[belperpete]

Thought it worth mentioning a few things, following comments re conditions on Rubicon, Raven Tor .... First, Turkey Dip, near Matlock is in pretty near perfect condition now. 3 routes by Taylor, Hawkins and Plant from 20 years ago were fully bolted, last year by Jon Clark who also added a stack of top quality new ones. New route activity has started again with a brilliant 7c+ and there's more on the way! The place packs a powerful punch for a small crag and I guarantee you'll be impressed. Apart from a warm-up, routes are all 7b and up (and I mean up). Listed in Gary's www.sportsclimbs.co.uk/ this place is a major addition to the contemporary Peak sort scene. Second, although not a place a lot of people think of as linked to sport climbing, High Tor offers a whole bunch of top quality routes, such as Wile e Coyote, High Torquing etc. All been re-geared and, by the way, Jon's Autumn 2007 free ascents of Limelight and Squeezing out Sparks have not been repeated yet! Finally Long Tor, likewise, is in pretty good condition and hosts a whole bunch of brilliant face climbs, like The Boltest, Pistol Fingers etc., with more to come. Sorry to sound like an advert, but there is hard sport climbing South of Stoney, mostly in good condition at the moment and the area should be a must on every hard sport climbers venue list. Be glad to provide more info if you post contact details.

[IanP]

Good info.

I've fancied a trip to long tor quarry for some time but was never sure what the seepage situation was like - reading you comments would I be correct in assuming in drys much earlier than other Peak limestone crags (Raven Tor left, Cheedale etc).

[Bonjoy]

I'm always trying to sell the virtues of South Peak sport climbing, with limited success, hopefully this year, with all of Jon Clark's stuff to go at, I might have more luck recruiting folk. For my money The Boltest is one of the Peak's best hard 7s and worth a trip for in itself.
I'll certainly be checking out the new/re-equipped stuff at High Tor and Turkey Dip, both of which look great.
Also worth a mention, although possibly needing re-bolting is Lorry Park Quarry, which has some very good looking hard face climbing.

[IanP]

I definitely fancy the boltest - sounds excellent.  This years plan to plan to climb away from Malham and Kilnsey more hasn't started well but when the weather improves I definitely plan to get to some new places (if I can persuade my partner)

Had a decent day at lorry park quarry years ago - the 7b crack (which looks about HVS!) was excellent, a peak quarry classic!

[JC]

All of the stuff at Long Tor apart from a couple of wet patches on Ruby was dry earlier this week. Yeah you really have to do the boltest, its soooo good!    Turkey Dip is also bone dry at the moment, & you can climb there in the rain cos its so steep!

Bonjoy is it ok to re-equip future primitive at LTQ with the bolts from the fund? i fancy doing it.

[Bonjoy]

For sure. I think I might have started doing that already and then ran out of batteries or something. Scum Manifesto on the RH buttress is worth reviving too, good quality 7b from what I remember.
How's the other bolting going?

[Paul B]

Has anybody got any good piccies of Turkey Dip they could stick up?

[Turboman]

Paul,

have you seen the one in the link above?

http://www.sportsclimbs.co.uk/mainpages/peak/Turkey%20Dip%20Rocks%20topo.htm

http://www.sportsclimbs.co.uk/mainpages/peak/Turkey%20Dip%20Rocks.htm

[Paul B]

Hadn't seen the second one:



looks good.

[andy popp]

There's more even further afield, I'd heartily recommend 'Bolt and Believe It' down Dovedale, bit like a mini-Boo and maybe around 7b/+ (at a very rough guess).

[dave]

Hadn't seen the second one:



looks good.

that does indeed look good, especially for a crag with such a shit name. I'm almost psyched! roll on the-bit-of-the-summer-where-its-too-hot-for-the-Tor.

[belperpete]

Here's a piccie of Jon Clark on The Land that Time Forgot (7c) to whet the appetite - it gives some idea of how steep the place ishttp://www.ukclimbing.com/images/dbpage.html?id=75771. Sorry to do it this way, I'm gonna put some more on the picture gallery asap. Could email a few if you want?

[etjoset]

I remember having a day at Turkey Dip in 1989 when the fixed gear consisted of glued-in wires with rusty karabiners - ah those halcyon days. It seems to have cleaned up a bit since then.

Another ignored Peak sports venue of a similar scale and steepness to Turkey Dip is Cowdale (Biceps) near Staden:

http://www.sportsclimbs.co.uk/mainpages/peak/Cowdale%20Topo.htm

It will be wet until July but is great (in an obscure Peak sports crag kind of way) in the heat of summer, especially once the nettles have been flattened and the chick weed cleared. All routes were re-equipped with staples a "few" years back by Gary.

