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Last Updated: 20/5/07


O.S.Sheet 86

G.R. NY 591 632




This crag will be included in the next FRCC Eastern Crags guide (due 2008)

BORDER

Lodges Quarry


by Stewart Wilson

FELL and ROCK
CLIMBING CLUB
of the
English Lake District

Lodges Quarry is an old sandstone quarry which faces north-west across the valley of the River Irthing near Low Row, on the A69 road, 5 miles east of Brampton.

The quarry is about 100 metres long and 12 metres high along its central section. Despite much gardening by the first ascentionists, the rock still tends to be dirty and loose due to little traffic in the event of information being unobtainable until now. It is hoped that increased traffic will improve the situation as it could provide useful entertainment for local climbers.The climbing itself is quite reasonable and the situation on fine evenings is far from unpleasant.

Protection is often sparse, but an abundance of tree stumps along the top, can with care, provide ideal anchors for belaying/top-roping.

Approaches & Access
Five miles East of Brampton on the A69, just beyond the Low Row junction is a filling station.The quarry, which faces north-west, is set below a clump of trees, across the field behind and to the right of the filling station. To reach the quarry, drive past the filling station and park on the wide grass verge on the left just before a small white building which is an electricity sub-station. From the car, walk back towards the filling station until a gate leads into the field. Cross the field towards a solitary hawthorn tree, then turn right, and follow the side of the wall until it turns a corner and goes downhill. At the bottom of the hill is a gate on the left, which enters the quarry at its left-hand end. On no account should any walls be climbed.

NB: Trevor Langhorne writes (19/5/07): "Now totally overgrown and in a thriving wood. Suggest deletion from guides."

The rocks at the point of arrival at the left-hand end of the crag are short and in the form of an obvious bay. Beyond The Bay to the right is the Long Wall which ends in a prominent corner leading up to a scoop under a roof. Immediately right of this corner is a fine slabby arete.

Aretes Wall comes next and extends from the slabby arete to the obvious curving arete just beyond a big corner; Big Corner.To the right of this last arete, and at an angle to it, is The Slab; a large dirty slab. To the right of The Slab are shorter walls but the routes have not been recorded.

The climbs are described left to right and because of the uniform height of 12 metres in the main part of the quarry, heights are not given, however in The Bay the climbs are much shorter.


The Bay

The Bay is a deeply-recessed area at the left-hand end of the quarry. It is at the usual point of arrival. The Bay has at its left end some dirty corners with intervening ribs and walls. The Bay ends at an arete which has a prominent sentry-box.

1. Parsley S
(4a). Climb the short arete at the extreme left end. Scrappy.

2. Sage S
(4b). Climb the short wall immediately right, via thin cracks, to finish past a spreading birch sapling.

3. Rosemary VS *
Start below a narrow rib between two dirty corners.
(5a). Climb the rib direct.

4. Thyme S
Start below the second, steeper, dirty corner.
(4a). Climb this passing an old peg in the left wall.

5. Oregano HVS *
Start below the centre of the slabby, right wall of the corner.
(5b). Climb directly up the middle of the wall. Variations are possible.

6. Bay Gum (It were 'ard!) HVS *
Start below the prominent arete on the right.
(5c). Climb the arete direct, to finish at a sheaf of thin saplings.The start is difficult.

7. Rum Do S
(4b). Climb the vegetated corner to the right of the arete.

To the right of the grassy, loose wall at the back of the Bay is another rib with a corner on its right.

8. Dill Do VD
(3c). Climb the corner, moving left onto the rib to finish.

9. And Chive VS
Start below the centre of the wall on the right side of the Bay, at a faint, groove and rib.
(4c). Climb the groove and rib to finish up the wall above.

10. Rock 'n' Roll Years HVS
Start just right of the faint groove.
(5b). Climb flakes on the wall direct to the top (care with rock!).

11. Bay Bop VS
Start below the short rib with the sentry-box, which bounds the right side of the Bay.
(5a). Climb directly out of the sentry-box to the top.


The Long Wall

Long Wall is the unbroken wall of steep rock which extends from the final arete of the Bay to the prominent green corner in the middle of the quarry, right of which is a fine slabby arete.

12. Stretch VS
(5a). Climb directly up the wall, one metre right of Bay Bop, to finish at a small beech tree.

13. Strain VS
Start 1.5 metres further right at a shallow left-facing corner.
(5a). Climb the wall to an obvious square hold, and thereafter the top.

The wall to the right has a band of small overhangs near the top.

14. Rubber Band VS
Start in the centre of the wall, 2 metres right of the last climb, at a steep slab.
(4c). Climb diagonally right to join a crack at the right-hand end of the band of small overhangs.

15. Plastic Ono HS *
(4b). Start at a line of weakness in the convex face below the right-hand end of the band of overhangs, to finish as for the last climb.

16. One Man VS 4b
Start 3 metres right of the line of weakness in the convex face, at a shallow left-trending groove in the slab.
(4b). Follow this (chipped holds!).

