatt Edge Froggatt Edge is a gritstone escarpment in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, in Derbyshire, England, close to the villages of Froggatt, Calver, Curbar, Baslow and Grindleford. The name Froggatt Edge applies only to the ...

Curbar Edge Curbar Edge is a gritstone moorland escarpment above the village of Curbar, in Derbyshire, England and close to the villages of Baslow, Calver, and Froggatt. It is located within the Peak District National Park at an altitude of . It is regarded ...

Birchen Edge Birchen Edge is a gritstone rock face in the Peak District, England, popular with walkers and novice climbers as most of the climbing routes are in the lower grade. Walking Birchen Edge provides an easy high-level walk with views over the ne ...

Gardom's Edge Gardom's Edge is a rocky outcrop near Baslow in Derbyshire, England. The shelf between Gardom's Edge and Birchen Edge is now moorland used for grazing sheep, but was inhabited and arably farmed during the Bronze Age. Cup and ring stone The area ...

* Black Rocks *

Bamford Edge Bamford Edge is an overhang of gritstone rock that sticks out north of the village of Bamford, Hope Valley, in the English county of Derbyshire. The first ascent of "Smoked Salmon", which is graded as E8 7b was made by British climber Johnny D ...

Higger Tor Higger Tor or Higgar Tor is a gritstone tor in the Dark Peak, in the north of the Peak District National Park in England. It overlooks the Burbage Valley and the Iron Age hill fort of Carl Wark to the southeast. The tor stands to the south we ...

* Dovestone Tor (on

) * Cratcliffe Tor *

Baslow Edge Baslow is a village in Derbyshire, England, in the Peak District, situated between Sheffield and Bakewell, just over north of Chatsworth House. It is sited by the River Derwent, which is spanned by a 17th-century bridge, alongside which is ...

Limestone

In-situ bolts and pitons are more acceptable on limestone and some crags are almost exclusively bolted. *

Beeston Tor Beeston Tor () is a limestone cliff in Staffordshire. It overlooks the confluence of the River Hamps with the River Manifold, and is a popular venue for rock climbing (seasonal restrictions for rock climbing apply). There was a small station ...

Chee Dale Chee Dale is a steep-sided gorge on the River Wye near Buxton, Derbyshire, in the Peak District of England. Wye Dale continues upstream towards Buxton while downstream are Miller's Dale village and valley. Chee Dale has a protected nature res ...

Deep Dale Deep Dale is a short steep-sided gorge near Buxton, Derbyshire, in the Peak District of England. It is distinct from another Deep Dale, near Sheldon, to the east. The dale is cut into a plateau of farmland and lies just south west of the haml ...

* High Tor *

Middleton Dale Middleton Dale is a steep-sided, Carboniferous Limestone, carboniferous limestone valley in the Derbyshire Peak District of England. The village of Stoney Middleton lies at the eastern foot of the dale and the village of Eyam lies about to the ...

* Pic Tor * Raven Tor *

Thor's Cave Thor's Cave (also known as Thor's House Cavern and Thyrsis's Cave) is a natural cavern located at in the Manifold Valley of the White Peak in Staffordshire, England. It is classified as a karst cave. Located in a steep limestone crag, the cav ...

Wild Cat Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the do ...

References

External links

The British Mountaineering Council web site

The Association of Mountaineering Instructors web site
{{Climbing areas of the Peak District Sport in Derbyshire Tourist attractions in Derbyshire Climbing areas of England Climbing in England Peak District