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PEAK LIMESTONE

Scattered tors, towers and edges, often hidden in deep wooded dales, the limestone cliffs have both trad and sport climbing on cliffs that are taller than is the norm for gritstone. The fine grained rock tends to polish relatively easy so the most popular climbs have become harder over the years. High Tor is doubtless the areas premier crag though Wildcat, Stoney Middleton, the Manifold valley and Cheedale have plenty to delight the climber. Limestone has been quarried for centuries and the whole area is peppered with abandoned holes in the ground. In recent years many of these have been developed to provide sport climbs across the grade spectrum, Horseshoe and Harpur Hill are well established and recently other venues such as Intake and Hall Dale quarries in the Matlock area have been added to the list

ROUTES
1222 trad routes (M...E7)
1061 sport routes (3+...9a)
4 boulder problems (V7...V9)
50 of the Best Routes top50
Graded List of Routes
List of First Ascents

Crag (click for details) No. of Routes Grade Range Route Type Sunshine
or shade
Approach walk Other Page
Stoney Middleton
Stoney, as it is more popularly known, is a crag which most climbers will...
113
-^^^
trad lots of sun! uphill
10 mins
  42
Horseshoe Quarry
Horseshoe Quarry is now the most extensive sport climbing area in the Peak with...
175
-^^-
sport afternoon sun level
0 mins
windy 54
Peter Dale
It comes as something of a surprise to discover that the cliffs in Peter Dale...
25
-^--
trad+sport afternoon sun level
10 mins
  -
Harpur Hill
Clearly visible from large areas of the central peak is the quarried plateau of...
162
_^^-
sport afternoon sun level
6 mins
windy 74
Deep Dale
This selcuded and peaceful dale contains four small buttresses at various...
86
-^^^
sport afternoon sun up+down
15 mins
abseilseepage -
Staden
Staden is the Peak quarry that manages to break the well-known golden rule of...
47
_-^^
sport no sun roadside
0 mins
seepagedry in rain 88
Beerhouse Buttress
This is another of those peak venues which was probably dismissed by earlier...
18
_-^-
sport lots of sun! uphill
10 mins
  -
Smalldale Quarry
The location of Smalldale Quarry leaves something to be desired, especially...
40
_-^-
sport evening sun level
5 mins
dry in rain 69
Chee Dale Upper
The area Chee Dale Upper covers all the Chee Dale crags that would usually be...
430
-^^^
trad+sport no sun up+down
15 mins
  94
Chee Dale Lower
Chee Dale Lower refers to the crags in Chee Dale which are generally approach...
196
_^^^
trad+sport no sun up+down
15 mins
seepagedry in rain 124
Blackwell Dale
A short steep crag also known as Beginner's Wall.
11
__--
sport afternoon sun roadside
0 mins
seepagedry in rain -
Raven Tor
The most famous Tor in the Peak, even the French have heard of this one. The...
53
__-^
sport sun from mid-morning roadside
0 mins
seepagedry in rain -
Water-cum-Jolly
The River Wye continues from Chee Dale to cut another less-imposing dale...
239
-^^^
trad lots of sun! level
10 mins
seepagedry in rain 148
Ravensdale
Looking west out over the attractive wooded valley of Cressbrook Dale,...
32
-^--
trad afternoon sun uphill
15 mins
windyrestrict 164
Taddington
Taddington, or Crag 'X' as it was generally known while being developed, is a...
15
_---
sport no sun uphill
5 mins
seepagedry in rain 168
Rheinstor
A lovely little cliff set in a peaceful sunny setting, by the River Bradford,...
11
----
trad afternoon sun     171
Aldery Cliff
A pleasant slabby crag, east facing and well sheltered. The base can be a bit...
46
-^-_
trad morning sun roadside
0 mins
  174
Wolfscote Dale
Tucked away in Wolfscote Dale in the Southern Peak are a couple of rocky towers...
15
----
trad afternoon sun level
15 mins
  177
Thor's Cave
The fine imposing Thor's Cave overlooks the upper Manifold Valley and is a...
10
_---
trad afternoon sun uphill
15 mins
dry in rain 179
Beeston Tor
One of the jewels of Peak limestone, a fine imposing south-facing wall with a...
29
-^--
trad lots of sun! level
10 mins
  181
Dove Dale
The meandering and deeply-incised valley of the River Dove is one of the most...
101
-^^^
trad sun from mid-morning up+down
40 mins
  188
Brassington
The climbing area of Brassington (also known as Rainster Rocks) is a diminutive...
45
^^__
trad lots of sun! uphill
10 mins
  -
Harborough Rocks
The most popular of a pair of dolomitic limestone outcrops tucked away in the...
46
^^__
trad sun from mid-morning uphill
10 mins
  201
Intake Quarry
Intake Quarry is a recent discovery not far from Matlock. It is very extensive...
24
_-^-
sport morning sun level
5 mins
  206
Slaley Brook
This huge quarry is hidden just off the Cromford to Buxton road, in the depths...
39
_-^-
sport sun to mid-afternoon uphill
5 mins
seepagerestrict 17
Halldale Quarry
Halldale Quarry is a huge open hole in the ground which, until recently, was...
17
_-^-
sport evening sun level
10 mins
  210
Cawdor Quarry
This long-abandoned quarry is clearly visible, rising above the trees behind...
65
-^^-
sport no sun downhill
4 mins
seepage 12
Lorry Park Quarry
This neglected quarry to the south of Matlock features a fine vertical wall of...
16
__-^
trad+sport morning sun level
3 mins
restrict -
Pic Tor
A small compact sheet of rock within the confines of Matlock. Only a few...
13
_---
trad afternoon sun level
5 mins
  212
High Tor
High Tor can justifiably claim to be the finest limestone crag in the Peak....
85
-^^^
trad sun from mid-morning uphill
15 mins
windy 216
Wildcat
This oft underrated crag contains a good concentration of VS and HVS limestone...
31
-^--
trad afternoon sun uphill
15 mins
  227
Willersley
On first acquaintance this north-facing crag on the banks of the river Derwent...
52
_^^^
trad no sun level
2 mins
dry in rain 232
 What do these symbols mean?
Averages, based on the largest buttress at each crag
Latest Comments
PEAK LIMESTONE
Thunder Road (Lorry Park Quarry)
"PS. None of the bolts are affected. Take a hearth brush or something, the rout..." 23/Aug

