Rock climbers on Stanage Edge in the Peak District.

Rock climbing is a very popular activity in the Peak District; on warm bank holidays hundreds of climbers can be seen on popular edges such as Stanage or Froggatt . Generally the climbing style is free climbing (as opposed to aid climbing) and the rock is either gritstone or limestone. Climbing has been practised all over the Peak District since the late 19th century; James W. Puttrell is generally credited with starting the practice.

Gritstone

There is a long-standing practice of climbing routes in the traditional style. Rocks are climbed on-sight with the leader placing protection as they climb, from bottom to top, without weighting any of the protection; the second climber removes the protection as she climbs. Almost all gritstone crags are free from bolts and in-situ pitons, and bolting and pegging is forbidden.

The major gritstone crags include:

• Stanage Edge a 5km edge generally between 10m and 25m in height north of Hathersage
• Froggatt Edge
• Curbar Edge
• The Kinder Edges
• Millstone Edge
• Bamford Edge
• Birchen Edge
• Burbage Rocks
• Higgar Tor
• Dovestone Tor (on Derwent Edge )
• Rivelin Rocks
• Cratcliffe Tor
• Black Rocks
• Baslow Edge

These are the Ordnance Survey names, climbers sometimes have different names for them (sometimes shortened versions of the standard names, like "Stanage" instead of "Stanage Edge").

Limestone

Generally in-situ bolts and pitons are more acceptable on limestone and some crags are exclusively bolted.