ST IVES BOULDERING Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Brush The St Ives Estate is more commonly associated with woodland walks, the duck pond, sheltered accommodation, Lady B’s café, coarse fishing, horses, dogging, golf, dog walking, archery and adventure playgrounds. The Estate also happens to be the epicentre of some of Bingley’s lesser known bouldering venues (Gilstead being the honeypot destination and known to many, including those who live outside of Bingley). The bouldering around the Estate covers five areas; the Druid’s Altar, Bell Bank Woods, the Sunday Morning Boulder, Harden Moor and the Duck Pond in descending obscurity. Bradford Council own and manage the St Ives Estate but ownership of the Druid’s Altar and Harden Moor is unknown. Regardless of ownership, please be discreet and treat the land with respect (litter picking is for heroes). Many of the documented climbs are in the low to mid grades (5’s and 6’s) and so a climber operating above this level will likely have satisfied themselves after a visit to each area. Proud projects remain on the Sunday Morning Boulder and at Bell Bank Wood which stand to be regional classics (i.e. outside of Bingley). All the areas offer decent climbing conditions throughout the year and dry quickly after rain despite the forest settings. The foliage in the summer months around the Druid’s Altar and Bell Bank Woods can become rampant. Bring a stiff brush and an open mind. If you climb a new line please get in touch with the particulars. Until then, enjoy. [email protected] Access from Brown Cow/Bingley Access from St Ives Sunday Morning Boulder N TWTTF Centurion Virgin Wall Cleopatra Druids’ Face The Druid’s Altar (Main Circuit) Brad Squit Sunday Morning The Druids’ Altar (Eastern Flanks) Rush Obelix Edifis Boulder (5mins) The Druid’s Altar Bell Bank Wood (Crag Boulders) Bell Bank Wood (Spring Boulders) Car Park Boulder The Duck Pond Harden Crag Duck Pond Once the access road (Altar Lane) opens up and forks either cut down right along the dry-stone wall to join a path that runs along the base of the crag (for eastern flanks) or walk north-east towards the Druids' Altar main block on well walked paths and boulder hop down to the boulders. The Druid’s Altar The Altar Circuit A local viewpoint and point of interest just outside Bingley, the Druid’s Altar seems to have been resigned to relative obscurity despite extensive development on surrounding crags by past and present Airedale teams. 2014/15 has seen a cleaning effort and a spate of first ascents/retro-claims. Two main bouldering areas exist; the scatter of boulders beneath the main Druids' Altar block comprising a good mid-grade circuit and along the two tier edge 50m south-east of the main block known as the eastern flanks. Access parking is to be had either at the 'The Brown Cow' pub in Bingley, the main car park at St Ives Estate golf course (free) or discretely on the verge before the 'Access-Only' sign a little way up Altar Lane. Cars have been seen at the top of Altar Lane but this may lead to knackered suspension if not access restrictions. Walk in from St Ives Estate is mostly level, pleasant and about 15mins with a café at the end. Walk in from Brown Cow is 20- 25mins uphill but with the promise of beer for the extra effort. Access from the pub is reputedly how the pagans of yester year accessed the crag and has some wiccad views on the way. Gaia’an, give it a go. 1 2 3 1. First Arete (Font 2+) 5. Impedimenta (Font 6b ss) * FA. R Bowman, April 2014 Right hand side of left arete on main face. Start hanging the right hand arete and then push on up the arete. A climb of two halves; the lower half of which favours a burly approach followed by surprisingly collected 2. First Groove (Font 3) padding. Adding a couple of sideways shuffles adds a half grade or so. Decent fun if you like a good thruch. The easy groove. 3. Druid’s Face (Font 3+) * The first line of holds right of the groove over a non-fatal landing. Take an easy sitter to progressively smaller holds. 