Category: Peak District

Indian Summer bouldering Gardoms Edge

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Mark’s Roof at Gardoms North, and the permanently sunny road leading back into Sheffield

Warm and still yesterday (22/9/2012) bouldering at Gardoms Edge on the Northern Bouldering Circuit.

Noodle guarding the bouldering mat at Gardoms

The big moor which contains Gardoms and Birchens Edges has been dog friendly for some years now. However the Highland Longhorn cattle have moved in which has resulted in Noodle sticking close to my side as we cross to the crags. On a practical point, they’ve churned up the wetland so much now that even after a relatively dry period, the mud is very deep in parts of the paths.

Roof problems on the Gardoms North circuit

Finally actually managed to at least get established on ‘8 Ball’, not sure if I’ll ever get any further though.

8 Ball at Gardoms North

 

Beware of the bouldering dog! Raaaaaar!

Peak Limestone – Rubicon Wall

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boulderers on Rubicon Wall

It’s probably heresy, but I prefer bouldering on Limestone rather than Grit, so with a forecast of possible showers, we headed down into the Wye Valley for a session on Rubicon Wall.

Although this set of crags was the focus of the bolted and pegged Sport Climbing revolution of the 1980s, it’s been pretty well taken over by boulderers looking for a sunny sheltered crag, which importantly is dry in even the heaviest downpour (unless the river bursts its bank)

The Wye Valley at Rubicon Wall

The main wall sports an uber-classic warm up long traverse from L-R, with the rest of the crags characterised by problem starts to the classic sports routes.

Classic (polished) traverse at Rubicon. Noodle (picture bottom) has finished the traverse and is off to chase the ducks.

Quiet gems on Birchens Edge Derbyshire

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The quiet end of Birchens Edge: Kismet Buttress

Its always surprising to find hidden gems, especially on edges as popular as Birchens.

This was the crag where I first started climbing about 30 years ago, and I must have walked underneath this buttress more than a hundred times without checking it out.

Kismet buttress is the first part of the crag which you walk under on the way up from parking at the Robin Hood Inn. There is a lot of quality easy trad climbing in this area of the crag, but the main action is on the pictured buttress.

L-R

  1. Implosion V2 (HVS 5c) Sent
  2. Explosion V1 (HS 5b) Sent (central groove – quite a hard start at the grade)
  3. Blast Hole Wall VO (5b) Sent (through the rh overhang. better with a sit start)

Well worth a visit in passing.

Commitment to climbing

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Unknown climber clearing the cornice!!??!! before topping out on a classic Severe on Birchens Edge

Just how far do you go to get out cragging in the winter? I popped out on a November day in 2010 to have a look if anything was climbable on Birchens Edge. Nothing was (IMHO).

However, these guys weren’t gong to let a couple of feet of snow stop them. When I arrived, they were attacking a classic Severe in fine style. The top picture shows the leader breaking through the cornice to a challenging and very slippy top-out.

I made my excuses and headed off for an afternoon session in the ClimbingWorks. Well done chaps!

Ideal rock climbing conditions on Birchens Edge, Derbyshire. Apparently.

Noodle looking singularly unimpressed by the day's bouldering potential

The Roaches (Staffordshire Mar ’11): Very Far Boulders

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Problems 2-7 BMC Roaches definitive guide 2009. The obvious problem up the middle of the slab is 'Two Pocket Slab' V2 (5C)

Classic bouldering in solitude away from the crowds on the lower/upper tiers. Lovely pink-tinged gritstone with brilliant friction, sharp edges and no polish!

Sends

  • Rounded Arete VO- (4b)
  • Open Groove VO+ (5b)
  • Two Pocket Slab V2 (5c)
  • Wall and Rib VO- (4b)
  • Leek Hills V4 (6a)

Bouldering team from Liverpool on 'Two Pocket Slab'

The Roaches Upper Tier: climber on the roof of the Joe Brown Uber Classic 'The Sloth' from the 1950s