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Lawrencefield – The Peak District

Climbing routes & crags | Gareth Hanson | August 4, 2009 8:26 am

Lawrencefield is a fantastic crag. It has what I consider to be the most important attributes of a good climbing venue:

  • It’s quiet
  • It’s tall (for the Peak District) – some of the climbs are almost 30m
  • There’s some really fantastic climbs, whether you’re a V Diff or E1 leader

If you can lead up to HS standard, you will absolutely love this venue as there are some really pleasurable and rewarding climbs in the lower grades.

Don’t get me wrong, if you’re looking for a massive venue with a lot of climbs you may be disappointed, but if you like smaller venues without the crowds and some first rate rock then Lawrencefield is definitely for you. Millstone is also just a short walk away if you need to make a long day of it.

Fantastic VS corner crack

Fantastic VS corner crack

To get to Lawrencefield crag, you should park at the Surprise View car park at the Sheffield side of Hathersage. From the car park, cross the road and walk about a hundred metres up the path to the corner. You’ll spot a little path leading off to the left, follow that through a gate then over a stile to your right and bingo, you’re stood at the top of the crag. Follow the rocky path in front of you which veers around to the left to get to the climbs.

You’ll be greeted by a sheltered area with the rock face curving around a central pool.

To the left of the pool there is a nice V Diff for beginners to experience a nice big climb, called Pulpit Groove. For those with a bit more experience there is a wonderful HS called Three Tree Climb, with a delightfully exposed move around a flake in the middle. VS leaders will love the crack in the corner, called Great Harry.

I haven’t yet climbed anything behind the pool, but they look pretty interesting. Once I have done them I’ll let you know.

The climbs to the right of the pool are steep slabs and most have some nice hand and finger jamming. Every climb has obvious belay points at the top. There’s everything from V Diff right up to E2 along this wall.

I have reviewed a couple of books that feature Lawrencefield (so you can identify the routes):
Eastern Grit and Peak District Climbing

How to get there:

It's good to share!

Written by Gareth Hanson

Gareth Hanson is a hugely enthusiastic climber and the editor of Rock Climbing UK (this very website!), an online rock climbing magazine for UK climbers. Check out RCUK's Twitter account here.

See all posts by Gareth Hanson.

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  • Gareth Hanson

    Quick update: I didn’t mention the Roadside Bay area in the post above. I have since popped in and lead The Last Wet Wednesday, VS.

    Like the rest of Lawrencefield, the Roadside Bay area is tall and steep with positive holds. I can definitely recommend it.

  • http://www.sit-up-straight.co.uk Jackie Cowie

    Lawrencefield scared me and enthralled me in equal measure! I learned loads and loved the environment.

  • http://rockclimbinguk.co.uk Gareth Hanson

    You climbed a Hard Severe on your second outdoor climbing session – impressive!

    Wish I had time to show you some more stuff – next time we’ll cover setting up anchors and belays.