4 5 6 5 4 4. Caesar (Font 7a ss) * F.A. R Bowman, May 2014 Good, dynamic, monkey-up-a-stick climbing from sitting. Long arms help. Let all of Airedale know when land the top. 6. Gracchus Armisurplus (Font 6a ss) * 15. Rush Stand (Font 5) * FA. G Gibbons The short left hand arete has a surprising amount of movement to it. Stiff start followed Stand start to the centre of the rib. Finish with a smooth mantle. by some slaps upwards and thence a delicate finish. Nice. 16. Project ‘Rush’ (Font 7c?) Crouch/sit start on corner into previous line. 7. Magnumopus (Font 5+ ss) From sitting, a couple of smart moves up the grove to the right of Gracchus Armisurplus 17. Brutus (Font 6b ss) ** FA. R Bowman, April 2014 using the obvious grove hold with left or right hand - both worthwhile. Sitting start off good flatty. Slap right onto higher flatty throw a heel on and initiate a big rockover into the left hand groove. When you think you're at your limit push some more... 8. Anticlimax (Font 5) and then some more. 6a+ from standing. Decent. Jump to the sloping shelf in the centre of the wall and mantle out the top. A worthy inclusion to the wall. 9. Brad Squit (Font 6b+ ss) *** G Gibbons, 2013 Classic. Sitting start off obvious right-hand rail and then over to sloping shelf to allow movement upwards. Lovely sequence of moves to a mantle finish. May or may not share some resemblance with its Peak namesake. Low sitter off left hand crimp and arete 7a. Stand start 6b. 10. Gracchus Squit (Font 6c ss) * C Todd, May 2014 Start up Gracchus Armisurplus and traverse all the way right to finish up Brad Squit with hands below the top using an assortment of moves, style and burl. Good link. 16 11. Geriatrix (Font 4) 11 15 Hop off your zimmer and wonder up the left arete of triangular block to its apex. Pleasant shuffling from standing. 12. Vitalstatistix (Font 6c ss) * FA. R Bowman, April 2014 12 The left hand line of triangular wall from sitting. Good powerful and fingery pulling (pully 13 14 fingering??) with a dynamic finish to join Geriatrix. 17 13. Project (Font 7b+?) Ouch 14. Dogmatix (Font 4+ ss) Cock a high leg from a sitter in the flake and piss you way up the right hand arete of triangular wall. 3 8 7 6 10 9 11 5 18. Obelix (Font 6c) ** FA. C Todd, April 2014 Left arete of the pyramid block (50m directly below main buttress) using the obvious flake to enable committing moves up the arete. Fine, airy climbing. 19. Getafix (Font 6a+) * FA. R Bowman & C Todd, April 2014 Straight up the middle of the pyramid block (50m directly below main buttress) using good flake for left hand and a selection of fancy footwork lower down. 3 20. Slab Traverse (Font 3) Up and right of the Obelix block there is a boulder with an inviting looking slab. Left to right, right to left, up and down. Whatever combination there are some nice easy moves to be had despite the short height. Grade is for hands below the top. 6 21. Caius Fatuous (Font 5) Blunt left hand arête from sitting trending rightwards to a tenuous mantle. Can be a bit 15 scrittly but is worth seeking out. 22. Edifis (Font 6b) 25m west of the Obelix block just past the slab traverse boulder is a small boulder with an imposing line on the rear… Start sat matched on the lovely flake hold and craft a powerful way to the top. Explosive. “The sky may fall on your head tomorrow, but tomorrow never comes." 18 17 20 20 22 21 19 18 23. The Arete that Trad Forgot (Font 6b) * The Eastern Flanks Sit start straight onto the left arete (no plinth) using helpful pockets on left wall. Slightly harder if climbed static. Found at the far end of the crag (before the dry-stone wall with large “please do not climb” sign attached) the eastern flanks are host to a collection of climbs that 24. The Wall that Trad Forgot (Font 5) are good and a stone’s throw from one another. Straightforward access is Sit start to the centre of the wall with finishes to the left or right at the top. Right hand possible along the drystone wall as shown on the access plan. finish dynamic and the left not. 25. The Arete that’s Best Forgot (Font 4+) Sit start the right arete. Stiff pull to start, stiffness in the middle and a rod-like lurch to the top. Completes the lines on the wall but is better than the name suggests. 26. Arete to Wall (Font 6a+) * Sit start as for the arete but make a rising rightwards traverse of the wall on the obvious ramp-line of holds finishing as for the wall right hand. Good shouldery moves. 26 27 28 23 23 24 27. Cacophanix (Font 5+) Climbs the right hand arete of the pillar just off the vague access path below. Hand on arête only at this grade. Use of the left hand arete and higher crimps detracts only slightly from the quality and grade but is fun none-the-less.