Birchen remains one of the most popular venues in the Peak due to its friendly atmosphere and good collection of low-grade routes. The place has always been a favourite with groups and this long-standing popularity has led to the wearing of many of the already rounded holds. Quite a number of the routes have slippery and awkward starts but get yourself going and things often ease rapidly. Summer weekends can be very busy, but if you leave the main section and head rightwards to the more secluded buttresses, you will probably find some solitude. The majority of routes at Birchen have names of a nautical nature linked to the monument, erected to celebrate Nelson\'s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Order | Climb | Buttress | Stars | Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Bosun's Nose | Far Left | S 4c | |
2 |
Bosun's Crack | Far Left | VD | |
3 |
Bosun's Wall | Far Left | HVD 4a | |
4 |
The Gangplank | Far Left | 1 | M |
5 |
Poop Crack | Far Left | VD 4a | |
6 |
Handy Crack | Far Left | Diff | |
7 |
Visitors Only | Far Left | 1 | HS 4a |
8 |
All Aboard | Far Left | Diff | |
9 |
Saltheart Foamfollower | Far Left | 1 | HVS 5c |
10 |
Poop Deck Crack | Far Left | S 4a | |
11 |
The Pirate | Far Left | E2 6b | |
1 |
Land Ho! | Emma's Slab | 1 | HS 4c |
2 |
The Crow's Nest | Emma's Slab | 2 | VS 4c |
3 |
Look-out Arete | Emma's Slab | 1 | S 4a |
4 |
The Funnel | Emma's Slab | 1 | Diff |
5 |
The Dancer | Emma's Slab | E1 5c | |
6 |
Kiss Me Hardy | Emma's Slab | 1 | HVD 4a |
7 |
Victory Crack | Emma's Slab | 1 | HS 4b |
8 |
Victory Gully | Emma's Slab | 1 | S 4a |
9 |
Emma's Slab | Emma's Slab | 1 | VS 4b |
10 |
Emma's Dilemma | Emma's Slab | 1 | S 4a |
11 |
Emma Royd | Emma's Slab | 1 | VS 4c |
12 |
Emma's Temptation | Emma's Slab | 1 | HVD 4c |
13 |
Emma's Delight | Emma's Slab | 1 | HS 4b |
14 |
Deluded | Emma's Slab | 1 | VS 4c |
15 |
Emma's Delusion | Emma's Slab | 1 | S 4a |
16 |
The Prow | Emma's Slab | 1 | VS 4c |
17 |
Artificial | Emma's Slab | VD | |
18 |
Oak Gully | Emma's Slab | M | |
19 |
Oak Tower | Emma's Slab | VD | |
20 |
Heather Corner | Emma's Slab | M | |
21 |
Heather Corner Slab | Emma's Slab | M | |
1 |
The Bunk Ladder | Nelson's Slab | S 4a | |
2 |
Captain's Prerogative | Nelson's Slab | 1 | HS 4b |
3 |
Captain's Bunk | Nelson's Slab | 1 | HS 4b |
4 |
Telescope Tunnel | Nelson's Slab | 2 | M |
5 |
Porthole Buttress | Nelson's Slab | 1 | S 4a |
6 |
Porthole Direct | Nelson's Slab | 2 | VS 4c |
7 |
Captain Birdseye | Nelson's Slab | VS 4c | |
8 |
Blind Eye | Nelson's Slab | 1 | S 4b |
9 |
Dead Eye | Nelson's Slab | HVS 6a | |
10 |
Nelson's Slab | Nelson's Slab | 1 | HS 5a |
11 |
Half Nelson | Nelson's Slab | 1 | VS 5a |
12 |
Left Ladder Chimney | Nelson's Slab | VD | |
13 |
Right Ladder Chimney | Nelson's Slab | HVD 4a | |
14 |
Midshipman | Nelson's Slab | 3 | E2 6a |
15 |
Cold Compass | Nelson's Slab | 1 | E2 6b |
1 |
Sail Buttress | Sail Buttress | 2 | HS 4b |
2 |
Roger the Cabin Boy I | Sail Buttress | 1 | VS 4c |
3 |
Ratline | Sail Buttress | 2 | HVS 5b |
4 |
Amazing Grace | Sail Buttress | E2 6a | |
5 |
Sail Chimney | Sail Buttress | 2 | S 4a |
6 |
Topsail | Sail Buttress | 2 | VS 4c |
7 |
Marie's Gone to Canada | Sail Buttress | E1 5c | |
8 |
