Rock Type : Grit

Access : The best approach is by car, turning off the Otley-Harrogate road at the North Rigton turning, or Gravelly Hill lane. Do not park outside the farm below the crag, but at a lay by below the western side of the crag. Also do not block any entrances. The nearest bus stop is at Huby, about 30mins walk from the crag.

No access problems to the crag or immediately accessible boulders. Climbing is not permitted on the boulders in the nearby fields. Care is required parking and using the correct approach.

Comments : Almscliff is polished in places but friction oddly often does not suffer. All climbing here is traditional, and as such there are no sport routes, any pegs that are in situ does not mean more can be put in.

Almscliff has all types and standards of climbs, although the rounded nature of the rock does make hand jamming a useful asset. Camming devices have made almost all climbs protectable. But the general steepness of the rock does make some climbs seem undergraded.

There is an almost inexhaustible supply of problems and micro routes. Most problems have micro variations that can drastically change the grade. Locals are often the best source of problem information.

Best Routes : - Bird's Nest Crack (HS)
- Traditional Crack (VS 4c)
- Pigott's Stride (VS 4c)
- Great Western (HVS 5a)
- The Wall Of Horrors (E3 6a)
- Aaries Ook (E4 6a) Delicate and powerful

Guide Book : Yorkshire Gritstone by Yorkshire Mountaineering Club
Rock Climbing in Northern England by Bill Birkett and John White