[belperpete]

I was around when Malc, Darren and Chris were putting up those routes (oh my god!!) and some interesting tactics were used. Yeah it's been well sorted now. New route put up yesterday few more to come soon. By the way Paul the picture on Gary's website is of Jon on first ascent of Unleashed. Also, here's a link to a picture of Mark Richards on The Boltest at Long Tor http://www.ukclimbing.com/databases/crags/craginfo.html?id=910 - yeah Bonjoy, it's a real classic but one of many in the area. Been looking at Lorry Park, with a view to giving it a make-over. I did the trad lines here well before Pete Cresswell etc. put up the newer (and mostly excellent) sport stuff. Not the nicest place to climb but if you can put that aside, it's got the climbing. On The Road E2/3 5c (up the enormous leaning corner) is a brilliant route as well as some of the other older lines. But, they're trad and, on a crag like this will never get the attention they deserve (if any). What would people think about these being equipped (not bolt fund resources!) so it's purely sport there? That would open up a number of quality mid grade lines and it's hardly going to threaten the fabric of our mainly trad scene. Personally, I'm up for doing this but don't know what to do
Finally, etjoset - interesting comment. We'd been thinking we'd have a make-over of Craig y Biceps, 'cos it's another wasted sport venue in a land maybe not quite as blessed with a wealth of new potential as our Southern European neighbours. 

[Bonjoy]

I tend to agree. The cracks in LPQ would make great sport routes, but will probably never get an ascent in there current state. Like you say it couldn't be done with bolt fund resources. I often see Dan Lee (did FA on at least one of the trad routes there)through work, I'll sound him out on the subject.

[belperpete]

Cheers, Daniel's thoughts would be most useful. I'm up for sorting it out before long. Regarding Bolt Fund work, I'll get Jon to update you. Upper Circle (central) all done. Went to sort Zeke area out but found it done? Don't you think we need to     have some system to record details (database of some sort)? Good to keep people updated as things get done.

[IanP]

Cowdale would need some serious effort I would think - I enjoyed a couple of evening sessions there years ago doing stuff like Main Motor Mile etc, returned one evening about 3 years ago and it was in a bit of state, dirty, loads of nettle etc.  Didn't help that the midges were murderous. 

Some peak stuff just needs more people to make the effort to get out a climb on it - I was suprised by how dirty Long Wall was on a trip a couple of summers ago.  Rebolting work may help, especially if well publicised - well done to all those putting the work in. 

[Somebody's Fool]

Could anyone in the know tell me if Turkey Dip will be dry tomorrow after today's showers etc?

Thanks in anticipation.

[belperpete]

I'd be happy to guarantee  a great days climbing if you go. Might see you there actually!                               

[Bonjoy]

Cheers, Daniel's thoughts would be most useful. I'm up for sorting it out before long. Regarding Bolt Fund work, I'll get Jon to update you. Upper Circle (central) all done. Went to sort Zeke area out but found it done? Don't you think we need to     have some system to record details (database of some sort)? Good to keep people updated as things get done.

Yes. Will sort something like that out. A thread on here and something on the PBF website.
 Zeke must have been bolted by someone unconnect with the PBF.

[Shy Ted]

looks good.  can't wait to check it out

[uptown]

Jon's Autumn 2007 free ascents of Limelight and Squeezing out Sparks have not been repeated yet!

What grade did he give squeezin? Did he rebolt this as well or were my approved resin bolts sufficient?

[Bonjoy]

 I think I saw it written down somewhere at 7c. I would have expected 7c+, but it is many years since I tried it.

[slackline]

I did the trad lines here well before Pete Cresswell etc. put up the newer (and mostly excellent) sport stuff. Not the nicest place to climb but if you can put that aside, it's got the climbing. On The Road E2/3 5c (up the enormous leaning corner) is a brilliant route as well as some of the other older lines. But, they're trad and, on a crag like this will never get the attention they deserve (if any). What would people think about these being equipped (not bolt fund resources!) so it's purely sport there? That would open up a number of quality mid grade lines and it's hardly going to threaten the fabric of our mainly trad scene. Personally, I'm up for doing this but don't know what to do

Do these fall outside the geographical locale for the Peak Bolt Fund?  If not is there any barrier to using resources from PBF to bolt lower graded routes, or is it only for the elite?  (Assuming the resources are available of course).

Just polite enquiry, I've no agenda/axe to grind and don't want to start an argument.

Good work to those who have set up and done so much work for the PBF to-date.

[Bonjoy]

People donated to the PBF based on the premiss that the funds were for re-equipping only and no retro bolting. Within these rules any sport routes in the Peak area (doesn't have to be in the Peak park itself) can be done.
I wouldn't big us up too much. So far we've done ok with the fund raising, but not really achieved much re-bolting.