Monument Chimney Crack | Sail Buttress | 1 | VD |
9 |
Monument Chimney | Sail Buttress | 1 | Diff |
10 |
Pillar Wall | Sail Buttress | S 4a | |
11 |
The Bow | Sail Buttress | 1 | S 4a |
12 |
Orpheus Wall | Sail Buttress | 2 | HVS 5c |
13 |
Peaches | Sail Buttress | 3 | E4 6b |
14 |
Monument Gully | Sail Buttress | 1 | VD |
15 |
Book Sniffer | Sail Buttress | E6 6b | |
16 |
Monument Gully Buttress | Sail Buttress | 1 | HVS 5b |
17 |
The Keel | Sail Buttress | 1 | HVS 5b |
18 |
Naughty Nauticals | Sail Buttress | E2 6b | |
1 |
Cutting Corners | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | S 4a | |
2 |
The Promenade | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 2 | Diff |
3 |
Promenade Direct | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | HVD 4a |
4 |
The Chain | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | S 4a |
5 |
Mayday | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | E2 6b | |
6 |
Hollybush Gully | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | VD 4b |
7 |
Anchor Traverse | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | HS 4b |
8 |
Floating Anarchy | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | HVS 5a | |
9 |
Powder Monkey Parade | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 2 | S 4b |
10 |
Hangover | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | HVS 5b | |
11 |
Admiral's Progress | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | Diff |
12 |
Polaris Exit | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | Diff |
13 |
Hammock | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | VS 5b |
14 |
Camperdown Crawl | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 2 | HS 4c |
15 |
Barnacle Bulge | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | HS 4c |
16 |
Trafalgar Crack | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | VD 4a |
17 |
Trafalgar Wall | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 2 | S 4b |
18 |
The Long Promenade | The Promenade to Trafalgar Wall | 1 | HS 4b |
1 |
Bell Bottom Arete | Stoker's Wall | S 4a | |
2 |
Sailor's Crack | Stoker's Wall | 1 | S 4b |
3 |
Sailor's Problem | Stoker's Wall | VD | |
4 |
Whatknot? | Stoker's Wall | 1 | S 4b |
5 |
Reef Knot | Stoker's Wall | 1 | S 4b |
6 |
Sheetbend | Stoker's Wall | S 4b | |
7 |
Nautical Crack | Stoker's Wall | 1 | VD |
8 |
Heave Ho | Stoker's Wall | S 4a | |
9 |
Yo-Ho Crack | Stoker's Wall | 1 | VD |
10 |
Rum Wall | Stoker's Wall | VD | |
11 |
Stoker's Break | Stoker's Wall | VD | |
12 |
Stoker's Hole | Stoker's Wall | 1 | HS 4a |
13 |
Stoked | Stoker's Wall | 1 | S 4a |
14 |
Stoker's Wall | Stoker's Wall | 1 | Diff |
1 |
Scandiwall | Copenhagen Wall | S 4b | |
2 |
Copenhagen Corner | Copenhagen Wall | S 4b | |
3 |
Scandiarete | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VS 5a |
4 |
Dane's Delight | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | HS 5b |
5 |
Dane's Disgust | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | HS 5b |
6 |
Copenhagen Wall | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VS 5a |
7 |
Wonderful Copenhagen | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VS 5a |
8 |
Mast Gully Ridge | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VD |
9 |
