Forest Rock Routes

 

Local Links

 

Leicestershire Climbs

 

Leicestershire

Intro & History

 

NEW ROUTES

 

Anchor Church Caves

 

Bardon Hill

 

Beacon Hill

 

Blackbrook Reservoir

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction & Location

 

THE CLIMBS

Routes are described from left to right.

 

1 Forest WaII 10m (Forest Rock)

Go straight up just to the left of the middle of the left-hand slab.

 

2 Definitely Not 15m E2 5b (Forest Rock)

Start in the middle of the left hand slab. Climb the wall direct for 3m then traverse up and rightwards on small flakes. Finally traverse above the lip of the cave. A bold and serious route (No. 1 Friend required)

Dick Wrottesley, Ken Vickers 1962.

Alternative start: 5a. From the overhanging left side of the cut away, rock-over onto the slabby side of the arête. Go up direct to join ihe traverse.

 

To the right is the first weakness in the overhanging wall of the cave:

 

3 Senseless 10m E3 6b

Climb straight up the short wall beneath the left end of the overlap to where it forms an inverted V. Make hard moves out from under this leftwards to a jug on the headwall. Finish direct.

1982.

 

4 Sorcerer 9m E1 5b *** (Forest Rock)

Also called White Dust (or Powder) Opera. Climb the steep fingery wall left of the undercut inverted V groove, moving right to the obvious block above the groove. Continue rightwards until an excellent jamming crack leads to the wall above and the top.

Ken Vickers and Dave Draper, 1959 (aid). FFA Simon Pollard May 1978.

 

5 Saucy 11 m E3 5c ** (Forest Rock)

Climb the undercut inverted V groove and stretch over the overlap directly above for an incut hold on the left in the wall above. Follow more incuts to finish.

J. Codling, T. Johnson and S. Allen, 1982.

 

6 Sorcerer's Apprentice 11 m E4 6b (Forest Rock)

Also called Wishbone Crash. An extremely gymnastic problem which climbs the downward pointing flake directly below the finger crack of Sorcerer up which the route finishes.

FFA S. Allen and J. Codling, 1982.

 

7 Sorceress 12m E6 6b *** (Forest Rock)

Also called Crypt Trip and Pataphysics. Further into the gloom of the cave an obvious peg-scarred groove leads out to the lip of the overhang. Climb the groove via the crack (two bolts) to the lip. Then easily up the wall above.

Ken Vickers and Dave Draper, 1959 (Aid). John Codling 1987/8; Greg Lucas 1988; John Codling and Steve Allen 24 Aug. 1990.

 

8 Top Slice 14m A2

The only remaining aid route. From the back of the cave a series of ancient bolts and pegs lead out leftwards to some loose blocks. Either peg over these or, with a long reach, join the groove of Sorceress (no pegs please). A finger was badly cut on the first ascent.

D. Jump (solo), May 1976.

 

There are some ivy-covered slabs opposite the main crag which might give some very easy routes (they did once).