This site is a digital copy of the 1997 BMC guidebook to rock climbing in Lancashire
Grade: 5a,4c,5a,4b,5a,4b | First Ascent: (1971/mid-1990s)
Rating: 1
Grade: | First Ascent: -1958
Rating: 0
Climb two thin, parallel grooves just right of a deep corner. Finish up a short chimney.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent:
Rating:
Care is needed with the rope on this pitch. Follow The Long Reach until, just below the ledge of The Walk Off, it is possible to traverse left along a good crack to a quarryman`s spike on the arête. Continue to the corner and climb this to a large capstone. Traverse left with hands on an obvious ledge until it is possible to climb down on small ledges to a large ledge midway up Second Thoughts. Peg belay (not in situ).
Grade: | First Ascent: -1958
Rating: 1
The fine groove on the right.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent:
Rating:
Step down, then move left past a dirty chimney to a large ledge. Belay at a short chimney corner on the left side of this ledge.
Grade: | First Ascent: -1957
Rating: 0
Take the obvious chimney, then climb the arête and hand-traverse into Panic Knott. Follow this to a horizontal crack which leads round a small overhang.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent:
Rating:
Move round on to the front face at an obvious notch, then continue past the hole on Light Fantastic to reach the crack on The Light. Step up, then semi-hand-traverse across Ricochet Wall to reach a belay on the arête of The Cuspidor. Peg belay (not in situ).
Grade: 4b | First Ascent: -1958
Rating: 1
Climb the undercut diagonal crack which slopes up to the right. Step left and go up the wall to a platform and an easy exit.
Grade: 4b | First Ascent:
Rating:
Follow the ledges across to the corner of Bull`s Eye Crack, then continue across the wall of Magpie using two obvious horizontal cracks to reach a belay in Rifleman`s Chimney.
Grade: 4b | First Ascent: -1958
Rating: 0
Follow the curving crack on the right to gain the platform and thus an easy finish.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent:
Rating:
Go along Sweatyman`s ledge, then drop down and traverse under The Rostrum to a junction with Wanderlust. Follow this to a belay in a grassy bay at the end of its first pitch.
Grade: 4b,4c | First Ascent: -1963
Rating: 1
Grade: 4b | First Ascent:
Rating:
Step round the edge on the left, then semi-hand-traverse to the corner and finish on a ledge at the same level.
Grade: 4b | First Ascent:
Rating:
Climb the deep groove on laybacks, then traverse left below the overhang to a grassy bay.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent:
Rating:
Move left and step across on to the arête, then move round on to the face of the buttress and finish up the centre.
Grade: 5b | First Ascent: -1971
Rating: 1
From the grassy bay on Wanderlust, move back right and climb the thin bottomless crack. A spacy route.
Grade: 5c | First Ascent: -1970
Rating: 3
Climb the intricate wall directly under the roof of The Rostrum, to gain the base of an old bolt ladder. Climb the wall just right of this by a confusing sequence to reach the roof. Hand-traverse sensationally left around the arête to a welcome foothold and finish direct.
Grade: | First Ascent: -1970
Rating: 0
A direct finish to Crescendo, tackling the monster roof above on bolts, with exhilarating moves on the lip. However, the bolts are very old.
Grade: 4c,5a | First Ascent: -1957
Rating: 3
After an uninteresting first pitch the second is pure poetry; quarry climbing at its best. The stomach traverse at the top of The Rostrum is memorable for its fine position, but the crux is actually slightly lower.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent:
Rating:
Pull strenuously out of a deep sandy cave on the right and climb cracks to a `proud` shelf.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent:
Rating:
From the middle of the ledge gain the horizontal break above, then traverse left to the edge. Ascend the slab and traverse to the outermost point of the overhang, then stomach-traverse through the gap in the overhang and finish up the front.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent:
Rating: 2
A variation to pitch 2 of Sweatyman. A classic of its grade, with some thin moves. Good value at 4c. Make a long reach to the horizontal break above the belay and enter a scoop. Finish direct.
Grade: 4b | First Ascent: -1957
Rating: 0
Despite its name, the chimney on the right is well out of the firing line, so there are no excuses for avoiding this classic quarry chimney.
