Rockfax | Databases | Harpur Hill

Clearly visible from large areas of the central peak is the quarried plateau of Harpur Hill, looking a little like a ‘lost World’. Despite the existence of some good rock the place has only ever had a handful of trad routes and has always been avoided by the vast majority of Peak climbers over the years. In the early 1990s Sid Siddiqui, Bill Birch and others reassessed the place and concluded that there was good sport to be had here. The ensuing debacle about what was and what was not acceptable to be bolted was long and protracted but in the end common sense prevailed and now the quarry is home to more that 120 sport climbs, many of which see regular traffic.

Routes

48 trad routes (HS...E4) 275 sport routes (4...7b+) Graded List of Routes List of First Ascents

Buttress (click for routes)	No. of Routes	Route Type	Sunshine or shade	Approach walk	Other	Page
The Dark Side - Upper Tier To the left of the main Papacy Buttress, the Upper Tier swings around to face east. This section...	43	Sport	Morning sun	Uphill 15 mins	Windy	104
Perched Block Buttress To the left of Papacy Buttress, the Upper Tier swings around to face east. At the junction of the...	13	Trad and Sport	No sun	Uphill 15 mins	Windy	107
Papacy Buttress A fine buttress containing many of the best routes at Harpur Hill. It has some striking corners,...	28	Sport	Evening sun	Uphill 12 mins	Windy	108
Prophecy Area The most extensive section of the upper walls consists of a series of vertical faces, steep cracks...	46	Sport	Evening sun	Uphill 12 mins	Windy	112
The Racetrack Playa Area The furthest section of the Lower Tier of the east-facing Darkside has been developed with a...	23	Trad and Sport	Morning sun	Uphill 15 mins	Windy	116
Long Wall The right-hand side of the Lower Tier has some decent buttresses. Again the area isn't popular,...	35	Trad and Sport	Morning sun	Uphill 15 mins	Windy	118
College Buttress The far right-hand end of the Dark Side has a decent chunky buttress with some reasonable routes.	18	Trad and Sport	Morning sun	Uphill 15 mins	Windy	120
The Lower Tier An extensive wall of rather scrappy rock. There are plenty of routes to go at here, and as long as...	47	Sport	Evening sun	Uphill 8 mins	Windy	122
Cairn Area The best of the harder routes at Harpur Hill is found on a fine wave formation on the lower walls;...	30	Sport	Evening sun	Uphill 10 mins	Windy	126
The Sanctuary The Sanctuary has a small collection of steep routes in an out-of-the-way setting. As with all...	19	Sport	Afternoon sun	Up and down 12 mins	Windy	128
The Playground Situated above the Cairn Area and the Sanctuary is a smaller quarry which is invisible from most of...	21	Sport	Afternoon sun	Uphill 12 mins	Windy	130
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HARPUR HILL

Routes

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