Northumberland is an amazing place. It's way up there, and it can feel more like climbing in Scotland. If you’re heading here, then you’ll discover some of the most remote-feeling rock in England.
The climbs and boulders here can be tricky. They can be athletic. And they can definitely feel bold for the grade. So – on your first trip, don’t be too greedy and scale back your ambitions until you get used to the style.
But, while the climbing can be rock hard, the rock here can be softer. These crags are made from Northumberland sandstone and this stuff can vary from iron hard to very soft and fragile.
This why local ethics and styles have evolved over the years. If you’re climbing here, you need to help out to protect this relatively vulnerable rock. There are five essential things that you need to know before you step on.
1. Clean your shoes before stepping on to the rock and focus on your footwork to improve your climbing and reduce wear to footholds. Even if you’re trad climbing, a bouldering mat is a good idea to protect the base of routes from erosion and keep your feet clean.
2. Given the soft nature of the rock, think carefully about gear and where to place it. Gear placements have been known to break here. Avoid obviously weak features like thin flakes and remember that nuts exert less force on placements than cams and are more likely to be trustworthy.
3. Wet sandstone is weak sandstone. Don’t climb damp or wet rock. Doing so accelerates rock erosion and can cause holds or gear placements to break.
4. Sandstone is not the best medium for working problems or routes at your limit and repeated working will accelerate hold erosion. Set yourself a realistic number of attempts of a line and leave it for another day if you aren’t able to top out relatively quickly.
5. Minimise chalk use and brushing. Brushing can erode the rock so use really soft brushes and take a gentle and minimalist approach. ‘Ragging’ or whacking the holds with a towel can be very effective at removing chalk and is less abrasive than brushing.
Finally, remember that access to many Northumberland crags is not a legal right, but agreements have been made with landowners over many years to allow climbing to continue.
The future of our access depends on everyone following these agreements.
So search for “BMC RAD” and check the crag details before you set off. www.thebmc.co.uk/rad
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