This site is a digital copy of the 1997 BMC guidebook to rock climbing in Lancashire
Climbing guides found for: Carnforth
This is a small crag in the woods about 15 metres above the road, just south of Crag Foot. Although it is short, it is ideal for a summer evening visit and the views from the top can be particularly rewarding after the enclosure of the woods. Park in the first lay-by on the right about 300 metres north of the entrance to Scout Crag Caravan Park. From the north side of this lay-by, follow a very overgrown track for about 50 metres, then head diagonally right up the hillside to the left end of the crag. A path along the foot of the crag leads to a cave at its right end.
Just over one kilometre west of Warton village there are three small crags hidden in the trees immediately above the lower road to Silverdale. The largest of these is Crag Foot, which, despite initial appearances is relatively tall. It is also extremely sheltered from most winds and often stays dry even when it is raining. The other two crags in this area, Barrow Scout Cove and Scout Crag Quarry, are smaller, but they are nevertheless worth a short visit.
Crag Foot is extremely secretive in nature and was first unearthed, literally, by Al Evans and John Girdley, in 1974. Evans and Girdley rapidly claimed the best lines, including Left and Right Foot Eliminates, Pseudopod and the excellent Plimsoll Line, which usually stays dry in the rain. However, they narrowly missed the 1975 guidebook with Achilles` Heel and Toe and Heel. Later in that year Dave Knighton added the thought-provoking Stiletto and Footsie. Since then the only additions have been two rather strenuous and gymnastic finishes, Footloose and Big Toe, by Steve Blackwell and Brian Davison respectively.
The climbing at Fairy Steps is situated on two parallel escarpments, the Upper and Lower Crags. These are both several hundred metres long and they consist of climbable rock of up to a maximum of 10 metres high, interspersed with many broken sections. It is a pity that this area has been ignored and written off by climbers in the past, because this has only resulted in paths becoming lost, an increase of lichen growth and an overuse of the other documented crags in the area. The crags face west and as a result of recent tree thinning many of the buttresses now enjoy afternoon sunshine, which has greatly improved the climbing. This makes Fairy Steps a pleasant little crag that is well worth an evening visit.
Follow the track for nearly eight-hundred metres to a clearing and a cairn with a marker disc at a fork. Follow the right fork and re-enter woodland after about one hundred metres. The climbs at the left end of Whin Scar can be reached by striking out left for about thirty metres through the woods at a yellow waymarker post about 200 metres after the woods have been re-entered. However, to reach the climbs on the other crags, it is best to continue along the track through the woods for a further 200 metres to a signpost at a junction with the Hazelslack path. Just over one hundred metres down from this signpost the path splits through the Lower Crag at the Narrow Cleft, whilst the Steps themselves cut through the Upper Crag about 30 metres above the signpost. All the climbs are then best reached by walking along the foot of the appropriate crag. Alternatively, the Steps themselves can be reached in a little over 10 minutes, by following a good path from Hazelslack (O.S. ref. SD 477 787) via the Narrow Cleft.
The climbing at Fairy Steps is situated on two parallel escarpments, the Upper and Lower Crags. These are both several hundred metres long and they consist of climbable rock of up to a maximum of 10 metres high, interspersed with many broken sections. It is a pity that this area has been ignored and written off by climbers in the past, because this has only resulted in paths becoming lost, an increase of lichen growth and an overuse of the other documented crags in the area. The crags face west and as a result of recent tree thinning many of the buttresses now enjoy afternoon sunshine, which has greatly improved the climbing. This makes Fairy Steps a pleasant little crag that is well worth an evening visit.
In the intervening years between the 1969 and 1975 guidebooks, Bill Lounds paid numerous visits, concentrating on the areas of rock on the Right-hand Section of the Lower Crag. The best routes of this period were Neetabulb, climbed with Wilson and Gloom, with Pete Lucas. Lounds was also responsible for the first routes on the Left-hand Section of the Lower Crag, of which White Africa Flake and Black Africa Flake were probably the most notable. In the third edition of the guidebook, published in 1983, it was again decided to `demote` Fairy Steps to minor crag status, and this policy continued with the fourth edition.
Follow the track for nearly eight-hundred metres to a clearing and a cairn with a marker disc at a fork. Follow the right fork and re-enter woodland after about one hundred metres. The climbs at the left end of Whin Scar can be reached by striking out left for about thirty metres through the woods at a yellow waymarker post about 200 metres after the woods have been re-entered. However, to reach the climbs on the other crags, it is best to continue along the track through the woods for a further 200 metres to a signpost at a junction with the Hazelslack path. Just over one hundred metres down from this signpost the path splits through the Lower Crag at the Narrow Cleft, whilst the Steps themselves cut through the Upper Crag about 30 metres above the signpost. All the climbs are then best reached by walking along the foot of the appropriate crag. Alternatively, the Steps themselves can be reached in a little over 10 minutes, by following a good path from Hazelslack (O.S. ref. SD 477 787) via the Narrow Cleft.
