Description by Stuart King.
High Crags must be the most obvious undescribed crags in the Shipley area. They rise above the busy Valley Road/Canal Road between Bradford and Shipley, facing south.
The crags are in three sections. House Buttress partially supports the shop overlooking the road, but the climbs described are to the left of this, above a slabby rock beside Brigate Bridge. They are high enough not to want to fall off of, six metres plus. Apart from underlying litter and brambles, the routes are quite good, being on vertical sandy walls reminiscent of Spofforth. They dry quickly, catch a lot of sun and usually feature good holds and protection. Some are technical and serious. The outlook over to Manningham Mills is a truly Bradfordian landscape, and in its way much more eventful and interesting than the brown acid moors to the north.
Contamination Buttress is obvious from the road, being the square block above the "Danger Contaminated Water" sign over Bradford Beck. It contains very solid climbs and problems just below six metres high, comparable in quality to those at Shipley Glen. It is strange that there is only one such buttress on the hillside.
Fraggle Rock is a seven-metre high slabby boulder in the woods to the left. It is green but solid, and worth a look.
The routes were climbed and named in April 1999 by Stuart King, Simon Reed and Darren Ongley.It's hard to believe that no-one has been on them before, but judging by the depths of the cobwebs, these were very neglected outcrops. They don't appear in either of the most recent guides. I drove past them twice a day for seven years before I bothered to have a look. And guess what? There's good climbing on some of them.
House Crag
Climb the slab and ascend a thin track through brambles and tin cans to arrive under the arete of Urban Myth. Routes are described from right to left.
Rambles in Brambles
S
0
Ascent the slabby way the easiest way and finish using the edge of the top chimney.
Junk City
HS 4b
0
This good little route climbs the obvious shallow thin flake and subsequent jugs at the left of the vertical front wall.
Urban Myth
HS 4b
0
The steep arete is good, with some thought-provoking moves and an exciting pull over the top overhang on good holds.
Green Wall
S 4b
0
The green wall is nevertheless a fun route, with finger holds materialising on demand. The overhanging block is surmounted on big holds, and with a high step.
Urban Jungle
VD
0
Above and to the left of Green Wall, the greenish sandy wall gives a little juggy problem.
Nipper's Chimney
Easy
0
The simple short chimney is a useful way onto the halfway ledge of the next routes.
Green Nose
4c-5b
0
The projection on the right of the buttress can be climbed in various ways.
The Rest is Silence
HVS 5b
1
0
Struggle over the overhang and climb the short technical wall right of the sapling growing from the buttress.
Root Route
VD
0
Over the overhang and climb the central tree crack.
Beech Tree Wall
5a
0
The thin wall left of Root Route is myopic.
Nettle Arete
HS 4b
0
Start on the left below the arete itself and gain the ledge by a sandy pocket. Pull onto the upper arete directly.
Yellow Streak
VS 5a
0
Start by the tree and surmount the overhang above the triangular niche (crux). Continue on small finger holds. Using the tree is cheating!
Fraggle Rock
The undercut starts provide most of the challenge on these uneven little routes. Beware of the Fraggles, local urchins that sort through your gear, ask lots of dumb questions and generally hang around. Ignore them, and they soon run away, possibly with some of your possesions... Described from right to left.
The Urbanised Elf
5a
0
Gain the slab from the pointed boulder with an insecure friction move.
Muppet
D
1
0
The easiest way up the slab, with a high step right to get established.
Fraggle Groove
VD
0
From the lip of Muppet, step precariously left and pad up the white-streaked slab.
Befraggled
?
(V?)
0
0
A hard problem that ascends the big overhang on the left. Using a high sharp flake, pull onto the slab using pebbles.
Reed's Reach
5b
0
On the boulder to the left, climb or dyno up the wall to an insecure finish.
Meteorite
4c
1
The right side of the boulder has a much better finishing hold.
Firestarter
A small roof 20-30m below Fraggle Rock, reached from mowed grass by an obvious little path through the brambles.
Firestarter
7a+
(V7)
2
0
0
Start at the very back of the roof crouched on a small shelf, and climb out through the roof to finish direct, avoiding boulders either side and the big jug in the crack way out right.
Contamination Buttress
Described from right to left.
Triumph of the Jamming King
1
0
As steep and juggy as Angel's Wall at Caley, this is a good strenuous problem. Start by jamming up to the break, then go leftwards to a big hold and finish up a thin seam.
Contamination Arete
E1 5b
1
0
The superb arete is arguably as good as Blitzen. Start on the left. A truly direct start is harder.
Paint it Black
E1 5c
1
The balancey, technical wall left of the arete is excellent, with hard finishing moves on small holds. The top is further away than it seems!
Strange Meeting
5a
0
Left again, this good shorter problem climbs up to a thin crucifix-shaped crack system, via an undercut in a hole.
Steps
5a
0
Ascends to the small stepped ledges at the very top of the crag. A tricky move using a small finger ledge provides the crux near the top.
Littl'Un
5a
0
Shorter but not much easier, ascend via the low mouth-shaped hold to another fingery finish.
