black rocks

The Black Rocks is a small outcrop of dark-ish gritstone, in between Cromford and Wirksworth, situated in the Derbyshire Peak District (Landranger map 119). Parking is available for walking along the old railway path (see Cromford and High Peak Railway) and up to the top of the crag, and there is a picnic area. The area is a very well-known rock climbing venue, due to a large number of hard lines put up by some of the best climbers of the 80s/90s. The two best known climbs are featured in the documentary "Hard Grit". These are Gaia (E8 6c), up the groove in the massive nose that one sees first on the walk to the top, and Meshuga (E9 6c), on the main overhanging Promontory. The Black Rocks also has easier climbing, but this is not for the faint of heart; larger crags offer a far better selection of similar climbs. There are also short but well-worn 'boulder problems' such as the 'Railway Slab'.

Black Rocks

See also