Rock climbing in the Peak District

Rock climbing is a very popular activity in the Peak District; on warm bank holidays hundreds of climbers can be seen on popular edges such as Stanage[?] or Froggatt[?]. Generally the climbing style is free climbing[?] (as opposed to aid climbing[?]) and the rock is either gritstone or limestone. Climbing has been practised all over the Peak District since the late 19th century; James W. Puttrell[?] is generally credited with starting the practice.

Gritstone

There is a long-standing practice of climbing routes in the traditional style. Rocks are climbed on-sight with the leader placing protection as they climb, from bottom to top, without weighting any of the protection; the second climber removes the protection as she climbs. Almost all gritstone crags are free from bolts and in-situ pitons, and bolting and pegging is forbidden.

The major gritstone crags include:

• Stanage Edge[?] a 5km edge generally between 10m and 25m in height north of Hathersage, England[?]
• Frogatt Edge[?]
• Curbar Edge[?]
• The Kinder Edges[?]
• Millstone Edge[?]
• Bamford Edge[?]
• Birchen Edge[?]
• Burbage Rocks[?]
• Higgar Tor[?]
• Dovestone Tor[?] (on Derwent Edge[?])
• Rivelin Rocks[?]
• Cratcliffe Tor[?]
• Black Rocks[?]
• Baslow Edge[?]

These are the Ordnance Survey names, climbers sometimes have different names for them (sometimes shortened versions of the standard names, like "Stanage" instead of "Stanage Edge").

Limestone

Generally in-situ bolts and pitons are more acceptable on limestone and some crags are exclusively bolted.