We climbers all love lists. It’s a given, really. In fact, during my time at Joe Brown’s, the best selling issue of Climb that we sold was the one that had lots of Top 100… lists in it. So I’m drafting another one: a Peak District 7+8 list.
It’s not comprehensive by any stretch; there’s one of them in the guidebook! In fact, there’s not much to it really, i just wanted a project list to keep me more focused on those days i venture East, that i could share it with others. Feel free to comment and make suggestions and i shall change things as i go along. Hope you like it!
Stanage – Plantation
I started the list here and did wonder, as i often do, if i shouldn’t branch out a bit and look to other crags instead, to broaden my horizons. It quickly became apparent that would be stupid: there are too many classic problems at these grades to be done here! Within a few seconds, i’d come up with at least the first four or five. Some places are just too good to ignore.
- Storm 7b+
- Brad Pitt 7c
- Deliverance 7b+
- The Ace 8b
- The Joker 8a
- Green Traverse 7a
- Dope on a Slope 7a+
- Careless Torque 8a
- To Be Or Not To Be 7a+
- Jerry’s Traverse 7c
- Ben’s Extension 8a
- Help The Young 7a+
Stanage – Everywhere else
Strange though it may seem to lump the rest of this 4-mile long crag into two oddly-sized paragraphs like this, that is the nature of the crag for boulderers in my experience. While it has SOO much to offer your humble trad climber, the classics for those who prefer pads to pro are a bit clustered. So here’s the rest of Stanage.
- Low Rider 7c+ (Stanage End)
- Buckstone Dyno 7b (The Buckstone)
- Hamper’s Hang 7a (Far Right)
Curber
I’ve spent a lot of time here over the years, Curbar being one of my favourite gritstone haunts, and even now, much preferred to neighbouring Froggatt. However, i’ve only really explored the boulders strewn around the bottom of the crag, and have yet to get to grips with the edge itself.
- Trackside 7a
- Gorilla Warefare 7a
- Early Doors 7a+
- Ben’s Wall 7c
Burbage
Okay, so this is really four crags: North, South, West and Bridge, but there really aren’t that many at each, so much as with Stanage, i’ve lumped them all together, but given an inkling as to where you can find each.
- The Nose 7a (West)
- West Side Story 7b+ (West)
- Breakfast 7a (West)
- Rocket Man 7b+ (Bridge)
- Mermaid 7a (Bridge)
- Blind Date 7b+ (North)
- Pebble Mill Traverse 7a+ (South)
- Electrical Storm 7b (South)
- Little Rascal 7a (South)
- Crash ‘n’ Gurn 7a (South Boulders)
Gardoms
At time of writing, i’ve not been to Gardoms, although any (vaguely) hard British boulderer from the 80s or 90s will have found it hard not to have heard of it. There are a few classics that are not to be missed (from what i hear…)
- 8 Ball 8a
- Mark’s Roof
Cratcliffe
Another fantastic venue, further South. Right next to Robin Hood’s Stride, it has a few spot on problems; classics to match any other in the Peak.
- T Crack 7b
- RZA Roof 7a+
- Jerry’s Traverse 7b
- Brian’s Private Arete 7b
- Jerry’s Arete 7a (Robin Hood’s Stride)
- Big Al Qaeda 7b (Robin Hood’s Stride)
Higgar Tor
Tor’s are more commonly associated with Dartmoor than the Peak, but this one is a must… that i haven’t been to. Still, i should and there are a couple i really want to try.
- Piss 7b
- Shit 7b+
- Hemline 7a+
Secret Garden
Another wonderful little spot that is always a bit tricky to find; the clue was there really, wasn’t it! Still, worth the look.
- Beachball 7a
- Dick Williams 7b+
- Left-Hand Man 7b+
