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Rock Climbing In Leeds

Read our guide for Rock Climbing In Leeds and Find and Book experiences, courses, activities and tours! Browse through the list of experiences, either instantly book onto your dates or enquire to book. All you have to do is turn up and enjoy! If you’ve got any questions about any specific experience, send a message and the providers will aim to get back to you as soon as possible. Have a specific experience in mind that we don’t have listed? No problem, drop us a message and we’ll send your quote around to hundreds of the best experience providers nationwide and come back with you the best quote, making it easy for you to make the most of your spare time!

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About climbing in Leeds

With several great indoor centres in the city, and with National Parks to either side, Leeds has no shortage of great climbing opportunities!
Within the city itself the indoor centres have both roped climbing and bouldering well catered for, with lessons and courses readily available for newcomers of those wishing to advance their skills. But it’s the outdoor climbing that really stands out here. The Peak District National Park is home to some of the most well-known climbing locations in the UK, including Stanage Edge, the Roaches and Burbage Rocks. To the north in the Yorkshire Dales awaits another huge range of climbing locations, with Gordale Scar and the impressive Malham Cove two of the highlights. There are many activity providers who can provide taster sessions as well as more advanced sessions and courses to help you get the most of your climbing adventures!
Browse through the list of Leeds climbing experiences, then either instantly book onto your dates or enquire to book. All you have to do is turn up and enjoy! If you’ve got any questions about any specific experience, send a message and the providers will aim to get back to you as soon as possible, so you can explore the best of Leeds. Have a specific experience in mind that we don’t have listed? No problem, drop us a message and we’ll send your quote around to hundreds of the best experience providers nationwide and come back with you the best quote, making it easy for you to make the most of your spare time!
rock-climbing-in-leeds-brimham-rocks

Indoor Climbing in Leeds

With such great outdoor climbing on the doorstep it’s no wonder that Leeds is also home to some of the best climbing centres in the UK. From centres with a huge number of roped climbs to smaller ones focusing purely on an ever-changing line-up of bouldering problems, there are some great places here to get started in the sport, hone your skills, and fit in a quick training session after work.

Outdoor Climbing in Leeds

This seems mostly split between north of the city - in the Yorkshire Dales - and south in the Peak District, with a huge range of options to keep even the most serious of climbers happy.

Climbing in the Yorkshire Dales

Malham Cove, Yorkshire Dales: an incredible 70m high rock amphitheatre and boasting over 300 routes this is a sport climbers paradise, and home to the UK’s toughest climb, a 9b!
Brimham Rocks: offering trad climbers over one hundred and fifty different routes to pit themselves against. Most of the top climbs are within a five or ten-minute walk from the car park, so there's no worry of expending all your energy before you find them. If you're feeling adventurous, go straight for the big one which is Brimham's highest buttress, Birch Tree Wall. For something not quite so challenging, head for the Cyclops which has several moderate routes in a woodland setting. Castle Rock is graded on a moderate level, but well worth having a crack at for the stunning views of the valley it sits in. If bouldering is your thing, then you’re in luck too. No matter where you turn at Brimham Rocks, there'll be a bouldering problem staring you in the face. It really is the place to explore and discover the one which calls to your soul. If the choice is just too bewildering and you can't decide where to start, try checking out the Cleft Buttress. As well as offering fifteen various problems, there's level ground for placing a mat and some great slabs to practice your finger-work on.
Gordale Scar: what strikes you first here is the slightly daunting presence of the place, with it’s narrow overhanging walls, impressive waterfall and the constant noise from both that and the wind. Once familiar with that though it offers a great range of climbs for both trad and sport climbers, with views across to Malham.
Caley Crags and Roadside: being really close to Leeds this is an incredibly popular site, and no wonder as it offers some of the finest bouldering in the country. Just off the Leeds Road there are several massive boulders with fantastic problems ranging from f2 to f8b. Further up the hill from here you have Uphill Crag, home to some worthy trad routes.
Ilkley Quarry and Ilkley Rocky Valley: again popular due to its location near a main road, the quarry is home to two well known gritstone rocks - The Cow and The Calf - that offer a huge number of great problems, including the notable Milky Way and New Statesman. The Rocky Valley is a short walk further on and often very quiet, featuring over 50 routes on 6 buttresses.
Spofforth Pinnacles: a series of giant gritstone boulders in the middle of a field, these offer a great quiet setting for some enjoyable bouldering, much of which is well suited to beginners.
Baildon Banks: somewhat of a legendary spot in Yorkshire circles, with over 300 routes often hiding some nasty surprises. One minute the going is easy, the next...well, not so easy! And that’s assuming the hold you were going for is still there once you’ve grabbed it! Suffice to say though it has some of the best routes in the area, including the brilliant middle-grade routes of Hades and Epitaph.
Shipley Glen: over 350 problems spread across 23 different gritstone boulders at this bouldering-only site mean you’re spoilt for choice whatever your level.
Crookrise: one of the areas best known crags and climbing sites due to the top quality rock, south facing nature, and range of great routes. Over 100 trad routes plus numerous boulder problems are enough to keep everyone happy.
Kilnsey Crag: the third of the big Yorkshire crags (after Malham and Gordale), Kilnsey offers some fantastic routes across its 72ft high face, most notably for high grade sport climbing and routes such as ‘Frankie Comes to Kilnsey’ and ‘Northern LIghts’.
Heptonstall Quarry: popular with evening climbers due to it’s west facing aspect, the quarry features over 70 different routes, with arguably the best crack on grit in Forked Lightning Crack.

