Paul Harrison on Lowlands (6c+) Garage Buttress, Stoney Middleton.
Character
The crag traditionally named Stoney Middleton is the cliffs on the right side of the road immediately after the village when travelling west. Most of the climbing here is trad but there is a plethora of good and popular sport climbs on Garage Buttress. A handful more were added more recently a little further up below Windy Ledge.
Featuring fingery face climbing with bulging walls and overhangs above the main horizontal break these routes, unlike almost everywhere else at Stoney, don’t yet have that glass like finish to them. On Garage Buttress sport routes now outnumber trad with over 30 climbs here covering almost every grade from 5+ to 8a+.
Aspect
The crag faces south and gets the most of the sun on a sunny day although belaying at the bottom is cooler from the shade of the trees. It’s an open and airy crag that dries quickly after rain.
Approaches
Low Carbon options
The nearest railway station is Grindleford which is 4.9km or 18m by bike from the crag.
Leave the station and turn right (south) on Station Road. After 500m join the B6521 (New Road). Cross over the Derwent river and carry on through Grindleford. Follow this road for 3km to where the road bends round to the right. At the bend go straight on here onto Jacobs Ladder until you meet the main road (A623) in Stoney Middleton. Turn right here, pass some cliffs on the right and a parking area on the left. A little further on Garage Buttress is the first accessible cliff on the right.
Check bus services and times for Stoney Middleton.
By car
When heading westwards on the A623 pass through the village of Stoney Middleton, past the Little India cafe on the right. Just past this on the left side of the road is a good parking area. Walk up the Dale and Garage Buttress is the first accessible cliff, about 150m on the right.