17. Willy the Dish VS
Start one metre right of the previous route, below the centre of a small band of overhangs at 2 metres.
(5a). Move up to the right-hand end of the overhang. Climb flakes above and trend left to the top.

18. Mr Wonderful VS
The next obvious line, a metre or so further right.
(5a). Climb a slim groove which widens higher up. Finish at a large stump.

19. Dog Breath VS
Start at a thin crack 2 metres right of the previous climb.
(4c). Climb the thin crack to finish at the tree stumps at the top of Mr Wonderful.

20. Custard Gut HVS
Start 2 metres right again at the foot of a short rib.
(5b). Climb the rib into a very shallow rectangular recess. Climb out of this onto a smoother slabbier upper face and finish direct.

21. Irthing Ranger NL *
Start 2 metres right of the last climb below a 3 metre flake crack directly below two large stumps at the top.
(6a). Climb the crack to overhangs and pull over to an awkward mantelshelf. Climb the slab above to finish at tree stumps.

22. Green Corner HVS
(5c). Climb the obvious green corner direct to a horizontal break below the overhangs. Finish as for route 21 or 23.


Aretes Wall

Aretes Wall is the impressive face extending from the fine slabby arete in the centre of the quarry, rightwards to an easy arete bounded on the right by a dirty slab. Four large trees have escaped the chainsaws and continue to grow at the top of the crag.

23. Slabaretes Can Damage Your Health VS *
Start at the foot of the fine slabby arete.
(5a). Climb this and the short corners above and right, to gain the left-hand end of a large bramble ledge. Climb the short wall above to the top.

24. Tabend HVS *
Start just right of the arete.
(5c). Climb the very thin crack up to the roof.Pull over direct and move up left, via a vertical edge, to join the last climb just below the bramble ledge.

25. Breathless HVS
Start to the right of the thin crack below a green corner to the left of a bird-limed rib.
(5c). Climb the corner and rib to gain a horizontal crack. Hand-traverse right to a scoop. Step right and up a short wall to reach the right-hand end of the large bramble ledge.

26. Hush VS
Start just right of the bird-limed rib at a lesser rib.
(5b). Climb the rib to an awkward pull into a scoop. Step up right and up a short wall to reach the right-hand end of the large bramble ledge.

27. Night Session HVS
Start from a large ledge on the wall, two metres up and to the right of the rib of Hush.
(5b). From the left-hand side of the ledge, climb the wall direct to the top horizontal break. Traverse right one metre to finish up a broken crack in the wall, just left of a three-stemmed birch at the top.

28. Varne HVS
Start at a thin ragged crackline 2 metres right of the previous climb.
(5a). Climb a short left-slanting groove to a small overhang. Climb the same broken crack in the top wall as for the previous route.

29. The Splits VS
Start 2 metres right of Varne.
(5a). Climb a slight groove in the blunt rib to a band of small overhangs. The open groove above is followed to finish near small saplings at the top.

30. Home Brew S
(4b). Climb the obvious corner/groove one metre right of The Splits.

31. Fingal's Cave HVS
Start below the large cave in the upper wall.
(5b). Climb the clean scooped wall, right of the corner, direct, via x-shaped cracks to the cave. Exit leftwards.

32. Sula S
Start below the obvious flat rib, directly below a stump which at the top has a long branch growing out of it.
(4c). Climb the rib until level with a good ledge on the left. Traverse right and upwards on large hollow flakes, to finish easily at the left-hand end of some overhangs.

33. Castanet HVS 5c
An eliminate. Start in the centre of the wall on the right behind a young scots pine.
(5c). Climb the centre of the wall to gain the hollow flakes. Rattle up easily to the top.

34. Big Corner S
Start below the big corner which is capped by a roof.
(4b). Climb the corner until moves can be made out left on large hollow flakes. Finish easily at the left-hand end of the overhangs.

35. Curved Arete VD *
(3b). Climb the obvious curving arete to the right of the big corner. Finish at a tall scots pine.


The Slab

The last recorded routes are on The Slab.

36. The Slab VS
(4c). Climb directly up the centre of the slab to below a band of small overhangs. Move left onto the arete to finish.

37. Lone Tree Groove S
(4a). Climb the groove at the right-hand end of The Slab to a scots pine. Finish up and rightwards.

38. Dirty Corner S
(4a). Climb the short dirty corner to the right. The finish is awkward.

Numerous short routes and problems have been done on the walls to the right, but up to now they have not been recorded.

The Low Level Girdle 6a+
This has been made of the entire quarry. The best part, from route 19 to 26, has been done at two levels, both of which are 6a+.

Lodges Quarry
FIRST ASCENTS
1970s & 1980s

Climbers have pottered around here for many years as evidenced by a few old pitons and well-chipped holds on one or two of the easier climbs.Most of the climbs were done during the winter of 1981/82 by members of the Carlisle MC, notably Dave Armstrong and Pete Whillance. All the routes were gardened by abseil and then soloed, apart from Irthing Ranger which has only been top-roped.