Mast Gully | Copenhagen Wall | M | |
10 |
Mast Gully Wall | Copenhagen Wall | VD 4b | |
11 |
Mast Gully Crack | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | HS 4b |
12 |
Mast Gully Buttress | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VS 5a |
13 |
Fo'c'sle Wall | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VS 4c |
14 |
Fo'c'sle Crack | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | S 4b |
15 |
Fo'c'sle Chimney | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VD |
16 |
Fo'c'sle Arete | Copenhagen Wall | 1 | VS 5b |
1 |
Cave Gully | Tar's Wall | 1 | VD |
2 |
Ta Very Much | Tar's Wall | HS 4c | |
3 |
Tar's Arete | Tar's Wall | 1 | VD 4a |
4 |
Ta Ta For Now | Tar's Wall | HS 5a | |
5 |
Tar's Crack | Tar's Wall | 1 | VD |
6 |
Tar's Wall | Tar's Wall | HVD 4b | |
7 |
Tar's Traverse | Tar's Wall | Diff | |
8 |
Tar's Climb | Tar's Wall | M | |
9 |
Tar's Gully | Tar's Wall | Diff | |
10 |
Pig Head | Tar's Wall | S 4c | |
11 |
Pigtail | Tar's Wall | S 4a | |
12 |
Prow Wall | Tar's Wall | M | |
13 |
Prow Gully | Tar's Wall | M | |
14 |
Barbette Arete | Tar's Wall | S 4b | |
15 |
Barbette Crack | Tar's Wall | 1 | HS 4b |
16 |
Barbette Wall | Tar's Wall | S 4a | |
1 |
Barbette Buttress | Seasick Slab | 1 | S 4b |
2 |
Cannonball Crack | Seasick Slab | S 3c | |
3 |
Cannonball Wall | Seasick Slab | 1 | VD |
4 |
Gunner's Gangway | Seasick Slab | Diff | |
5 |
Lieutenant's Ladder | Seasick Slab | Diff | |
6 |
Midge's Manoeuvre | Seasick Slab | E2 6a | |
7 |
Middy's Manoeuvre | Seasick Slab | 1 | HS 4c |
8 |
Midway | Seasick Slab | E1 6b | |
9 |
Torpedo Tube | Seasick Slab | 1 | HVD 4a |
10 |
Flataback | Seasick Slab | E1 6a | |
11 |
Das Boot | Seasick Slab | VS 5a | |
12 |
Gunner's Groove | Seasick Slab | Diff | |
1 |
Cabin Fever | Wooden Leg Wall | HVD 4a | |
2 |
Moby Dick | Wooden Leg Wall | S 4a | |
3 |
Old Codger | Wooden Leg Wall | 1 | VS 4c |
4 |
Bold Codger | Wooden Leg Wall | E2 6a | |
5 |
Wooden Leg Wall | Wooden Leg Wall | 1 | HVS 5c |
6 |
Owd Gadgee | Wooden Leg Wall | E2 6a | |
7 |
Stoker's Crack | Wooden Leg Wall | S 4b | |
8 |
Knick Knack | Wooden Leg Wall | E1 5b | |
9 |
Stoker's Saunter | Wooden Leg Wall | VD | |
10 |
Matelot's Meander | Wooden Leg Wall | S 4a | |
1 |
Implosion | Kismet Buttress | HVS 5c | |
2 |
Explosion | Kismet Buttress | 1 | VS 5a |
3 |
Blast Hole Wall | Kismet Buttress | 1 | VS 5b |
4 |
Cor Limey | Kismet Buttress | VD | |
5 |
Powder Keg | Kismet Buttress | S 4a | |
6 |
Fuse | Kismet Buttress | 1 | VS 5a |
7 |
Gun-cotton Groove | Kismet Buttress | 1 | VD |
8 |
Cook's Rib | Kismet Buttress | 1 | E1 5c |
9 |
Horatio's Direct | Kismet Buttress | 1 | VS 4c |
10 |
Horatio's Horror | Kismet Buttress | 2 | HS 4a |
11 |
Heavy Cruiser | Kismet Buttress | E1 6a | |
12 |
Nelson's Nemesis | Kismet Buttress | 3 | VS 4b |
13 |
Tom's Arete | Kismet Buttress | E5 6b | |
14 |
Victory Vice | Kismet Buttress | 1 | VD |
15 |
For Queen and Country | Kismet Buttress | HVS 4c | |
16 |
Device | Kismet Buttress | HVS 4c | |
17 |
Gunpowder Gully Arete | Kismet Buttress | S 3c | |
18 |
Gunpowder Gully | Kismet Buttress | Diff | |
19 |
Sea Dog Slab | Kismet Buttress | VD | |
20 |
Sailor's Chute | Kismet Buttress | HVD 4a |
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