The Peak District was the UK's first National Park and it remains one of the most visited in the
world, with 16 million people living within an hour's drive and around 25 million visitors a year
squeezing into its 555 square miles. The central limestone core is ringed by a ragged edge of
gritstone that generally faces towards the centre of the park. The eastern side of this ring of
rock is formed by a 30 mile broken banner that runs from Wharncliffe, north of Sheffield, all the
way down to Shining Cliff, south of Matlock. The nucleus of this consists of the classic edges,
including the ever popular cliffs of Bamford, Stanage, Froggatt and Curbar. There are many
lesser edges, plus a rather fine set of quarries, which are virtually all in west-facing hill-top
situations. Escape from the city is easy and great sunsets are a given - there is little wonder
that Sheffield has become the home of choice for so many climbers.
I first climbed on Stanage in 1968, waking early from a cold night's camping at North Lees
and wandering up to gaze at the shadowy line of dark rock running off in both directions. I can
still recall the joy of those first explorations almost 50 years on. We spent the first day doing
classics such as
Martello Buttress
and
Inverted V
, dodging squally showers along the way.
That was followed by a day whacking pegs into Millstone's hairline cracks and slipping off the
start of
Great Slab
. I was smitten and moved to Sheffield in 1970 to start a long-term love affair
with gritstone that continues to this day.
Even back then, these cliffs and their short, intense climbs had a bigger place in the
mythology of UK climbing than their size might suggest. Easy access and perfect rock has
created a playground for bold and talented climbers and a place for the rest of us to learn our
trade and test our abilities. As time has passed ever more people have been introduced to
the world of gritstone climbing and all its wonderful weirdness, at some of the most popular
climbing venues on the planet. If the older pioneers could see the number of people who now
regularly climb on the gritstone edges, they would doubtless be surprised.
Sheffield Area
Ladybower Area
Stanage
BurbageValley
Millstone Area
Derwent Edges
Chatsworth Area
Southern Crags
4
Eastern Grit 
Introduction
