Hangingstone Quarry Introduction

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

The Routes OS ref. SK 526151 (Sheet 129) SITUATION and CHARACTER This quarry provides some of the most intimidating climbing in Leicestershire. The rock is steep, smooth, sharp and unfriendly Precambrian slate, giving serious climbing of great character. It's steeper than it looks. Great in the sun but slippery when wet. APPROACH and ACCESS (Location map) The quarry is situated 500m north west of Woodhouse Eaves, in the south east corner of the golf course. The best approach is down Brook Lane (opposite the Bulls Head - where cars are best parked for afterwards) for 400m to a track on the left between high hedges. Go up the short track, and follow the left side of the field for 200m. The quarry is on the hillside in front of you, hidden by bushes and trees. Work your way right-wards through the undergrowth and a track will be found from the golf course leading into the quarry. There is a deep water-filled hole in one comer, and a marl-filled ancient valley which is of geological interest. There are photographs of it in the geological books. As a quarry, the place originally belonged to the Herrick family but it is now part of Charnwood Forest Golf Club who appear to tolerate climbing. HISTORY The quarry has historial significance as it is one of the few remaining traditional crags in Leicestershire, many of the others having been filled in. It was first developed by Peter and Barrie Biven with Trevor Peck in 1954. This forceful trio, well know for their activities in the Peak and at Bosigran, did all the classic routes: Holy Ghost, Christ Almighty, Crypt and Christ, the latter being a local test piece throughout the Sixties. In 1977 Leicester University climbers John Moulding, Paul Mitchell with Pete Wells and others, took the trouble to find out about the local scene and turned their attention to the smooth back wall of the quarry, producing Weekend Warriors, Old Rock 'n' Roller and the very hard Sheer Heart Attack. They also made first free ascents of the classic hard routes Christ Almighty and Holy Ghost