Bouldering in the Peak District

With a wealth of places to climb, it's hard to pick the best as they're all slightly different, but the following three places are definitely worth a visit for bouldering.

Mother Cap Quarry – On the edge of the Peak District, near to Sheffield, the Mother Cap Quarry has fantastic gritstone crags which are ideal for beginners to hone their skills on.
The Roaches – Part of a gritstone escarpment, this rocky ridge known as The Roaches is near the town of Leek in Staffordshire. There's lots of different graded routes to try out, and if you're looking to take your bouldering skills up a notch, this is the ideal place.
Cratcliffe - This craggy tor is about a twenty minutes drive from the town of Matlock in Derbyshire. There are enough boulders and routes here to keep any climber occupied for a couple of years.

Trad, Lead & Sport climbing in the Peak District

We like three main places for rope rock climbing in the Peak District:

Windgather Rocks – The Windgather Rocks have a moderate height of just over four hundred metres. That combined with its crevice-covered, slab face has made it one of the most popular places in the Peak District for novice climbers. It's the best place to polish your skills before taking on more challenging climbs.
High Tor – This amazing limestone crag near the town of Matlock Bath, in Derbyshire, is one of the best in the UK. It has over eighty trad climbing routes as well as twenty sport climbing routes. So, even though it is more challenging than some other Peak District climbing spots, there's something there for everyone.
Kinder Downfall – The Kinder Downfall is a waterfall which flows over some of the most rugged crags in the Peak District. With eighty trad routes divided over several sections of gritstone rock face, it offers the most picturesque climbing in the Peak District

Why go Rock Climbing?

Rock Climbing is a great way to see some of the most stunning places, get fit and healthy in the process and have a great time. There’s a wealth of spots to climb, with over 1000 destinations, 150 climbing walls and hundreds of climbing clubs in the UK. See below for some of the best climbing courses in the UK. For some, climbing is the challenge of getting to the top, for others it's the puzzle of working out the route and how to approach the different hands and footholds. There's also the fitness side of course, being a fantastic total body workout, and particularly effective for those doing indoor bouldering on midweek evenings! Then there's the locations. Outdoor climbing locations are often in some of the most stunning locations in the country, and with the climbing itself you are able to get up close and personal with the landscape, and often able to access locations and views unavailable to anyone else! It’s also an incredibly social sport. When at an indoor climbing wall, it’s natural to talk to others about how to climb routes.
Rock Climbing Near Me

Who is Rock Climbing Suitable for?

There's a climb for everyone, and part of the beauty of climbing is that the challenge is relative for each individual. There are plenty of climbing clubs if you'd like to join others and do it more socially and learn from peers, and it can be a great family activity too for those with a bit more experience. For those less confident there are plenty of guides and instructors always happy to share their passion with new people to the sport. There are also plenty of great UK climbing forums for further advice and information.

Climbing Overview for Beginners

Climbing is a great activity for everyone, from individuals, groups, families, friends and corporates. Conquering a climbing route or your fear for heights in a group is a great bonding experience. Climbing doesn’t have to be a huge challenge. There are many ways to get involved with the sport that are more accessible than the crazy films like El Capitan where Alex Honnold climbs over 2km without ropes. Try a guided climbing session to take it easy and pick up the basics, or try bouldering at an indoor climbing wall.
There's different techniques and methods to climbing that make the sport that little bit more interesting and challenging.There’s also a wealth of kit and equipment needed for the different types of climbing. And there’s different ways to get involved with the sport. Don’t worry - it’s easy to pick up. We’ve put together a bunch of resources so that after reading them you’ll be clued up on your next rock climbing experience. Below are some useful rock climbing resources to learn more.
Rock Climbing In UK

Useful Rock Climbing Resources

A Beginners Guide to Rock Climbing We’ve created a resource for beginners to rock climbing to outline the different types of rock climbing from bouldering, sport climbing and trad climbing and more. What equipment you need and the various ways to get involved with the sport, whether that be joining a local club, going to an indoor climbing wall or booking an instructor.

A Beginners Guide to Rock Climbing. We’ve created a resource for beginners to rock climbing to outline the different types of rock climbing from bouldering, sport climbing and trad climbing and more. What equipment you need and the various ways to get involved with the sport, whether that be joining a local club, going to an indoor climbing wall or booking an instructor.

A Guide to Outdoor Rock Climbing in UK. We’ve pulled together a resource to outline what to expect when climbing outdoors in the UK, including the differences from indoor rock climbing and what kit to take. .

Bouldering in the UK

Bouldering is the act of climbing, typically up to 20ft without ropes but with big soft matts beneath. As the height of the climb is not high enough to cause injuries (assuming you fall correctly of course), it’s a great way to get into the sport without having to get used to the technicalities of using ropes, belay devices and the other equipment associated with other types of climbing. To get involved with bouldering, look up your local climbing wall and ensure they mention they have bouldering on offer. Most climbing walls do offer bouldering nowadays. Also, you can find outdoor places to go bouldering. If you’re doing this as a beginner, make sure to organise an instructor who can ensure you’ve got the right equipment (including a bouldering mat to fall on), and show you the best routes and techniques. Leeds