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WESTERN GRIT

This section of the databases covers the huge sweep of gritstone from the magnificent pink-hued cliffs of north Staffordshire, through the high and wild outcrops of Kinder and Bleaklow, on through the quiet gems of the Chew Valley, into the extensive quarries of south east Lancashire and finally the best of the Cheshire sandstone outcrops. The cliffs on this side of the Pennines are not the elegant and extensive outcrops of the Eastern Edges, but a set of more retiring venues. They are less accessible and take some effort to get to know but of course, being gritstone, the effort is always well worth it.

ROUTES
2424 trad routes (M...E8)
33 sport routes (6a...7c)
161 boulder problems (V0-...V12)
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
Roaches - Skyline
The less popular section of the Roaches which consists of a series of...
98
^^^^
trad afternoon sun uphill
12 mins
windy 48
Roaches - The Five Clouds
The bumpy ridge to the south west of the Roaches has a small collection of...
46
-^^-
trad sun from mid-morning uphill
15 mins
windy 59
Roaches - Lower
The finest of all the western gritstone cliffs (and some argue finest of all...
109
^^^^
trad afternoon sun uphill
5 mins
windy 48
Roaches - Upper
The finest of all the western gritstone cliffs (and some argue finest of all...
84
^^^-
trad afternoon sun uphill
10 mins
windy 60
Hen Cloud
The superb castellated buttresses of Hen Cloud offer some of grit’s finest...
100
^^^^
trad afternoon sun uphill
10 mins
windy 82
Ramshaw
A series of east-facing (a real rarity) prows and buttresses, that overlook the...
133
^^^^
trad morning sun level
3 mins
windy 92
Newstones
A superb little crag in a delightful setting. Popular with boulderers.
27
-^--
trad morning sun uphill
2 mins
windy 104
Baldstones
The continuation of the Newstones consists of a few large buttresses. Some...
23
----
trad early morning sun up+down
10 mins
windy 106
Windgather
The little twin sister of Castle Naze, here again the climbs are generally...
67
^^-_
trad sun from mid-morning uphill
1 min
windy 112
Castle Naze
A drafty little outcrop in a pleasant, west-facing situation, and when combined...
78
^^--
trad afternoon sun uphill
5 mins
windy 118
New Mills Tor
The secret crag of Western Grit, set in a deep gloomy gorge right bang in the...
22
----
trad sun+shade downhill
5 mins
dry in rain -
Hobson Moor
Once a bit of a dump (and dumping ground) the quarry has been cleaned up,...
42
-^^-
trad lots of sun! uphill
1 min
  -
Kinder South
A scattering of cliffs that overlook the tranquil Edale valley, and reflect the...
168
^^^^
trad lots of sun! uphill
50 mins
windy -
Kinder North
There is much good climbing on the high and wild edges that ring the Kinder and...
162
^^^^
trad sun to mid-afternoon uphill
60 mins
windy -
Kinder Downfall
The cliffs around the famous cascade of the Kinder Downfall are amongst the...
68
^^^-
trad lots of sun! uphill
70 mins
windy -
Shining Clough
The best of the cliffs that fall under the broad banner of Bleaklow, a tall and...
75
^^^-
trad no sun uphill
45 mins
windy -
Laddow
In the early days of our sport Laddow Rocks were one of the prime venues...
64
^^--
trad morning sun uphill
45 mins
windy -
Tintwistle Knarr
A fine but neglected quarry in an impressive setting. The crag has an excellent...
23
_^--
trad lots of sun! uphill
20 mins
  -
Wimberry
The Cinderella of Peak grit, an unsung gem of a crag with a fantastic...
72
^^^^
trad early morning sun uphill
15 mins
windy -
Rob's Rocks
A pleasant if diminutive south facing outcrop in as wild a setting as you might...
18
---_
trad afternoon sun uphill
40 mins
windy -
Wilderness Rocks
Wilderness Rocks is a remote north-facing cliff that sees little traffic (no...
