With enigmatic and thought-provoking names such as Flying Buttress, Christmas Crack, Medusa, Mad Dogs & Englishmen or The Sloth, climbing in the Peak District is a powerful sport which is going from strength to strength.

Whether bouldering or traditional rock climbing, there are climbs among the Peak District hills to suit all abilities from beginner to expert.

The natural geology of the Peak District has provided a playground for climbers of large rocks and boulders and escarpments with glacially formed cliffs. Running down the eastern flank of the Peak District are gritstone Edges with Stanage, Burbage, Curbar and Froggatt being the most popular, whilst to the west of the region are the Staffordshire Moorlands where the Roaches offer a ridge of gritstone tors and overhangs for the ultimate challenge. Sandwiched between these are natural bluffs and bastions of tough weather-worn limestone which form the White Peak and Derbyshire Dales.

Man’s intrusion on the landscape has also helped to form this paradise for climbing in the Peak District with disused quarries offering sheer rock faces, whilst activity providers have created indoor climbing walls which afford a first rung on the ladder or grip to grapple with for beginners and those wanting an all-weather experience.

At weekends the Peak District tunes up amid the jingling and jangling of rock-climbing chatelaine dripping with an assortment of belay and carabiners worn by colourfully clad climbers who dangle on ropes and appear from a distance like multi-coloured ants as they inch their way up some demanding Peak District crag.

The Peak District is a Mecca for climbers who clamber, climb, scale, shin up and scramble in a challenge to reach their goal by rising to the summit of their chosen ascent, whilst book shops contain a wealth of literature on climbing in the Peak District from a brief introductory leaflet to an in-depth tome. There are climbing clubs and courses for this increasingly popular activity encouraging all ages to have a go at rising to greater heights and achieving the personal glory of reaching the top in their sport.