Grade: 5b | First Ascent: -1981
Rating: 2
Thin and exposed climbing, with little protection on the arête itself. The prominent arête on the right is climbed to a large roof, then move right to the crack of Magpie and climb this for a few metres, until it is possible to go back left and finish up the arête.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent: -1957
Rating: 0
Climb the corner on the right to below the overhang, then elbow-traverse right to gain a ledge. Move back above the overhang and finish direct.
Grade: 6a | First Ascent: -1986
Rating: 0
Climb the wall between Elbow Jump and Magpie, direct. A long reach comes in useful above the break.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent: -1959
Rating: 2
Start by the arête and rise diagonally left to an overhanging corner crack. Follow this to the top. A good, interesting start, but unfortunately the top can be dirty.
Grade: | First Ascent: -1957
Rating: 0
The broken chimney just right.
Grade: 5b | First Ascent: -1975
Rating: 0
Start a metre right at an obvious small step. Climb the wall past horizontal breaks to a bold step up at two-thirds height. Move more easily to the top.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent: -1982
Rating: 0
Start on the right and climb the slab to twin, right-leaning cracks. Finish up these.
Grade: 4a | First Ascent: -1957
Rating: 0
Start at a large sandy bowl and take a direct line to the top using the wide crack.
Grade: 4b | First Ascent: (Early 1960s)
Rating: 0
Start just left of the arête and ascend to a flake at four metres. Move right and follow the arête until a move left can be made to finish.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent: (1965-76)
Rating: 1
Climb the undercut, diagonal, block-filled crack right of the arête to a hard move on to the arête itself. Finish up this.
Grade: 6b | First Ascent: -1986
Rating: 2
A fantastic line, but the last protection is at the break and so the top wall requires a high degree of commitment. Start a metre right below a hole and climb up past this to a good break below a vague seam in the upper wall. Follow the pegged-out pockets above by baffling moves, to an easier finish.
Grade: 5b | First Ascent: -1970
Rating: 3
One of the best climbs in the quarry. The obvious route of the wall; classic. Climb the vague groove in the centre of the wall to its top, then step left to gain a wide, curving crack which leads to the top.
Grade: 5c | First Ascent: -1976
Rating: 0
Start immediately on the right and climb the wall via two slanting cracks to a finish up a wider crack.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent: -1957
Rating: 1
The wide crack on the right. Hard to start.
Grade: 5b | First Ascent: -1981
Rating: 1
Climb the wall two metres farther to the right, passing a hole. Traverse right at the break and finish direct.
Grade: 4b | First Ascent: (Early 1960s)
Rating: 0
From a sandy block, climb the left edge until it is possible to move right on small holds, then climb the scoop and cracks above.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent: (1965-76)
Rating: 1
Start to the right, below a small overhang with three tiny cracks above. Climb up to and pass the overhang, then trend right to the top.
Grade: 5c | First Ascent: -1982
Rating: 1
Climb directly up to a shallow, brandy glass-shaped scoop and enter this with difficulty. Exit via the slab above. A fine route, but get a good runner in before the scoop.
Grade: 4c | First Ascent: -1963
Rating: 0
The dirty corner crack, exiting right at the chockstone.
Grade: 5b | First Ascent: -1971
Rating: 2
The fine arête to the right, passing an old iron, quarryman`s spike at half-height.
Grade: 6b | First Ascent: -1974
Rating: 1
Climb the groove right of the arête past a roof to reach the left side of The Walk Off. Then make a hard move up the thin crack above to gain a good hold on the left, then finish direct.
Grade: 4a | First Ascent: (Pre-1998)
Rating: 0
Start one metre right and climb the broken cracks to finish at The Walk Off.
Grade: 5a | First Ascent: -1959
Rating: 1
The zigzag crack on the right (old wooden wedge) leads to The Walk Off, then the thin rightward-slanting crack above.
Grade: 5b | First Ascent: (1965-76)
Rating: 0
This climb is formed by linking up two boulder problems. Nevertheless, it is well worth doing. Climb the wall two metres right, to reach The Walk Off, then walk right and climb the scoop with a good hold in its centre. Beware though, the finishing hold is often full of grit!