On the western edge of the Peak district lies the small town of New Mills. In the heart of the town and some 30m below is the sandstone crag of New Mills Torrs. This offers a mixture of trad climbing up to E5, bouldering and seven bolted lines up the adjacent bridge supports.
Character
Situated in a beautiful spot by the River Goyt the sport routes feature closely spaced bolts up to 14m high. The climbing is sustained and pumpy using a mixture of slopers, crimps and occasional larger holds. The lack of any features can make the climbing hard to read at times. Unfortunately not all the stone is of the same quality and can vary from excellent gritstone blocks to softer, sandier rock which can be hard to hold in certain conditions.
In summer most of the routes are in the shade until late afternoon.
Approach
By car
When approaching from the Peak District follow the A6187 through Hope and Castleton and up through Winnats Pass. At the top follow turn R and follow Sheffield Road for 4 miles to the A6. Turn R on to the the A6 heading north west and follow this for several miles to a built up area. At traffic lights in Newtown take a sharp right signposted for New Mills. After half a mile turn L onto Union Road, over the crag, and into the town centre. Free parking may be found on Sundays but otherwise you will have to find a pay and display car park of which there are several. Cost in 2025 is around £4 for an all day ticket.
From the small roundabout in the town centre go back down Union Road and turn immediately R onto Rock Mill Lane. After a short way a path on the left can be found going down some stone steps that lead down to the river and the crag below.
Public transport
The crag is just 5 minutes walk from New Mills train station. From the station follow a short path through the woods to the Millennium walkway. Follow this eastwards around the river bend to arrive at the crag and viaduct.
More
Descriptions and topos of the trad routes can be found at http://www.stevelewis.me.uk/page51.php and climbing photos on UK Climbing.