24
----
trad no sun uphill
40 mins
windy -
Dovestones Edge
Not to be confused with its even more remote namesake in the Eastern Peak, this...
81
^^^-
trad evening sun uphill
25 mins
windy -
Ravenstones
A fine austere cliff, north facing in a lofty position looking out over...
110
^^^-
trad no sun up+down
25 mins
windy -
Standing Stones
An easily reached cliff, from roadside parking near the high point of the A635...
57
-^^-
trad lots of sun! uphill
40 mins
windyrestrict -
Upperwood Quarry
Not the most prepossessing of quarries although the best of the routes are...
19
----
trad sun to mid-afternoon level
5 mins
windyrestrict -
Alderman
A small set of generally short climbs in a superb setting and on great quality...
13
---_
trad sun to mid-afternoon uphill
15 mins
windy -
Running Hill Pits
The Pits is a smallish set a quarries looking out over Diggle. Despite the fact...
84
-^^-
trad afternoon sun level
10 mins
  -
Den Lane
Den Lane Quarry is an easily-approached outcrop just to the west of the...
24
-^--
trad morning sun uphill
2 mins
  230
Wilton 1
The Wilton complex of quarries (from 1 through to 4) overlooks Egerton, to the...
81
-^^^
trad sun+shade uphill
5 mins
  -
Wilton 2
On the crest of the hill above the deep slash of Wilton 1 are three more...
43
--^-
trad morning sun uphill
2 mins
restrict -
Wilton 3
On the crest of the hill above the deep slash of Wilton 1 are three more...
47
^^--
trad early morning sun uphill
3 mins
restrict -
Egerton Quarry
A hugely extensive quarry, not very far from the honey-pots of the Wilton...
8
_---
trad no sun up+down
10 mins
  -
Brownstones
A diminutive crag which has one of the longest climbing historys in all of...
43
^^--
boulder afternoon sun level
4 mins
  -
Anglezarke
One of the more popular venues in the Red Rose County is the extensive quarry...
66
-^^^
trad morning sun up+down
2 mins
  6
Cadshaw Rocks
An oddity for Lancashire, a natural grit outcrop in a sunny setting. It has...
21
^--_
trad lots of sun! up+down
20 mins
  -
Denham
Denham is occasionally referred to as the ‘Lancashire Lawrencefield’, the...
15
----
trad afternoon sun level
1 min
  -
Troy Quarry
Another very extensive quarry (over 70 routes), with a pond and a pinnacle...
13
----
trad lots of sun! uphill
10 mins
  -
Witches' Quarry
NOTE: The negotiated access arrangements mean that ONLY 10 cars are allowed in...
11
_--_
trad evening sun roadside
0 mins
seepagerestrict -
Summit Quarry
A neglected quarry with a good selection of climbs on the best bit of rock. The...
14
---_
trad afternoon sun uphill
20 mins
windy -
Blackstone Edge
A small outcrop in a fine setting which offers plenty for the middle E grade...
23
----
trad afternoon sun uphill
20 mins
windy -
Cow's Mouth Quarry
A remote quarry on the edge of Soyland Moor overlooking Littleborough. The...
32
-^--
trad afternoon sun uphill
20 mins
windy -
Helsby
A fine sandstone cliff overlooking the River Mersey and the motorway. It is...
87
^^^^
trad evening sun uphill
10 mins
  -
Frodsham
A small set of west-facing buttresses on the crest of the wooded slopes of...
67
^^--
boulder afternoon sun uphill
8 mins
  -
Pex Hill
A hole in the ground that holds an important place in the hearts of Merseyside...
117
-^^^
boulder early morning sun level
5 mins
  -
Frogsmouth Quarry
Bolted but still neglected, Merseyside's best sport venue.
39
_-^-
trad+sport evening sun level
5 mins
seepagerestrict -
 What do these symbols mean?
Averages, based on the largest buttress at each crag
Latest Comments
WESTERN GRIT
South Buttress Arete Direct (Windgather)
"Exactly. What's all this about campusing? Were there girls around or something? ..." 15/Aug

Northern Ballet (Wimberry)
"The whole route would benefit from a clean - very gritty at the moment making th..." 15/Aug

