While the UK may not have the big walls and alpine climbing of North America or Europe, it more than makes up for it with spectacular outdoor bouldering venues – the Dales being one of them.

Northern England is a bouldering playground with thousands of problems on gritstone, limestone and sandstone. With Lancashire to the west and North York Moors to the east, Yorkshire Dales sits in the middle offering many crags with the biggest boasting over a thousand documented problems.

Most of the Yorkshire Dales area is part of a national park so the land will be protected for years to come for both recreational and environmental reasons. Located just north of Leeds, the Yorkshire Dales area boasts great climbing in a top setting.

The river valleys and hills of the area boast prime bouldering terrain but also offer great hiking and caving, so you have plenty to do if you need to take a rest day. Since it is a highland watershed you can also find a lot of waterfalls if you want to make your Instagram more than just climbing photos.

Area Highlights

Brimham Rocks

With 1035 documented routes, Brimham Rocks could be your one destination for a whole trip.

Located about 5 kilometres east of Pateley Bridge Brimham is like a collection of mini crags and boulders all within close walking distance of each other.

The approach is short with the furthest problems being around half a kilometre from the carpark, but you will still get a lot of steps in exploring and moving from area to area.

With so many problems there is something for everyone with cracks, off widths, roof problems, slabs, and traverses. The grades range from Font F1-F8 so you can bring new climbers without them getting shut out.

Caley Crag

Caley Crag is one of the best Yorkshire bouldering destinations with hard test pieces, easy approach and a ton of climbs.

Located just a couple of kilometres to the southeast of Otley the approach is short with many of the boulders right along the road.

Best climbed in anything but the height of summer as it can get overgrown and swarming with bitey insects.

With problems from beginner to Font F8b, you could progress through all the grades in one place.

Almscliff

Almscliff is another crag with over 600 boulder problems of excellent quality.

Located about 10 kilometres northeast of Caley Crag, it is on private property so there are a few simple rules to help maintain a good relationship with the farmer who owns the property: No night-time climbing and no drones.

The approach is about 500 meters from the lay-by where Low Lane and Merrybank Lane come together. Grades range from V0 to F8a+. Many of these crags use a mix of Hueco and Font ratings based on who put up the route.

Almscliff's location gets a lot of wind which makes it an excellent location for hot days but would not be quite so pleasant in the winter.

Crookrise

Crookrise is a south-facing crag that dries quickly, gets sun on the cooler days and has quality rock.

With around 400 problems to choose from you will need to let your fingers rest before you run out of problems.

About five kilometres north of Skipton you will come to the Embsay Reservoir which is where you will park. The approach will follow the edge of the reservoir north until you start going uphill. It will take about 30 minutes to hike in.

While there are climbs from Font F3 and up, there are a lot of problems between F6c and F7c+ with a few F8s thrown in for good measure.

Earl Crag

From a distance, Earl Crag could be mistaken for a castle atop a tall hill. Or at least the ruins of a castle with the building blocks strewn about the top of the hill.

Cold and bleak in the winter, this spot is a perfect place in the summer with its northern facing aspect and steady wind. Just east of the village of Cowling, the crag is on private property, but the landowner allows climbing.

The approach is less than a kilometre, but it is all uphill so enjoy the warm-up. The rock here is sharp and weathered, so expect to find a mix of sloper and razor-like edges. Bringing tape is advisable.

There is a mix of grades for all levels of climbers but for the crushers, there is an impressive collection of Font F7-F8 problems.

Considerations when climbing on gritstone

Gritstone is a hard form of sandstone with larger grains making for good friction, but less eroded features compared to finer sandstone. The plus is that it won't tend to flake off like its softer cousin.

If you are new to gritstone climbing be ready for a new experience. Gritstone doesn't often have the incut holds of limestone, so you are smearing and palming slopers more than crimping. The climbing here requires good footwork and total body tension. Since you will be relying on friction for footholds the combination of dryness and temperature can play a significant role in sending a route. If it's too cold the rubber will be too hard for the necessary friction but if it's hot things can get greasy.

Make sure you have your crash pads set up because you can pop off unexpectedly (a few scars in the team from wintry grit climbing can sympathise with this!).

The rock can be hard on your skin so make sure to chalk up regularly and keep your skin dry so it is less likely to tear. Wet skin gets soft and soft skin doesn't stand up to coarse rock well. Bring tape for taping your fingers and your hands if you are doing any crack problems.

Logistics

When should I go?

You can climb any time that it is dry, but the climbing is best in moderate to cool temperatures. Good spring and autumn days can be best.

In summer you want to choose hilltop locations in the open. A nice breeze will help to keep you cool and dry.

Since the rock is hard on your skin it is best to avoid hot humid days as you won't get very many attempts before your skin is torn up.

Which guide should I buy?

Yorkshire Gritstone Vol 1 by Steve Dunning and Ryan Plews was published in 2008. It covers the main crags of the area with photos, topos and written descriptions including grades.

Yorkshire Gritstone Vol 2. They also put out a Vol 2 which covers lesser-known crags, so the pair make for a massive collection of options. We have both and they are a great pairing, although Vol 1 will be enough if you’re just getting started.

These guides include both roped climbing and bouldering covering the north-eastern part of Yorkshire with over 2000 boulder problems covered. Vol 2 covers the western side with 2900 boulder problems in the guide.

For a general guide for the area, there is Rockfax's North England guide which is written by the aptly named Chris Craggs. It has both roped climbing and bouldering, and covers the highlights of Yorkshire, North York Moors and Northumberland.

Or if you’re looking for a summary guide of the best crags in the North, Northern Rock by Wired Guides, released in 2022, is well worth a try. It covers 3500 routes across traditional climbing, sport climbing and bouldering in Yorkshire (grit and limestone), Northumberland, Lancashire and the North York Moors.

Handy websites

UKClimbing: has effective online maps plus resources like grades and information about the crags. It doesn't have detailed route descriptions so you will still need a guidebook to find the actual climbs, but it has enough information to get you to the crag and let you know any access issues that may be involved.

How do I get there?

From London, it is about a four and a half-hour drive and only 25 minutes from Leeds. You would probably want to make a weekend of it if you are coming from the south.

If you are flying in then Leeds-Bradford Airport is the closest international airport. Car rentals are available at the airport. Once you pick up your bags and bouldering pads you can be climbing in less than an hour.