The climbing at Fairy Steps is situated on two parallel escarpments, the Upper and Lower Crags. These are both several hundred metres long and they consist of climbable rock of up to a maximum of 10 metres high, interspersed with many broken sections. It is a pity that this area has been ignored and written off by climbers in the past, because this has only resulted in paths becoming lost, an increase of lichen growth and an overuse of the other documented crags in the area. The crags face west and as a result of recent tree thinning many of the buttresses now enjoy afternoon sunshine, which has greatly improved the climbing. This makes Fairy Steps a pleasant little crag that is well worth an evening visit.
Follow the track for nearly eight-hundred metres to a clearing and a cairn with a marker disc at a fork. Follow the right fork and re-enter woodland after about one hundred metres. The climbs at the left end of Whin Scar can be reached by striking out left for about thirty metres through the woods at a yellow waymarker post about 200 metres after the woods have been re-entered. However, to reach the climbs on the other crags, it is best to continue along the track through the woods for a further 200 metres to a signpost at a junction with the Hazelslack path. Just over one hundred metres down from this signpost the path splits through the Lower Crag at the Narrow Cleft, whilst the Steps themselves cut through the Upper Crag about 30 metres above the signpost. All the climbs are then best reached by walking along the foot of the appropriate crag. Alternatively, the Steps themselves can be reached in a little over 10 minutes, by following a good path from Hazelslack (O.S. ref. SD 477 787) via the Narrow Cleft.
The climbing at Fairy Steps is situated on two parallel escarpments, the Upper and Lower Crags. These are both several hundred metres long and they consist of climbable rock of up to a maximum of 10 metres high, interspersed with many broken sections. It is a pity that this area has been ignored and written off by climbers in the past, because this has only resulted in paths becoming lost, an increase of lichen growth and an overuse of the other documented crags in the area. The crags face west and as a result of recent tree thinning many of the buttresses now enjoy afternoon sunshine, which has greatly improved the climbing. This makes Fairy Steps a pleasant little crag that is well worth an evening visit.
Follow the track for nearly eight-hundred metres to a clearing and a cairn with a marker disc at a fork. Follow the right fork and re-enter woodland after about one hundred metres. The climbs at the left end of Whin Scar can be reached by striking out left for about thirty metres through the woods at a yellow waymarker post about 200 metres after the woods have been re-entered. However, to reach the climbs on the other crags, it is best to continue along the track through the woods for a further 200 metres to a signpost at a junction with the Hazelslack path. Just over one hundred metres down from this signpost the path splits through the Lower Crag at the Narrow Cleft, whilst the Steps themselves cut through the Upper Crag about 30 metres above the signpost. All the climbs are then best reached by walking along the foot of the appropriate crag. Alternatively, the Steps themselves can be reached in a little over 10 minutes, by following a good path from Hazelslack (O.S. ref. SD 477 787) via the Narrow Cleft.
Climb the obvious wide crackline in the front face of the detached block. Step right at the top.
The earliest climbers to visit Farleton were probably Ian Dobson and Roger Gott, who discovered the main crag in 1966. During their early visits they climbed most of the easier lines, including Farleton Crack, Appleton Crack, Earwig Two, Idleness and Doodlebug. Dobson introduced Stew Wilson to the crag in early 1967 and this group added a further batch of climbs, including Deb`s Crack. However, the most notable route was The Shriek of Baghdad by Wilson, which still stands as the classic of the crag (as its polished state testifies!). Later that year Wilson introduced Bill Lounds and Chris Eilbeck to the crag, and Lounds immediately went for the impressive wall immediately to the right of The Shriek, where he produced Agrippa and Herod, two powerful climbs that were ripe for Lounds` powerful approach. Lounds also started to explore the far right end of the main crag, which he opened up with Enyoka, a short, but nevertheless demanding route.
The earliest climbers to visit Farleton were probably Ian Dobson and Roger Gott, who discovered the main crag in 1966. During their early visits they climbed most of the easier lines, including Farleton Crack, Appleton Crack, Earwig Two, Idleness and Doodlebug. Dobson introduced Stew Wilson to the crag in early 1967 and this group added a further batch of climbs, including Deb`s Crack. However, the most notable route was The Shriek of Baghdad by Wilson, which still stands as the classic of the crag (as its polished state testifies!). Later that year Wilson introduced Bill Lounds and Chris Eilbeck to the crag, and Lounds immediately went for the impressive wall immediately to the right of The Shriek, where he produced Agrippa and Herod, two powerful climbs that were ripe for Lounds` powerful approach. Lounds also started to explore the far right end of the main crag, which he opened up with Enyoka, a short, but nevertheless demanding route.
