Rivelin Rocks
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rivelin Rocks are a gritstone edge or escarpment that are situated in the upper Rivelin Valley at grid reference SK279873, nine kilometres west of Sheffield just off the A57 road in the county of South Yorkshire, England. The rocks reach a height above sea level of approximately 270 metres and are popular with rock climbers and to a lesser extent with walkers, although never overcrowded. The land on which the rocks lie is private and the landowner has protested in the past about damage which has been done to trees and footpaths and has threatened to bar access for visitors.
The rock climbing fraternity tend to refer to the rocks as Rivelin Edge. Many rock climbers are drawn to the area because of the fine obelisk of Rivelin Needle, a 20 metre high free standing gritstone pinnacle which stands in front of the main edge. There are no less than eight approved routes up the needle with “Croton Oil” graded at Hard Very Severe (HVS 5A) being regarded as a classic climb and one of the best routes on the eastern edges of the Peak District. The rocks in fact just fall inside the boundary of the national park, an additional attraction for the climber is that the rocks are south facing and are often bathed in sunlight and warmer than some of the neighbouring climbing edges. The first recorded ascent of the Needle was in 1950 by Don Wooller, famous British climber Joe Brown climbed the Needle in 1954. The main face of the rocks also has some excellent climbs with The Brush Off, Blizzard Ridge and Auto da Fe all being highly rated routes. Descent from the Needle is by abseil from a metal chain at the top.
Rivelin Rocks are reached by following a muddy public footpath which leaves the A57 road opposite the dam wall of the lower Rivelin Reservoir, the path goes through bracken and then enters a dense Silver Birch wood passing a sign that says you are entering a conservation area. The path forks in the wood, the left hand branch is taken going gently uphill towards the rocks until the base of the crags are reached, then it is a short steep scramble up to the top of the rocks, finding an accessible gap in the crags. The view from the top give a good prospect of the lower Rivelin Reservoir. The area of the main edge just behind the needle has been quarried at some time in the past.
