How to get there:
Chevin can be reached on public transport; either get the X84 to Otley and walk up the hill back towards Caley, which is a pretty crap way of doing it TBH (unless you’re in a car, in which case it is the best way – you can park in the car park just off the main road, 2 minutes walk from the quarry), or better yet get off at the main gate to Caley, walk to the main edge (i.e. head rightwards) and keep going along the track past Caley. A pleasant walk through the woods leads to near the top of the hill when you emerge on the other side of the woods, from where you head leftwards along the road up the hill for 300m or so until you reach the Chevin Park car park on your right. Chevin quarry is along the path and on your left, and the main natural buttress is further along, again on your left.
Crag Character:
Chevin has a reputation as being rather esoteric, but don’t let that put you off. There are a handful of very good routes here that are the hidden gems of the area. The quarry does indeed contain some horror shows, some have earned grades such as “dreadful” and “vile”, which describes them far better than the traditional British Adjectival system.
Chevin is made up of two distinct parts, the quarry and the natural buttresses. The natural edges are of similar character to those on the main edge at Caley, of these the main buttress is of a similar height at a good 15m and the quarry reaches 18m in parts whilst the shorter edges are around 4-6m high, but these are generally rather dirty and don’t feature many quality lines. There are a few exceptions to this, however.
The quarry is similar in appearance to Ilkley quarry, but as it receives far less traffic there are some loose blocks and sandy edges that may be less than solid. In addition, the top-outs on some of the quarry routes consist of blocks embedded in the soil, so be careful out there, placing gear before topping out might be wise… Think of Millstone Quarry in the Peak, add some dirt and remove the top 10m and you’ve basically got Chevin! There are several trees along the top of most of the Chevin area to belay from, don’t trust the numerous old fence posts unless they really are solid! Despite all this, there are some fantastic routes here, and are worth seeking out. In addition, some lines were recently re-excavated by club members, making them an even more attractive option. The right-hand quarry bay in particular is a nice venue away from the crowds, and one of the few local areas where you could practise abseiling, top-roping and other ropework without inconveniencing others; a spot of aid climbing anyone? There are also plans afoot to climb some of the truly shit routes such as Graunch and Smokey Joe’s Last Freakout as mixed routes in deep winter, if the turf freezes enough. Watch this space!
Good routes:
The quarry is made up of roughly three parts, the left-hand section (currently dirty, none of the routes are currently recommended!), the central section (Freestyle Wall) and the right-hand bay. The eponymous Freestyle (HVS 5a) is a good route, very impressive (nearly 20m long!) and with good protection to boot. The right-hand bay has some surprisingly enjoyable outings, some of which were re-discovered on a recent LUUMC reconnaissance mission in 2006. Ladder Climb (HS 4b) is very pleasant, with moves between large positive ledges, the last 3m or so are currently a bit dirty though. Pulling on the tree root at the top instead of the blocks embedded in the soil is probably a good idea. At VS, there’s Max Wall (actually only MVS; the first 3m contain the crux, with excellent pro) and Rampant Hippo, the latter being a fist-size jamming crack that has plenty of medium-large hexes and cams as pro. It is no longer sandy as described in the guide, but was quite green when I did it a while back, the top few metres particularly so… climbing it was like fisting the incredible hulk! I have since gone back and cleaned the route (18/9/06), so it should be much better now. Weasel (HVS 5b) deserves a mention, if your bridging technique is up to scratch that is. But beware, a block in the crack in the upper right-hand wall is very loose; hopefully a ‘cleaning’ session will liberate it and avoid future drama. The E1 of No Prisoners is the best route in the quarry though. Rock quality on this route is excellent, with bomber pro throughout. Looks like it would be right at home in Ilkley quarry, or even Millstone. This route was cleaned up by Paul on 18/9/06, followed by a swift lead from me. The route is tough at the grade, it’s got quite a few 5c moves on it and felt hard for E1. But I can definitely vouch for the quality of the route, it’s as good as the best routes at Ilkley or Caley.
The natural buttress has one route at Severe, which is a decent enough route when clean. There are some very good VSs on the main natural buttress, including Leech Wall, Vampire’s ledge and Chevin Buttress, the latter is particularly excellent. The Waster (E1 5b) has a tricky first section, a sustained middle section and a delicate finale; my first E1, and one of my favourites. And if you’re after some more, there’s Gronff and its two variations (E2-E4).
Good boulder problems:
Despite my original opinion of bouldering at Chevin (‘it’s crap!’), later visits turned up one or two nice-looking problems. There are a few obvious problems in the right-hand bay of the quarry, with two on the big red blank wall left of Weasel (hint). The shorter natural buttresses between the quarry and the main buttress may turn up some nice moves, the landing isn’t great though (a path wide enough for a pad followed by a steep downhill slope), so rope up if you like. The ‘Straight Crack’ problem (5b) is a hand-jam crack that is probably worth VS if led with gear. Right of this crack is the overhanging Pygmy Buttress, with several good problems. The short wall above the overhang has yet to be done apparently; hmmm… There are several more buttresses to the right of the main buttress, but I’ve not properly explored these yet.
All in all, not a great deal of quality problems, but the possibility of developing a few project lines is very good indeed. I’m not telling you where my projects are, but feel free to find your own; take a brush, an old towel (or should that be trowel?) and an open mind, and get stuck in!
West Chevin Boulders
About a mile to the W from Chevin Quarry and Buttress is the West Chevin Boulders. Never been there myself, it’s not in the Yorkshire Gritstone Bouldering guidebook and only briefly mentioned in Yorkshire Gritstone, but there is a free downloadable topo on the Leeds Wall website.
Looks like there’s a good mixture of routes and boulder problems, but they probably don’t get much traffic at all so some parts may benefit from cleaning. Some parts may be spotless though, to be honest i’ve no idea. If anyone feels inspired enough to go and explore this area, call Sean and he’ll bring some pads (and gardening equipment if necessary!).