The quarry lies on the fellside directly behind the village of Farleton, just above an old lime kiln. However, it should not be approached direct. The quarry is small and an abundance of trees nearby means that it is often slow to dry.
The crag is longer than the rest of the rock at Farleton, but is rather broken and much of it is split by several small grassy ledges. The crag is very deceptive, because it is dominated by a fairly nondescript lower section, that guards some excellent rock at the top. However, it is well worth climbing the often lineless and ledgy bottom sections to be rewarded with some classic finishes, mostly at around Severe to VS. Many of the routes are very recent and they should generally improve with traffic.
The best climbing is at The Rakes, which gives climbs of up to nine metres on excellent limestone, generally ranging from VD to VS. However, the bottom couple of moves on some climbs can be particularly hard for their grade.
Although Hutton Roof soon became a popular evening venue with locals, it was only reported in the Lancashire guidebooks from 1975 onwards as a `Minor Crag` and so further developments did not tend to be reported, though it does appear that in 1987 Nick Conway was the first person to complete the problem traverse that bears his name.
The crag forms part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI); owned by the National Trust. A number of nationally-rare tree species grow on the crag and in order to avoid damage to them and the other vegetation it is often necessary to use bolt runners and to make abseil descents (see Access section for more information).
The crag belongs to the National Trust, which is happy to permit climbing, provided that this does not damage the rare and fragile plant environment. If climbers take a sensitive approach to climbing at Jack Scout, both the plants and the climbers can easily co-exist, but it is necessary for us to accept some limited restrictions. However, these are not very onerous, as the best climbing tends to be in the areas that are relatively free of vegetation.
Jackdaw Quarry is a flooded quarry at Capernwray, about two kilometres north-east of the Over Kellet junction (J35) on the M6. It is used for scuba diving and the owners are not currently prepared to permit climbing. If climbing is permitted in future, it will be necessary to ask at the Dive Shop on site before climbing.
This is a small and rather lineless limestone quarry directly above a football ground in Millhead, about one kilometre south of Warton village.
This small quarry lies between Barrow Scout Cove and Scout Crag Caravan Site. To reach it, park in the lay-by as for Barrow Scout Cove, then walk back along the road for about 150 metres to a footpath on the left, immediately after a limekiln. Walk up this footpath for about 20 metres, then scramble up left to the old quarry track and follow this into the quarry itself.
Main Wall is so eye-catching that on a first visit the other attractions can easily be overlooked, but Assagai Wall is a very rewarding piece of rock, while Asylum Wall and Red Wall offer contrasting styles of desperation. The areas of rock in between, whilst being less obviously attractive, also have some very worthwhile routes.
Lounds soon added Izzy the Push, the first venture on to Red Wall, with a couple of aid points, whilst Essence of Giraffe fell to sustained efforts by Lounds, Wilson, Martin and Stuart Butler. On the latter route, the team sieged the crag for the day, resorting to aid pegs to clean mud-choked cracks, but then, in line with the `ground up` ethic of the day, they made a final unaided push from the bottom. Both of these ascents were impressive for their day and many subsequent attempt used more aid.
(1) There should be no abseiling or roping down/lowering from the Main Wall and climbers should walk down after completing their climbs. This is to protect the rock, both for climbers and because of its geological importance.
The Main Quarry at Warton is the huge limestone quarry that dominates the view of the hillside from the M6. There is much loose rock in places and so the quarry can seem daunting on first acquaintance. However, the climbing generally manages to avoid the loosest sections and those who do take the effort to get to know the quarry will be rewarded with some of the best routes in Lancashire, especially if the sun is shining. Having said this, there are also some of the worst routes, with many being amazingly loose. These routes will be pointed out in order that they can be avoided (or appreciated by those who enjoy that sort of adventure!).
Apart from one or two aided forays, now lost in the mists of time and legend, the first attack on the quarry came in 1970 with the ascent of the striking line of Plastic Iceberg. The first pitch – hardly immaculate even now – was so loose that, in John Sheard`s words <169>what we needed was a disposable non-climber with a disregard for instability and no need of conventional protection<170> in other words Pete Livesey, then better known in other sports, who made the first ascent with Sheard.
The quarry is a Local Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and so there are some minimal restrictions on climbing in order to protect the wildlife.
