MANIFOLD VALLEY

The imposing orifice of Thor's Cave overlooks the upper Manifold Valley and is a very popular stop-off for walkers making it a crag which almost always feels busy although you will rarely find too many climbers there. Until recently the cave was mostly the domain of aid climbers with the odd free route plus a fine west-facing wall overlooking a steep gully that drops down to the valley bottom - Tower Direct and West Window Groove are the two main ticks here, but the other routes are worth looking at if you have the time. In the last few years the insides of the cave have been developed with a series of routes that can be best described as a climber's playground and a guidebook-topo-maker's nightmare. The complex internal architecture and upside down route lines makes for a confusing picture, however the climbing is of a spectacular nature for all those up to the grades. Also covered in this chapter are the outlying crags of Ossam's Crag, with its mid-grade routes, and The Chimney, with its few short harder routes.

Routes

12 trad routes (M...E6) 9 sport routes (7b+...8b) Graded List of Routes List of First Ascents