WATER-CUM-JOLLY

The River Wye continues from Chee Dale to cut another less-imposing dale characterised by sweeping river bends below some compact buttresses of rock. In many ways Water-cum-Jolly lives in the shadow of its more illustrious neighbour - the routes are shorter, the buttresses smaller, and the setting less dramatic but no less picturesque. This is the place for the connoisseur of Peak Limestone to seek out forgotten gems on the Upper Circle or on Central Buttress, do battle with technical wall climbs at Rubicon, or launch themselves across the steepening wave of the Cornice. In summer, each of the buttresses stands in isolation from the others, sheltered by the trees and, with the exception of Rubicon Wall, your only companions are likely to be one or two other climbers and then only on busy weekends. From the climber's point of view, some of WCJ is suffering from neglect. Routes on isolated sections of the Upper Circle, Moat Buttress and Central Buttress see few ascents these days. Ivy has taken over on certain sections and the rock has returned to a natural but loose and unpredictable state. It is perhaps time that we reassessed the climbing on some of these locations before they become forgotten altogether.

Routes

167 trad routes (D...8b+) 90 sport routes (6b...8c+) 3 boulder problems (V3...V9) Graded List of Routes List of First Ascents