Sunny but deceptively cold – the kind of day for a suntrap sports crag to avoid someone getting frozen belaying at the top. Enter yet another re-purposed quarry, with an abandoned hole in the ground turned into a climber’s playground by dint of the hard work and investment of intrepid explorers. Thanks Gary (and Nick Taylor and John Allen).

Moss Rake is tucked away near Bradwell and is most remarkable as the home to a very clean and compact limestone slab.

This provides about a dozen routes from 6a to 6c (getting gradually trickier and longer from right to left). Very unusual climbing for Peak Limestone and you could almost forget you are in a quarry (if you keep your eyes closed!).

We did Sexy Rexy, 6a and The Librarian, 6b, at the right hand end (both good):

and Shhhh, The Limit Club and Kashmir Curry House (all 6b/+) further left.

By now we were “slabbed-out” and decided to sample the steep Churt Wall to the right

Similar grades but a completely different style of climbing. Steep juggy/crimpy climbing on Churt intrusions which (for the most part) seem reasonably well embedded in a muddy matrix. The best of the bunch was The Wall, 6a+,

which I wouldn’t begrudge two stars, and the adjacent The Fall, 6b. Here’s Helen on the latter, with crag developers Nick and John in the background on some slightly more crumbly fare.

A great little addition to the choice of local venues. Not entirely obvious how you reach the slab so here’s an overview