A Taste of the
Peak District
Peak District, Derbyshire traditional limestone climbing at Wildcat, Matlock Bath …
Wildcat - Trad Limestone at Matlock Bath. Hot in the afternoon on sunny days and can get midgy.
Wildcat Crags are a group of west facing limestone crags, not bolted. Access is from the mining museum. Go down the driveway next to the mining museum and walk through the small park to a metal bridge across the river. Cross the bridge and turn right, heading down river. After a short while (about 150 ish metres) there is a path on the left leading up into the woods. It does a couple of sharp turns and where it does a final sharp turn to the left by a fallen down wall, cross the wall and you can access the base of the crag. You can then scramble up to the ledges that begin the climbs. The climbs all start in woodland but you soon clear the trees and can experience some fine and airy positions. Wildcat is a series of broken crags and it can be difficult to establish where you are at first. The more northerly buttresses are less frequented than the main wall. It is quite vegetated in places.
The first recorded climb was in 1948 but most of the development, giving the many classics of the crag, took place in the 60s. The climbs are 30 to 40 metres in length, some two pitch climbs but can be done in one.
I don't know much about the outlying buttresses other than I have walked past them and they don't look that appealing! On the main section, there is an abundance of VS and HVS routes, which is probably what makes Wildcat such a popular venue. Despite that, it never seems as polished as Willersley. So starting from the north end of the main crag, for HVS climbers, Catastrophe Grooves should be on the menu, in my opinion, this demands a steady head but the gear is there, as are the holds. Allegedly a 2 pitch route but most teams complete it in one. Another groove line that is usually done in one instead of two is Jackdaw Grooves, one of the classic VS routes. The top feels quite steep.
I like Pupilla as a warm up route, the start is a little grotty but once you pull over the bulge and onto the wall it is much better. Jug city! Just to the right is the two star HS of Cat Walk. Its OK but personally I prefer the one star Pupilla. Further to the right still is the classic Golden Yardstick, from a groove, just above tree level, you have a wild step out above the void to reach a flake on the side of an arete. Fabulous. Supposedly a 3 pitch route but best done in 2. Nearby, you find the classic HS of Lynx, with a huge picnic ledge of a stance - strap yourself to the tree and enjoy the view! From the same start as Lynx, why not try Sphynx, a 2 star route, you need jungle experience though for the mid section. It is (almost) worth it for the final airy arete section, like Golden Yardstick but not quite on the same scale.