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Yorkshire Limestone
Yorkshire LImestone
Push aside all the esoteric crap, and the Yorkshire Dales are quite simply one of the best sport climbing venues in the world. John Dunne famously spent his holidays booked into the Beck Hall in Malham village, despite living less than half an hour away, and the number of people who seem to spend their entire adult lives on the catwalk says it all. On first acquaintance with the compact rock, smooth footholds, savage crimps, and desperate sequences associated with the routes at Malham, most feel like driving down the road to the Grit. But the wise stick it out, get savagely strong, and hopelessly addicted to the place.
Malham, Kilnsey and Gordale are what it’s all about. Malham is home to some of the hardest technical climbing around, with shorter classic testpieces on the Catwalk, through to long, sustained, utterly mind blowing pitches on the upper tier, with the burl of Yosemite wall in between. Kilnsey is steep. Very steep. And again is home to some of the hardest routes around. Gordale is where atmosphere was invented, and is home to a number of impressive sport pitches, and incredibly exposed and scary hard trad adventures.
The best of the best! Yosemite Wall through to the Groove Area, with climber visible on the mighty Cry Freedom (8b)
Climbing at Malham is a right of passage. Most probably start off with tentative forays onto the easier trad routes up on the right wing, gazing down at the super-heroes climbing mega hard routes in the centre of the cove. Before long, most realize that the answer to climbing harder trad routes is sport climbing, and will find themselves on either Consenting Adults (7a) or Free and Even Easier (7a+), the initiation ceremonies. First acquaintance with the Malham routes often leaves you convinced that its way out of your league, and “a load of crap anyway”, but next time back on it, with fresher arms, an idea of where to put your feet, and some good old fashioned psyche, they become the best routes you’ve ever done. A short apprenticeship will soon see you up on the top tier, getting to grips with the graduation ceremony of Obsession (7b+). This is quite simply one of the best routes you’ll ever do; exposed, long, awesome moves, awesome pump, with a thought provoking run out at the top.
Herbie (7c+), upper tier at Malham
You are now officially hooked, and doomed to spending every available minute for the rest of your days here. Now you’ve got to grips with the exposure, move out left to the mind blowing position, and amazing technical climbing of Free and Easy (7c), which despite appearing “definitely impossible, there’s just no holds” on first acquaintance, is surprisingly straightforward. Summer must be approaching now, and that means only one thing; the left hand side must be drying out. The mega classic Yosemite Wall (7a+), Appetite (7a+), and Against the Grain (7a) are the standard warm up routes over here, and will give your biceps a surprise. Next on the agenda will be New Dawn (7c), which is generally acknowledged to be the finest 7c on these shores. A technical start, an unbelievably burly middle section, and a brilliant final wall; can it get much better?
Ground Effect (7b), Kilnsey
As the days get warmer, Kilnsey and Gordale will definitely be worth a visit. If you’re after steep 7c’s, Kilnsey will keep you busy forever, with Dominatrix being an absolute classic. But there’s also some really good quality “easier” routes, generally steep and on good holds. Kilnsey is one of those funny crags where trad routes and sport routes exist side by side, and some of the trad routes are not to be missed. Déjà vu (E5) is pretty close to being a clip up, but make sure you take your trad head. Central Wall (E4), Claws (E5) and Balas (E5) will keep you busy between redpoints.
If its real adventure routes you’re after, get to Gordale. This impressive canyon boasts some brilliant sustained sport routes, and some gobsmackingly exposed trad routes around the arête of Deliverance (E6). Dotted around the place are some really good quality 6b’s and 6c’s too, and some slightly easier but no less adventurous trad routes perch higher up above the waterfall.
Claws (E5 6a), Kilnsey
This part of the Yorkshire Dales is a brilliant place to spend your weekends, or even weeks. There’s enough quality and quantity to keep you busy for a lifetime, with many smaller crags to be discovered, and if you knacker all your tendons, there’s enough gritstone to wear away about 2000 layers of skin just down the road. See the YMC “Yorkshire Limestone” for the full lowdown.
Conditions
Climbing at Malham really is possible all year round. The cove is an incredible sun trap, and its not unusual to see people climbing with their tops off in the depths of winter if the sun is out. The catwalk routes and most of the upper tier routes stay dry even in the heaviest rain, with seepage only really being a problem left of Raindogs. Kilnsey stays dry in the rain, but suffers from seepage so needs a week or so after the spring rain to dry out for the summer. Being quite exposed it can get cold if a northerly is blowing, but is a haven during hot summers. On odd rainy days in summer, it is the best indoor climbing wall in the world. Gordale is also definitely a summer venue, being fairly hidden from the sun, and creating its own cool winds down the gorge. All of this just adds to the atmosphere though, so wait until spring, and get stuck in.
The superbly positioned Free and Easy (7c) on the upper tier at Malham
The Knowledge
There is an excellent campsite at Malham, about 10 minutes walk from the climbing, and 5 minutes walk from the pub. There is also a campsite at Gordale. It’s not too much of a drive round to Kilnsey from here, and going over the top via Arncliffe makes a pretty good scenic route. The pubs and Caf in Malham will keep you stocked up, but you might need to pop down to Gargrave for a shop/cash machine. Grassington is only a few miles from Kilnsey, and has shops and pubs.
The Very Best...
Malham: Carnage (E1), Wombat (E2), Mulatto Wall (E3), Doubting Thomas (E4), Yosemite Wall (7a+), Obsession (7b+), New Dawn (7c),
Kilnsey: Central Wall (E4), Balas (E5), Frankie (7b+), Dominatrix (7c), The Bulge (8a)
Gordale: Deliverance/Delivertoad (E6), Cave Routes (E6/7b+), Huecool (8a+)