Brownstones is a diminutive crag which has one of the longest climbing histories in Lancashire. The reasons are obvious; the crag is seconds from the road, it takes little drainage, faces the afternoon sun, is generally of a height to encourage soloing and the fine-grained gritstone here is pretty good too. There are over 100 named routes/problems in this long-abandoned quarry many of which are of a technical and fingery nature. The crag can be used effectively as a training venue, or simply as a good place to blow away the cobwebs at the end of a day of drudgery. Large sections of the cliff-top are overgrown and/or unstable, making topping out difficult at best and dangerous at worst. Reversing the route is a good way of bringing on the pump or alternatively leap for that crash pad. As is so often the case with an area that is used extensively for bouldering, the grades here may be found to only be an approximation of those used elsewhere in the guide - be prepared for a tough time.