Beacon Hill Introduction

Local Links Leicestershire Climbs Leicestershire Intro & History NEW ROUTES Anchor Church Caves Bardon Hill Beacon Hill Blackbrook Resorvoir Bradgate Park The Brand Cademan Woods & Broad Hill Carver's Rocks Cliffe Hill Quarry Craig Buddon Enderby Quarry Finedon Slabs Forest Rock Grace Dieu Viaduct and Craglets Granitethorpe Quarry Groby Industrial Estate Hangingstone Quarry Hangingstone Rocks High Sharpley Huncote Quarry Markfield Quarry Minor Outcrops and Boulders Morley Quarry Mountsorrel Crags Nunckley Quarry Oaks Pinnacle Outwoods Crag Pocketgate Quarry Slawston Bridge Whitwick Quarry Whitwick Rocks Climbing Walls Index

The Routes OS ref. SK508l45 (Sheet 129) SITUATION and CHARACTER At 248m Beacon Hill is the second highest point in Leicestershire and, hardly surprisingly, commands a wonderful view. The Soar and Trent valleys sweep around the northern panorama and Charnwood Forest and Leicester lie to the south. You can see the spire of Lincoln cathedral on a clear day. The area is an important public open-country recreation area and can get quite crowded with visitors walking, flying kites and exercising dogs. The crag tops have been polished by the passage of thousands of feet. But it does mean that it is one of the few crags with a public toilet and ice cream van. The rocks offer bouldering but some of the longer routes are a bit too high to fall off with impunity. Some landings are dangerous. The summit crags are exposed and can be cold on a windy day. The rock is Beacon Hill Hornstone - another Precambrian sedimentary rock formed from ancient volcanic ash. It weathers in some places to become white and creamy and polishes easily, when it becomes slippery. The bedding planes dip to the north and the exposed faces laminate off. The slatey blades give rise to the abrupt arêtes, pinnacles and blocks that are so typical of the Charnwood outcrops. They have huge jugs and also smooth sloping holds. The Beacon outcrops have not been quarried and, despite their open aspect, can be green and very slippery when wet. The routes are generally steep gymnastic problems. APPROACH and ACCESS From Junction 22 on the M1 take the A50 towards Burton-on-Trent for 3/4 mile to the first roundabout. Turn right along the 8591 towards Copt Oak. Turn off right after 2 miles, still following the 8591, and the Beacon top car park is signposted on the left after another two miles. The keeper shuts the gate promptly at the time indicated by the sign, so take care and do not get locked in. The area is managed by the Bradgate Trust as a recreation area. There have been few problems with access. The warden has been known to say that climbing is forbidden but the Bye-Laws displayed on the notice boards say no such thing.