Original Route (High Tor)
"The tree stump is gone as of today." 16/Aug top50

Monumental Armblaster (Chee Dale Lower)
"I did (possibly) the 2nd ascent of this (on aid!). Jim Moran walked past just as..." 12/Aug

Rain Dance (Horseshoe Quarry)
"Borderline 6b+/6c - but surely at least a full grade easier than Legal Action. W..." 12/Aug

Padme (Stoney Middleton)
"Pitch 2 is not worth the effort" 11/Aug

Sunday Sport (Horseshoe Quarry)
"Very polished, but the extended finish makes it a better route, though probably ..." 11/Aug

Padme (Stoney Middleton)
"I'm not sure whether pitch 2 (which is probably 5a) can really still be recommen..." 11/Aug

Rapid City (Chee Dale Lower)
"Bolts recently renewed up to the roof. The band of rock on the lip of the roof a..." 03/Aug

Riding the Bullet (Smalldale Quarry)
"Same comments about bolting seem to apply to most of the routes here as made by ..." 03/Aug

The Claw (Dove Dale)
"Led it in one. A good honest tussle up to the optional stance but I didn't enjoy..." 02/Aug

Desmond Douglas (Water-cum-Jolly)
"Good little route, nice safe fall from crux if you fail first go !" 02/Aug

Boat Pushers Wall (Stoney Middleton)
"If someone explains where the 'hexes' go il buy em a pint! I have done it and si..." 01/Aug

Flake and Pillar (Stoney Middleton)
"Dave - I think I'll take your word for it. Any route to attract the comment &qu..." 29/Jul

Darius (High Tor)
"there's now some tat by the old bolt. Whoever thinks this is polished should ..." 26/Jul top50

Sirplum (Chee Dale Upper)
"Well one of the best climbs I ever done pumpy but keep going and you soon be at ..." 25/Jul top50

Nancy Whisky (Dove Dale)
"Worth 2 stars? I think so. E2? Probably not, but it's high in the grade. Certain..." 25/Jul

Badlands (Staden)
"Despite being close to adjacent routes, nice climbing; no more than 5c, but gear..." 20/Jul

Prognosis (Pic Tor)
"Led it again the other day. A much smoother and more controlled ascent than the ..." 19/Jul

Captain Reliable (Staden)
"Not reachy at all and that's from a 5'4''1/2 person. Maybe tall people just don'..." 12/Jul

Max-a-Million (Chee Dale Upper)
"I have a 5"10 span and can just reach the good crimp below the jug! You nee..." 11/Jul

Flake and Pillar (Stoney Middleton)
"This route is okay, the moves the gear etc. Thoughtful maybe but okay. Good war..." 09/Jul

Approaching (Chee Dale Lower)
"Felt bold enough seconding this. The gear placed on the traverse was poor and fe..." 06/Jul

Nancy Whisky (Dove Dale)
"Good route but hard for the grade: I've certainly done easier E2s" 05/Jul

Cistron (Pic Tor)
"Maybe worth 2 stars? Certainly at least one * better than Burning Spear, anyway...." 03/Jul

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