Climbing on Raven Scar

(Or how to make a name for yourself without due exertion)
Bill Todd

The idea of the existence of a climbing crag on the SE flank of Chapel-le-Dale intrigued me.  I have a dim memory of some time in the mid forties leaving my bicycle at Dale House Farm and climbing Ingleborough.  I must have gone up Raven Scar which stretches south-west to north-east from GR 725754 to 734763.

So when I got involved with the Yorkshire Limestone Guidebook Project I resolved to have a look at this relatively undeveloped crag.  I am nowhere near good enough to do new routes on established cliffs because the only new lines left are hard.  But with a crag the size of Twistleton and only thirty-four routes in the book there ought to be some neglected lines I could do.

And you can take it from me that it wasn’t easy reconnoitring, there are about four tiers and the bottom and top ones are not continuous.  The steep grass below the Central Area is more frightening than the climbs and a wall between here and South Crag stops a continuous walk along the bottom.  The guide recommends that to get from Sough Crag to Central Area you go along the top wall and descend to the aforementioned steep grass.

Walking north from Central Area there is a reasonable path and there is an excrescence on the crag not unlike the mushroom at Twistleton.  “Ha,” I thought, “if one could get up that mushroom the rest of the way to the top would be easy.”  It must have been twelve months later that I persuaded my trusty friend Jack Wilson to come with me and have a go.  With a sturdy second safeguarding my skin I was able to climb the mushroom, overhanging but good holds, and the easy bit above.

Fifty metres south we found an easy way down and walking back north we saw an interesting looking chimney.  I let Jack take the lead here thinking in my cunning mind that it was harder than the one we’d just done.  Jack got so far up, put a runner on, and I’ll swear his heart was not in it because he put a foot out to bridge and knocked the thing off that he wanted to bridge on.  I had no alternative then but to have a go myself.  As soon as I got the next move above Jack’s high point his runner came off.  So I scooted to the top as fast as I could before anything else came off. I was lucky.

We called the first route “Fun” Diff. and the chimney “Fiddle” V. Diff.  A bit further north you can cross a depression and a broken-down wall to a pleasant, south-facing buttress.  This is “Pleasant Buttress” Mod. an easy climb for a lady.

Above the south crag are two metal ladder styles.  Near the right hand or southerly one is a grassy/stony couloir.  On it’s left, 5 metres left of a sticking out dead tree is a small buttress with a crack system.  This can be entered from the right and climbed with enjoyment.  “Friday” Diff.

That makes four easy lines that our young climbers of today would hardly notice but they are good fun.  There is a copy of the guide book in the YRC Library and if members do any new routes will they please send details to:

Dave Musgrove, 19a The Crescent, Adel, Leeds LS16 6AA.

The photographs illustrating this article are of Chapel-le-Dale from the scar and Fun, Fiddle and Friday in that order.  All were provided by Bill.