Rock climbing, sport climbing and bouldering in Yorkshire

Yorkshire has many classic crags, with the largest being Almscliff, Brimham, Caley, Ilkley, Malham and Kilnsey. These crags will provide a wide variety of climbing from trad climbing and bouldering on the gritstone crags, with trad climbing and sport climbing on the limestone crags. These different crags can be easy accessible roadside venues, or high moorland crags in beautiful settings on the Yorkshire Dales.

Almscliff is the jewel of Yorkshire gritstone climbing, rising out of the lush green fields to the north of Leeds. The crag is total exposed to the wind, faces all points of the compass and dries very quickly. It provides great climbing throughout the year, from crisp winter friction to enjoying the last of the light on long summer evenings.

Almscliff has an incredible density of quality trad routes, with many classics across the grades that are generally steep and exposed. The bouldering is equally as good covering a wide variety of styles and grades from Font 5.

Brimham Rocks is an amazing array of gritstone blocks, towers, pinnacles, and buttresses set on the edge of the moor in the Nidderdale Valley. Brimham probably has the widest variety of climbing within Yorkshire, offering delicate slabs, bold walls, and a profusion of steep, hand jamming cracks and offwidths.

At Brimham you will find excellent VDiffs alongside bold E7s providing the full Trad climbing experience. Equally the bouldering has a full range of bold highballs to gentle padding problems across the grades. 

Caley is split into two distinct sections; the Roadside Boulders and The Main Crag, both of which are conveniently only a short distance from Leeds, and close to the road. This gritstone crag faces north west and is best on long summer’s evenings or when the weather is unseasonably hot. The ideal time to boulder is during the spring and autumn.

The Roadside Boulders is one of the best places to boulder in Yorkshire, with the bracken hillside filled with brilliant boulders and blocks. All this makes for a fine bouldering circuit across a wide range of grades and styles.

Ilkley Rocks sit proudly over Wharfdale, and the famous spa town of Ilkley, and are split into 3 distinct sections; the Cow and Calf, the Quarry, and the remote edge of Rocky Valley. These gritstone buttresses and boulders predominantly face north to east, and can be exposed to the elements, though they generally dry quickly (except for the Rocky Valley).

The Cow and Calf dominate the climbing at Ilkley; with the Cow providing the Trad routes (with many classics), and the Calf offers bouldering. Close by is the quarry that offers a good range of routes in the low to mid grades that feel more friendly than the routes on the Cow. The Rock Valley is distinctly less popular but still has many excellent routes to explore.

Situated in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales is the dazzling amphitheatre of Malham Cove. The climbing at Malham ranges from mid-grade Trad routes to top level sport routes that are found on its steep limestone walls, ranking with the best to be found anywhere in Britain.

Malham Cove faces south and gets all the sunshine going. The best time to climb at Malham is from May through to October, except on hot summer days. During the winter there can be a lot of seepage

Kilnsey is a huge east facing series of limestone buttresses with many superb routes, characterised by long soaring grooves, often with undercut starts and intimidating capping roofs. These routes though are mostly in the upper grades; E4 and above for the Trad routes, and F7a and above for the sport routes.

There are well over 100 different gritstone and limestone crags in Yorkshire offering excellent climbing. Some of the other larger crags include; the gritstone crags of Slipstones, Crookrise, Earl Crag, Widdop, Rylstone, Woodhouse Scar, and Eavestone Crag; plus the limestone crags of Giggleswick (north and south), Attermire, Gordale, Robin Proctor’s Scar, and Trow Gill.

For the gritstone crags there are 2 definitive guidebooks. Yorkshire Gritstone volume 1 covers the Trad routes and bouldering at 50 different crags, including Almscliff, Caley, Brimham, the Chevin, Eavestone crag, and Slipstones. Yorkshire Gritstone volume 2 covers the Trad routes and bouldering at 75 different crags, including Ilkley, Barden Moor, Widdop, Calderdale, Earl Crag, Crookrise, Rylestone, Woodhouse Scar and Pen-y-Ghent.

For the limestone crags the Rockfax Northern Limestone guidebook is a selective guidebook covering the sport and Trad climbing at 21 different crags in Yorkshire, including Malham Cove, Kilnsey, Giggleswick (north and south), Attermire, Gordale, and Trow Gill. The definitive guidebook is simply called Yorkshire Limestone.

The Wired Northern Rock guidebook covers 19 limestone crags in Yorkshire, and 10 gritstone crags in Yorkshire, covering the best trad routes, sport routes and boulder problems in Yorkshire.  This selected guidebook also covers routes in Northumberland, Lancashire, and the North York Moors.  Published in 2022 it details over 3,500 trad routes, sport routes and boulder problems.

The Sport Climbing in England and Wales - Volume 1, North Guidebook covers 18 sport climbing crags in Yorkshire, including Malham Cove, Kilnsey, Giggleswick (north and south), Attermire, and Gordale.