John ‘Spider’ Mackenzie redpointing the The Thumb (8a) on the North Buttress.
Kilnsey is one of Yorkshire’s big three, the other two being Malham Cove and Gordale Scar and its one of Britain’s finest sport climbing crags. The jutting monolith of rock is not just big because of its physical size. The routes here are of great quality and difficulty.
Character
The style of climbing at Kilnsey is unique. Like many other British crags there is a preponderance of undercuts and sidepulls but Kilnsey tends to have bigger holds and difficulty is provided more by steepness than the size of its holds. The crag is full of features and corners and undercut flake lines are a common feature here.
The climbing here is hard and there are only a couple worthwhile sport routes below 7a. These are often busy as climbers use them as warm ups. From the mid 7s the climbing really takes off and there are great routes at every grade all the way up to 9a.
Conditions
This east facing crag only gets sun until around midday and is an ideal summer venue. Considerable winter seepage means the climbing season doesn’t usually commence until late spring. In humid weather midges can be a problem especially in the evenings.