Saturday 16 August 2008

Sharpcliffe Rocks.


Staffordshire Grit is the best gritstone climbing area in the Pennines. Not for the mega-classic crags of The Roaches, The Skyline, Hen Cloud and Ramshaw, but for the combination of those hallowed grounds with a varied and veritable treasure trove of minor crags, lost esoterica, hidden gems, and secret outcrops which provide much needed nourishment to those who are exploratory, jaded, over-imaginative, or in search of the essential "something completely different".

Crags such as The Nth Cloud, Gibb Tor, Gradbach Hill, The Back Forest, Rudyard Pinnacle, Bosley Cloud, and most intriguing of all, The Churnet Valley - a lost world of bizarrely sculpted pebble-dashed buttresses outcropping along forested glens and perched amongst peaceful fields. One such outcrop is the neo-famous Sharpcliffe Rocks:


This small collection of bouldering outcrops and one proper lead-climbing buttress has been given a full write up in the last two guidebooks, including two colour photos in the latest guide (and one in the previous guide), and has featured on one of the best On The Edge magazine covers: OTE 38 - John Smith onsighting Knossos on the cover, the legendary Ken Wilson interview inside - those were the days, proper, relevant climbing on the cover, proper controversial characters inside, now it's all Rhapsody this that and the other with a break only for the latest Neil Gresham collection of reps and sets and yawn.

Sharpcliffe Rocks is also banned.

It is owned by Sharpcliffe Hall (whereabouts the hall actually is, God only knows, it's certainly nowhere near the crag nor visible from it), on private land, and access is not allowed, or in the words of someone from the house "strictly forbidden". Of course, it has to be strictly, simply being forbidden isn't enough...

Of course it is their right to forbid access and climbing without requiring any reason. We went there, we climbed the three routes we came for, and part way through the third route were accosted by someone from the hall, and told firmly to leave. I politely pointed out that we were being quiet, not leaving litter, disturbing no wildlife nor fences etc, which fell on deaf ears - we knew we were not allowed to climb there, we had to leave immediately after getting off the route, and we were not expected to be seen back, ever. I politely agreed to leave ASAP and apologised for any trouble caused. After all, they have the right, we'd done what we came for, and there was no need, nor any standing on our behalf, to argue.

What there is a need for, obviously, is to RANT ON THE INTERNET. The solution to many problems :)

Actually there's not much to rant about to, just two nuggets of food for thought, a light snack if you will...

Firstly, harm done?? I for one, failed to see any. Two climbers, quietly going about their business. No inconsiderate parking, no damage to fences, walls nor gates, no litter, no loud noise, no graffiti, vandalism nor abuse of the land, no dogs nor bikes nor ghetto-blasters, no interference with hall business nor invasion of privacy. As a pertinent and ironic comparison, the crag is on land which is sometimes used for shooting (obviously we wouldn't have gone near it were any shooting going on). This otherwise idyllic natural area is scattered with clay pigeon paraphernalia, launchers, taped-off areas, and thoroughly littered with clay pigeon debris and shell cases.

Secondly, land ownership?? It does seem, sometimes, that western humans put a lot of stock into the area of planet earth we own - our turf, our "castle". I think for many people in many situations, there is good reason - privacy, a bit of land to do something with, our own patch where others can't interfere (and I would not want to climb where it genuinely interfered!). One might wonder though, if some of us go too far. When someone has a LOT of land, and when areas of that land are well away from any actual residence or regularly used area of land, to what extent is dictating access a matter of dictating for the sake of it??

The question often asked is "What if it was your land??"

Well, what if it was your land, or my land, and small groups of people sporadically visited an area say half a mile from my house, that wasn't in current use, treated the land with respect, engaged in a non-damaging activity that I was unlikely to see or hear, and even if I did they were affable and civil when challenged??

Well??

Anyway, the routes were pretty cool - unusual pebbly rock and a funky adventurous feel to them :).

5 comments:

Unknown said...

The question often asked is "What if it was your land??"...

I was impose a strict 'shirts off' rule for all fit male climbers, people need boundaries!

Fiend said...

Well I don't know if the Sharpcliffe owners have such a rule, but I was in accordance with it!! (the premier climbing astrophysicist wasn't though).

Fiend said...

Further to the post, I have checked the location on the Multimaps arial view linked through UKC (which shows an impressive level of detail), my hypothetical estimate of 1/2 a mile was a bit OTT, it is more like 600 yards or 1/3 of a mile, with a fair amount of woodland between the two areas.

Unknown said...

So if you can't see something on your property, and it doesn't harm said land, it's OK? If I want to sleep in your house when you're out but I bring my own sleeping bag is that OK? I suspect you'd at least want paying for the privilege.

Which brings me on to my main point: the shooters and the trials bikers who legitimately use the land pay for the right. As well as being part of a private estate this land is a commercial asset, which you devalue by free-riding on: if I shoot there, and know that you use it for free, I'm going to be less inclined to pay for that. The landowner therefore loses out and is well within their rights to tell you where to go.

Fiend said...

Richard: If you are expecting regret or meek apology from me, you are wasting your time.

>> "If I want to sleep in your house when you're out but I bring my own sleeping bag is that OK?"

A blatantly poor comparison.

If, more comparatively, you want to sleep 1/3 of a mile from my house, in rough land, well hidden from my house and my access, and you're demonstrating a quiet and responsible attitude to the land, then yes, it might be OK.

If I wanted to climb 10m from your house in full view and generally get in the way and impinge on someone's privacy....well I personally wouldn't want to do that.

>> "the shooters and the trials bikers who legitimately use the land pay for the right. As well as being part of a private estate this land is a commercial asset, which you devalue by free-riding on: if I shoot there, and know that you use it for free, I'm going to be less inclined to pay for that."

That is a slightly better point.

However, given how few climbers visit the land (even were it not "strictly forbidden") I suspect that very little devaluation goes on.

Talking of devaluation, of the land rather than the all-important "commercial asset", maybe the shooters should be encouraged to clear up their sodding mess.

To be honest given the size of Sharpcliffe Hall and it's grounds, I am not as worried about their "commercial asset" as I otherwise might be. Also, were my worries to increase, some negotiation towards climbers contributing to access rather than having it totally denied, might be more welcome (although not everyone would want to encourage such a precedent).

>> "The landowner therefore loses out and is well within their rights to tell you where to go."

Yes, as I said, they have a total legal right to do so.

I also have a legal right to free speech and a moral right to disagree with their stance :).