Although the crag is known as Pinnacle Crag, the pinnacle itself is relatively small and is slightly isolated from the best climbing, which lies on the continuous area of rock known as Plum Buttress. There are also some other isolated buttresses that provide worthwhile climbing towards the extremities of the crag.
Most of the routes were first done by Stew Wilson and Rod Smallwood, though Dave Thompson did the very enjoyable Flake and Wall, and Robin Witham shook up The Morning After (so called because it was!). Bill Lounds and Chris Eilbeck added the surprisingly substantial Plum Buttress Girdle and Lounds used two nuts for aid to start the notorious Plumbline, though he managed to dispense with both of these shortly after the final manuscript had been submitted for the 1969 guidebook. Much more recently Dave Bates solved a long-standing problem with The Crank and opened up the climbing to the left of The Pinnacle, by climbing most of the lines on Black Buttress. Meanwhile, Phil Stone cleaned the pleasant Bish`s Tipple, as well as claiming several lesser – and less certainly new, routes.
The access situation on the four buttresses to the left of the Pinnacle is not known. Climbers have not encountered any problems, but nevertheless, a low profile is advised.
The crag is very popular with organized groups and so it is not unusual to find all the easier routes occupied. It also manages to be both sheltered and sunny, but when it does get wet, some parts are slow to dry.
Al Evans made several routes over the years, the best of which were Movie Maker, Triceps Wall and Igor. Another regular visitor was Charlie Vigano and though much of his climbing was unrecorded, he was certainly responsible for Vigano`s Variation in 1970 and together with Les Ainsworth and John Mason, was still adding routes in 1997, including the imaginatively named Charlie`s, Les`s and John`s Routes.
The quarry is owned by the local village council, which is willing to permit climbing, providing that all litter is removed.
However, whilst the crag catches the sun for much of the day, it comes into the shade later on and so it can be cold in the evening. Fortunately, it is only five minutes walk to Pinnacle Crag and the combination of starting at Warton Upper and then moving to Warton Pinnacle can make an excellent day.
Many of the remaining routes have not been claimed, including Space Walk, which contains arguably the best move on the crag. Brian Davison added Space Flight in 1992. However a few gaps remained and in 1996, Black`s Route by Phil Black, Gary Smith and John Woodward, which was done during guidework, proves that some plums still await picking.
Lancaster City Council owns this crag, and its councillors wish to discourage the use of the crag by educational establishments or large organized groups, such as Outdoor Centres, for commercial gain. Therefore, such users are asked to avoid both this and Warton Pinnacle Crag.
The climbing at Fairy Steps is situated on two parallel escarpments, the Upper and Lower Crags. These are both several hundred metres long and they consist of climbable rock of up to a maximum of 10 metres high, interspersed with many broken sections. It is a pity that this area has been ignored and written off by climbers in the past, because this has only resulted in paths becoming lost, an increase of lichen growth and an overuse of the other documented crags in the area. The crags face west and as a result of recent tree thinning many of the buttresses now enjoy afternoon sunshine, which has greatly improved the climbing. This makes Fairy Steps a pleasant little crag that is well worth an evening visit.
Follow the track for nearly eight-hundred metres to a clearing and a cairn with a marker disc at a fork. Follow the right fork and re-enter woodland after about one hundred metres. The climbs at the left end of Whin Scar can be reached by striking out left for about thirty metres through the woods at a yellow waymarker post about 200 metres after the woods have been re-entered. However, to reach the climbs on the other crags, it is best to continue along the track through the woods for a further 200 metres to a signpost at a junction with the Hazelslack path. Just over one hundred metres down from this signpost the path splits through the Lower Crag at the Narrow Cleft, whilst the Steps themselves cut through the Upper Crag about 30 metres above the signpost. All the climbs are then best reached by walking along the foot of the appropriate crag. Alternatively, the Steps themselves can be reached in a little over 10 minutes, by following a good path from Hazelslack (O.S. ref. SD 477 787) via the Narrow Cleft.
Many of the routes at the right-hand end of the crag are unpleasantly polished, and if conditions are at all damp, the whole crag can be abominable. The relatively neglected areas north of the Well certainly deserve more attention.
Woodwell has been used for years by devotees to the Silverdale Area, such as Stew Wilson, Bill Lounds and Charlie Vigano, who regularly climbed there, but kept no records. Perhaps the first systematic attempt to record the routes was by Tom Walkington, and in the absence of better information, it is best to suppose that Walkington was responsible for most of the lines as they are now recorded, with the exception of a few late Ainsworth/Cronshaw additions in 1995. Walkington was certainly responsible for the technical problems around Tom`s Traverse.