Loaf and Cheese (Ramshaw)
"Please tell me something has broken off the initial groove - its desperate !" 09/Aug

Delstree (Hen Cloud)
"That's strange - I did all 3 in the same day as well and thought that delstree w..." 30/Jul top50

Heavy Duty (New Mills Tor)
"Aye, good route. Needs to be climbed quick unless you're a stamina monster. Hold..." 21/Jul

Charm (Wimberry)
"1st E3, seems like a popular 1st E3.........soft for the grade. Too soon for me..." 12/Jul

Ashop Crack (Kinder North)
"I believe it is E2 5b in the new Western Grit (not got it with me) - the Moorlan..." 12/Jul

Ashop Crack (Kinder North)
"Something must have changed on this route, because the move through the overhang..." 11/Jul

Pinball Wizard (Wimberry)
"My 4th ever outdoor lead. I'd read the conversion table and since I could climb..." 09/Jul

Catalepsy (Pex Hill)
"tried this last yr and couldn't quite manage it. Since then a some vigorous 'cle..." 25/Jun

Wall Street (Frogsmouth Quarry)
"Quite powerful to get onto the slab - 6b?" 24/Jun

Right of Pie (Standing Stones)
"at E3 5c I think it sensible to use an obvious hold (layaway seem to recall) on ..." 22/Jun

Raven Rock Gully (Roaches - Lower)
"Climbed right hand wall, possibly off-route, in pouring rain. Amusing in retrosp..." 13/Jun

Jelly Baby Slab (Kinder North)
"Climbed it this year" 11/Jun

Warlord (Pex Hill)
"just got back home from having done this. well good route! the gorse at the top ..." 09/Jun

Insipidity (Egerton Quarry)
"Cleaned, but the ferns and brambles will quickly grow back. About 4c." 04/Jun

The Bod (Wilton 2)
"Nice little climb and a little cleaner having seen a few ascents this year. Anot..." 25/May

Valkyrie (Roaches - Lower)
"hardest way is to lead 1st pitch and 2nd the crux pitch , but alot more enjoyabl..." 24/May top50

Fingernail (Wilton 1)
"Tried this today, struggled to get off the ground the left start is a lot harder..." 21/May

Perfumed Groove (Frogsmouth Quarry)
"Start is much harder than the rest of the route. Holds have probably been lost m..." 21/May

Rhodren (Roaches - Lower)
"Too short by far. Interesting moves all the way. Good runnners." 21/May

The Bee (Wilton 2)
"my first ever E1 lead, scary but that was a long time ago" 20/May

The Wendigo (Helsby)
"This route is awesome! I cleaned the top holds before getting on it as they were..." 19/May

Pathetic Sharks (Frogsmouth Quarry)
"Recently re-bolted." 14/May

Acid Drop (Roaches - Skyline)
"i thought this route was great. the gear made the crux moves super-absorbing but..." 10/May

Just Another 50 (Frogsmouth Quarry)
"Incorrectly called 'Just above 50' in the current guide" 10/May

King of the Swingers (New Mills Tor)
"A rather below average photo of this part of the crag in W Grit (2003) makes it ..." 09/May

Muscle Crack (Castle Naze)
"Listed as Severe in the 2009 edition of Western Grit. The top was definately a ..." 04/May

Rooster (Roaches - Upper)
"Polished rock and lack of protection make this one a fun climb." 04/May

Kay (Wilton 3)
"Finally put my spade were my gob is and cleaned this up early 2010. A very good ..." 03/May

Chockstone Chimney (Windgather)
"Polish wasn't too bad (certainly no worese than the other popular routes on the ..." 03/May

The Grim Reaper (New Mills Tor)
"Yes. I watched someone who now works at AW Stockport do it with the direct V9ish..." 26/Apr

Dateline (Pex Hill)
"as far as lines go there's no better than this one at pex. Really good finger ja..." 26/Apr

Problem 1 (Hen Cloud)
"An excellent, scary problem up the right hand vein at V2. I reckon the line jus..." 24/Apr

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