Find your favorite climbing spots in the Peak District, whether you're a hand jamming king or a beginner looking for an epic bouldering challenge.
Whether you're inching your way up a featureless gritstone arête, jamming your way up a perfect crack line, or crimping your way up a limestone quarry, the Peak District is a gift that keeps on giving when it comes to climbing.
Here's a list of some great areas along with our favourite routes and problems.
Peak District Climbing Spots
Our map to climbing in the Peak District
Stanage Edge
Gritstone: trad, bouldering
It's impossible to talk about Peak District climbing without mentioning Stanage. Up to 20 metres high, this gritstone edge stretches across the moors above Hathersage and yields over 2000 routes. You won't find any bolts there (you'll be exiled if you put any in), but you will find grooves, crack lines, roofs, towers, and slabs just begging to be climbed: it is the ultimate playground for trad climbers and boulderers of all abilities.
Staff Picks
There are so many incredible routes and problems that this isn't even the tip of the iceberg, but it's a good start point all the same!
| Routes | Bouldering |
|---|---|
| Heaven Crack, Popular (VD) | Pebble Arête (f5+) |
| Flying Buttress, Popular (HVD) | Crescent Arête (f5+) |
| High Neb Buttress, High Neb (VS 4c) | The Lone Slab (f6A) |
| Inaccessible Crack, High Neb (VS 4c) | Bull Flakes (f6B) |
| Inverted V, Inverted V Area (VS 4b) | Not to be taken away (f6C+) |
| Tower Face, Plantation (HVS 5a) | Green Traverse (f7A) |
| The Right Unconquerable, Plantation (HVS 5a) | Zippy's Traverse (f7B) |
| Flying Buttress Direct, Popular (E1 5b) | |
| Where did my Tan go, High Neb (HVS 5a) | |
| Quietus, High Neb (E2 5c) | |
| Wuthering, Popular (E2 5b) | |
| Black Hawk Bastion, Black Hawk Area (E3 5c) |
To be or not to be, Stanage (probably the Peak District's most iconic and most photographed boulder) | Photo credit: Hati Whiteley
Horseshoe Quarry
Limestone: sport
Although not the first-choice venue for a lot of climbers, Horseshoe Quarry boasts some excellent routes with some undeniably enjoyable and interesting sequences. Quick-drying and sheltered, the elements seem to arrive to the Horseshoe way after everywhere else, making it ideal for year-round cragging. Most of our favourite climbs are in the 6s and 7s and are sparingly bolted, but, with a short walk-in and some sustained, pumpy routes up to 20 metres high, Horseshoe Quarry is ideal for late summer evenings when you want to get stuff done before the sun goes down.
Staff picks
6s
- Megalithic Man (F6b+)
- Litany Against Fear (F6b+)
- Private Prosecution (F6c)
- Rain Dance (F6c+)
7s
- Demolition Man (F7a)
- Wave of Mutilation (F7a)
Peak District Bouldering
This guide features over 3,300 boulder problems on over 70 crags, both major and minor. Catering for boulderers of all abilities.
Boulder Britain
This select UK bouldering guidebook travels from top to tail of the country covering popular and obscure bouldering locations. 3,200 problems of all grades.
Froggatt
Gritstone: trad/bouldering
When we think of Froggatt, most of us are reminded of padding oh so delicately up delightfully precarious slabs, our gear seeming miles below us. And not without good reason: Froggatt ishome to some of the Peak's finest slabs. Don’t worry if you left your pluck at home - the combination of quarried and natural gritstone gives a huge variety of climbs up at Froggatt. Remarkable routes across the grades, coupled with clean, quick-drying, and high quality rock, make this crag well-worth visiting.
Froggatt Routes
- Trapeze (VD)
- Sunset Slab (VS 4b)
- Tody's Wall (HVS 5a)
- Valkyrie (HVS 5a)
- Chequers Buttress (HVS 5a)
- Three Pebble Slab (E1 5a)
- Brown's Eliminate (E2 5b)
- Four Pebble Slab (E3 5c)
- Downhill Racer (E4 6a)
Bouldering at Froggatt
- Joe's Slab, Downhill racer (f5+)
- The Northerner, Pinnacle Boulders (f5+)
- Groovy, Pinnacle Boulders (f5+)
- Joe's Arête, Downhill Racer (f6B)
- The Teddy Bear's Picnic, Pinnacle Boulders (f6B)
- Joe's Slab Traverse, Downhill Racer (f7A)
- Dreamboat, Sunset Boulders (f7A)
Four pebble slab, Froggatt | Photo credit: Hati Whiteley
Curbar
Gritstone: trad/bouldering
If Froggatt is known for precarious slabs, Curbar is known for being downright strenuous and a lot of the climbs are quite high in the grade. That said, there are some mid-to-lower grade routes that are well worth the trip, as well as some classic bouldering (including the roadside Trackside).
Curbar Routes
- Pillar Slab (VD)
- P.M.C. (HS 4a)
- The Peapod (HVS 5b)
- Avalanche Wall (HVS 5a)
- L'Horla (E1 5b)
- Elder Crack (E2 5b)
- Right Eliminate (E3 5c)
- Moon walk (E4 6a)
Bouldering at Curbar
- Crescent Slab Arête,Crescent Slab(f4+)
- Three Pocket Wall,Trackside(f5+)
- Side Slot Wall,Trackside(f6A+)
- Strawberries,Trackside(f6B)
- Art of Japan, Big Rocker Buttress (f6C)
- Gorilla Warfare,Gorilla Warfare(f7A)
- Trackside,Trackside(f7A)
RobGreenwood climbing Hannibal (7C) at Tom's roof |Photo credit: UKC
Burbage South Valley
Gritstone: bouldering
Expect slopers, slabs, and rounded arêtes. A combination of flat, soft landings and not-too-high boulders are great for new recruits to outdoor climbing, and some higher-grade test-pieces mean that there's something to go at for everyone. There are also plenty of spots to hunker down for a picnic and belter views across the Peak District, making this an ideal venue for a day out at the crag with mixed ability and family groups. Take a jacketas thecold wind through the valley is sometimes hard to escape!
Staff Picks
Up to 5s
- Exposure (f4+)
- Pock-man (f5)
- Pock (f5+)
- The Cobra (f5+)
- Chieftain (f5+)
6s and 7s
- Puck (f6A)
- Panzer (f6B+)
- Alaska Right Sit Start (f6B)
- The Sheep (f7A)
Millstone Edge
Gritstone: trad
Not far from our Hathersage store, this is certainly one of our favourite haunts. Sheer walls, belter crack lines and smooth corners are the characteristics of this crag, as well as a venerable climbing history. The finishes are a little eroded in places, so it's always worth making sure you've got some bombproof gear in before you make the top out.
Staff Picks
VD - E1
- The Mall (VS 4c)
- Bond Street (HVS 5a)
- Great Portland Street (HVS 5b)
- Great North Road (HVS 5a)
E1 - E4
Our Hathersage store is ideally placed to explore the wealth of Peak District climbing on its doorstep, so if you happen to find yourself climbing in the area then pop in to say hi! The Alpkit Hathersage team will be more than happy to give you some local pointers, you can also hire out a bouldering mat to help make the most of your time here.
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