[psychomansam]

Did my first sport routes last week.

Horseshoe quarry, on the right hand side. Really enjoyed it!! More than trad!
Blasphemy to most people i know, but i also thought was a great place to be climbing, with the fading sun on our backs as well.

Routes i climbed were pretty clean, though someone did pull down a head sized rock a few metres to our left. Really enjoyed them, and if they are on here, good job to the bolters. 

Hopefully get out again this week if we don't all get flooded in....

Sam

[BenF]

Routes i climbed were pretty clean, though someone did pull down a head sized rock a few metres to our left.

   Glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself.  That was my experience of Horshoe Quarry on my one visit a couple of years ago.  I pulled a large flake off from my second route that just missed my rope and belayer, then we watched someone on a "classic" pull a lump of rock off that hit his belayer and caused people to have to rush over and take the rope, then ferry said belayer to hospital.  We packed up and went running on the moors.

There's nothing wrong with sport climbing but there are many better places to go than Horseshoe.  However and as you say, well done to anyone who puts the time in to bolt routes.

[Fiend]

Routes i climbed were pretty clean, though someone did pull down a head sized rock a few metres to our left.

  

It is somewhat of a non-sequitor!!

WEll done Sam, glad you enjoyed it. Don't get carried away thinking Horseshoe is at all respresentative of sport climbing.....but the good news is it gets a lot, lot better!!

I'm presuming you were on fairly easy stuff if you were climbing on the righthand side?? It is, as sport climbing goes, fairly turd (no offence intended).There is better rock quality and better easy stuff at Harpur and Intake in the Peak, a few places in Yorkshire, and in particularly Penamean Head (sp?), Castle Inn Quarry and Pen Trwyn in North Wales. Once you can climb F6b upwards all of those venues still have good climbing, but it opens up a lot more in the Peak: Masson Lees, Halldale, Smalldale, Slaley Brook, all of which have either a concentration of F6bs upwards or a couple of good routes, and of course Horseshoe main wall which is actually the good bit of rock in the quarry. And if you make it to F6c-7a upwards then there's a load of choice on natural limestone too, Chee Dale in particular.

[psychomansam]

Routes i climbed were pretty clean, though someone did pull down a head sized rock a few metres to our left.

  

It is somewhat of a non-sequitor!!

Hehe, thanks for the comments and advice guys. I'm a caver, so i'm fairly used to having to think about shit falling on me, prob why i'm not put off by falling rocks as much. Should maybe wear a helmet for it next time tho!
 

[butters]

WEll done Sam, glad you enjoyed it. Don't get carried away thinking Horseshoe is at all respresentative of sport climbing outside of the UK.....but the good news is it gets a lot, lot better if you go abroad!!

Quoted for truth! 

A bit more seriously - The Big Takeout on the small wall left of Intake Quarry is quality at 6a and it has an interesting top section just to make you work for the grade. No idea what the rest of the wall is like as that is the only route I have done on it but it's solid compared to the rest of the quarry.

Having said that if you can cope with climbing on towering piles of choss then you will really love Intake... 

bluebrad