Gill Peet on Push to ythe Prolapse, 6C+, at Craig-y-Longridge (page 172, problem 13). Photo: David Simmonite.

3

A coal face of pump for Lancastrians who come to mine for stamina. A workmanlike crag where you clock in and go to work in the hope of getting some fitness in your paycheque at the end of the month. Nice legs, shame about the face.

Wars are not won or lost when one side kills all of the other. What happens is that when such level of pain – casualties, moral or financial anguish – is inflicted on one player, they capitulate. In the same way do climbers fall off at Longridge. Watch them, see their faces after they drop off, a scene of horror and agony stretched across the face, the look a mixture of disappointment and phenomenal relief. Were it a war then Longridge will always be the one who drops the atomic bomb on the Hiroshima of your forearms.

// Climbing: Almost a hundred recorded up-problems and one monster traverse which is conveniently broken into six or seven fairly natural sections of varying degrees of desperation. Despite a huge number of up-problems, they are not so popular and for the first-time visitor, a few will usually suffice. Once you are up-sated then you get to work on a traverse section of your choice. The full

traverse is F8b+ route grade. The holds are mainly big flat slopers or small flat crimps with a variety of sidepulls, undercuts, cracks and flakes thrown in too. Can be a bit wearing on the skin. The up-problems are often quite highball, as are some sections of the traverse but the land-ings are perfect. Still, bring lots of pads. The bottom line is that you are here to get fit and fit you will get.// Conditions: Longridge is almost limestone-like in its fickleness. Seepage comes through in winter and after spells of heavy rain at other times. However when it is dry it does offer weatherproof climbing. It gets the morning sun, is very sheltered, but it can feel humid. The setting is odd, with an estate of holiday cottages within spotting distance of the climbing. // Approach: Follow the maps. The entrance is through a wooden gate 65m up from the entrance to the Green Bank Park holiday village. // Access: Longridge has had troubles in the past as far as access goes. Since the BMC purchased the strip of land below the situation has settled. However it is im-portant that there is no music, no dogs and no climb-ing before 10am or after sunset.// Info: Lancashire Rock (BMC) has traditional English tech grades for almost all the problems here best referenced to their numbers.

Craig-y-Longridge

Adam Lincoln on Super Submarine, 8A+ (problem 12). Photo: Lincoln collection.

North West / Craig-y-Longridge

53.839171-2.583311

4

1 Kiss the Razor’s Edge 7A2 Black Jake 4+ (18) 3 Timothy’s Route 6A (19) 4 Wobblebottom 5+ (20) 5 Bomb Squad 6B 6 Central Icefall Direct 4+ (23) 7 Tarot Plane 6C 8 Thirty Feet of Pain 6C+ (26) 9 Pump Til You Jump 6A+ (29) 10 Cruel Country 6C+ (28) 11 Smeg City 6A (52) 12 Big Marine 7B (54) Sit start off crimps is Super Submarine 8A+

13 Push to Prolapse 6C+ (56) 14 Pot of Gold 8A Dyno to Rainbow’s starting jug. 15 Bend in the Rainbow 7A The high starting hold is gained from the ladder. 16 Rug Thug 6A+ (58) 17 In Excess 6A+ (59) Sit start 7B+. 18 Fertile Delta 7A 19 Porridge Gun 6C (60) 20 New Stone Age 6A (63) 21 Unknown Arete 5 (64)

Longridge

Preston

Grimsargh

Clitheroe

Preston

BlackburnBlackburn

Clitheroe

A59

A59

A59

A666A680

A671

A5085

A59A677

A6119

A6

A6 A5085

A59

A6

Craig-y-Longridge

M65

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M61M6

J35

J35

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B6243B6246

B6243

B6245B5269B6243

A671

A6

0 5km

North West / Craig-y-Longridge

see map on page 148

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6B - 7B

80 probs

best from

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Right End

5 Scotland / Wolfcrag

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5 - 6C

50 probs

best from

Wolfcrag 56.15953-3.951436

Stirling

Bridge ofAllan

A91

A84A84

Wolfcrag

M9

j10

j11

B823

B998

A9

A9

A907A9

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Wolfcrag

Mxjxx

B823B823Bridge of

AllenBridge of

Allan

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P

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S

Popular quarry bouldering with easy access and reliable conditions. A great collection of easy/mid-grade problems that will be to your arms what a ten-mile cycle does to your legs. A nice place.

// Climbing: Quarried greenstone (like a fine-grained grit). Problems are mostly all vertical. Problems go part-way up the walls where you jump off or traverse to easy ground. The ground is flat and hard. Mats very useful for jumping onto. Good for training and mileage. Good for eliminates. Crimpy, sometimes chipped. The classic problem is the traverse of the entire quarry at 7A.// Conditions: Mostly south facing. Leafy. Climbable year round although it can get very hot, humid and midgy in sum-mer. Sometimes dank in winter. Best in spring or autumn. Very sheltered. Lots of problems can stay dry in the rain. The setting is urban and the quarry sometimes graffitied, but this has little impact on the senses of even more delicate souls. // Approach: Bridge of Allan is easiest reached off junction 11 of the M9 and following the A9. Follow this to the bridge in the middle of town. (The train station is just on the east side of the river.) On the west side of the bridge, at the mini-roundabout, follow signs for the golf course. Carry on uphill on Blairforkie Drive then forkie right up Ferniebank Brae, still following for the golf course. At the top turn right and park: the quarry is just in the trees.// Info: Bouldering in Scotland (SCP); scottishclimbs.com

see map on page 406

Wolfcrag bouldering. Photo Fraser Harle.

6Scotland / Glen Clova

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70 probs

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Glen Clova 56.866194-3.165436

Kirriemuir

DykeheadDykehead

hotel

Memus

Forfar

A90

Glen Clova

Mxjxx

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Glen Clova hotel 3km

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Haytor

Peel BoulderArea

TheHollow

Mxjxx

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PPP

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A beautiful and wild valley with a dozen blocks scattered around its base and on the scree below a crag. These provide a bunch of testpieces in the mid grades and plenty of mileage for the lower-grade climber.

The Hollow area has about 35 problems on four main boulders, mostly in the 6s. Further up the valley is the Peel Boulders area, lying under the Red Craigs crag. This is the most popular area. The Stone Country guide covers this area with 10 testpieces from 6A to 7A+, all within 150m of the road.// Climbing: Diorite boulders. Generally steep climbing from sit starts. Plenty of slabs and walls too. Boulders are often above grass but lots too above scree. Can be sharp.// Conditions: Plenty of sun although some are sunless in winter. Some boulders climbable year round but a few stay green. Potentially very midgy. Family friendly.

// Approach: Follow the maps and get onto the B955. Follow this as far as the hotel at the end of the loop. Carry on the single track road. The Hollows parking is 250m past the white house and the Peel area parking is under the crags. Each of these has space for 3 cars. If these are full do not park on the verge: carry on to the spacious quarry parking area. // Info: Bouldering in Scotland (SCP); scot-tishclimbs.com

see map on page 406

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Adrian Crofton on John Peel, 6c. Photo: John Watson.