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John Allcock writes: Ilkley must rate among the primary centres of English rock climbing. The famous Cow and Calf rocks loom over the town, and stand guard at the entrance to the quarry. Stretching behind them is the "rocky valley", and the northern edge of Ilkley Moor, along which are ranged six further buttresses of sandstone and grit. The Yorkshire Gritstone handbook lists over 200 routes here, ranging from modest scrambles to some of the most formidable problems on British rock, such as "New Statesman" (E8/7b) . As with most gritstone edges, the climbs rarely exceed 15m in height, with most at 10-12m. There will be something here for everybody - from the absolute beginner to the most well-honed rock athlete.
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John Dunne on New Statesman (E8/7a) |
| The area has attracted some of the great figures in the history of British climbing since activity was first recorded here in the early days of the century--the first guide was published in 1911. Exploration begun by Winston Earrar and Jack Greenwood before the Second World War was continued by figures such as Arthur Dolphin in the '40s, Alan Austin in the '50s, and sustained subsequently by John Syrett and Ron Fawcett. John Dunne has opened several notable routes in the locality, such as "Deathwish" (E7/6b) and most recently "Loaded" (E8/7a) - rated "alongside Reservoir Dogs and New Statesman as one of the hardest technical testpieces on grit". | |
John Dunne on a problem on the Calf boulder |
For the afficionado of Yorkshire gritstone, Ilkley can hardly be bettered as the centre for a climbing holiday, standing at the centre of a 10 mile circle which includes more than 20 worthwhile crags. One of the great assets of the Ilkley crags is the fact that they are walkable from both train and bus in the town centre. The most recent systematic climbing guide to the area is: Dave Musgrove ed., Yorkshire Critstone--The Millennium Edition, Yorkshire Mountaineering Club, 1999. |
An interesting site to visit is: www.bass100.freeserve.co.uk
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