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Our Peak District National Park Spotty Otter Ambassadors @my_ourdoor_family really are a very outdoorsy family! They can often be found on the rocks with their kids harnessed up and climbing in the Peaks. Samantha has put together a great blog for us about rock climbing with kids and places to go! 

For us, climbing was probably our favourite outdoor activity before the kids came along. It was something I missed so much when I was pregnant and one of the first sports I had to stop doing, due to not being able to comfortably fit a harness on over my baby bump. Therefore, we have been very enthusiastic about getting back out onto the crag. Luckily our two boys absolutely love our little climbing/ scrambling trips, and we would love to share some of our favourite climbing spots with you.

As with anything that you do with kids, you need to be confident and proficient in the activity if you are taking them out yourselves. If you are not confident or you don’t have the appropriate skills and experience it is strongly advised to get instruction from a qualified instructor or guide.

Climbing in the Peak District (The UKs first National Park!) provides the perfect playground for many climbers, with its huge range of easily accessible routes, varying from grades suitable for beginners right up to those regulars who are looking for something more challenging. Due to the variety and accessibility of Peak District climbing, it is an amazing place for kids to explore and learn. It is somewhere we have been so excited to take the boys to and share adventures with them as they start out on their climbing journey.

Since starting on our climbing journey with our two boys (2yo and 4yo), it has been amazing to watch them grow in confidence, becoming more inquisitive and adventurous while exploring the outdoors. They both absolutely love being outdoors and climbing gives them the opportunity to take part in adventurous activities whilst learning foundation skills that will help them to become skilled climbers in the future. It is important to allow children to take part in ‘risk taking’ activities and as adults we should aim to teach our children to be more ‘risk aware’ rather than ‘risk avoidant’. Climbing provides the perfect opportunity to discuss the risks involved when adventuring outdoors, especially when exploring around large drops and exposed ground. It helps us to explain why we use ropes, the need to wear harnesses & helmets, and the importance of clear communication and listening skills. Climbing is also great for many other reasons, with just a few listed below:

• Improving gross and fine motor skills
• Balance and body awareness
• Hand, foot, and eye coordination
• Communication and concentration

• Problem solving and perseverance
• Risk awareness and understanding

The climbing we have done so far with our two has been easy, short top roped climbs.For our first few family climbing trips we started out taking a full rucksack of kit and a climbing guidebook with a list of all the climbs we would like to give a go. We soon realised that the logistics of climbing with two young kids required us to adapt our expectations. We now go to areas where we know there are smaller rock faces where one of us can easily scramble up to set a top rope while the other gets the boys ready at the bottom.The Peak District is fantastic for this as there are always lots of boulders around the popular climbing areas that we can set up for the boys to have a go, without getting in the way of those who are out to climb more challenging routes. I would imagine that if we went to most of the climbing areas in the guidebooks, we would be able to find something suitable for the kids to have a play on, however we have compiled a list of our top five favourite areas to climb with kids:

Stanage Edge:

his location is famous for climbing in England, with good reason. The 3.5-mile gritstone escarpment provides the perfect playground for climbers. Gritstone is super grippy and the edge offers a huge amount of variation, offering superb climbing opportunities for any level of climber. With beautiful views from the top and a huge selection of easy grade climbs spread across the whole length of the edge, it is a perfect spot for a day out with the kids. When climbing here, my boys love spotting huge boulders to climb onto take in the views (usually coupled with a snack stop), as well as finding abandoned millstones and making up stories about how they got there. There are loads of easy climbs that you can set up on the boulders around the bottom of the edge that are not official climbs in the guidebooks but great for setting up smaller climbs for younger kids. There are plenty of parking spots down the road below the edge however it can get busy especially on weekends, so you may need to arrive early or be prepared to wait for a space.

Burbage:

This is an area we know very well from pre-child adventures. It is very popular with climbers and provides children the opportunity to watch some super talented climbers in action, as well as having a go themselves. Not only does this area have a huge range of graded climbs, but similarly to Stanage, has loads of large boulders to set up smaller climbs for younger kids.We often see kids scrambling on the boulders at the bottom of Burbage edge and it is a fantastic way for kids to become inspired and to develop essential balance and coordination skills. Access to the crags is along a well-maintained footpath where you will find routes most of the way along the edge. There is a reasonable car park at the top and you will usually find an ice-cream van here, perfect for post adventure treats.

Higger tor:

Out of all the places we have selected, this is definitely the firm favourite with the kids. They thoroughly enjoyed the short walk to the top, rock hopping and playing ‘the floor is lava’ outdoors edition! You are treated to beautiful views as soon as you step out of the car and there are plenty of spots to explore the rocks, looking for tunnels to crawl through, scramble on and hide behind. There are loads of places to set up top ropes and plenty of areas to stop for picnic lunch or snack time. The crags at Higger tor are not as high as Stanage or Burbage and I was much more relaxed with the boys exploring more freely here as the area is much less exposed. It is most certainly going to be one of those places we go back to regularly as the boys continue their climbing journey.

Dovestone Tor:

So far, this area has offered the best views we have had when climbing in the Peak District, looking down the stunning Derwent valley. There is a much longer walk into the climbing area than any of the other places listed, however that also results in a much quieter place to explore. Each time we have visited we have had the crag to ourselves, making for a much more relaxed experience without worrying about getting in anyone else’s way. Even though the walk in is about 45 minutes, it is a very beautiful, scenic walk on a well-maintained stone path (the first time we took the kids up we even took the chariot instead of carrying all the kit on our backs, however we wouldn’t ordinarily recommend taking a pushchair due to the uneven nature of the paths). When you get to the craggy area there are plenty of smaller boulders to choose from for young kids to have a play on, as well as a reasonable selection of easy grade climbs for older kids.

Harborough rocks:

Located just outside of the Peak District National Park, Harborough rocks is definitely worth a visit for those wanting to climb with kids.It offers lots of easy grade climbs with easy access, close to the road. There’s plenty of space for picnics as you approach the crags from the bottom and the boys enjoyed finding little caves to explore. Although situated just above a factory, which doesn’t result in the most scenic climbing environment in the Peak District, there is most certainly a family friendly feel to this crag and with the plentiful options of easier routes for beginners and kids this is most certainly an area to consider if you are wanting to get your kids out for a climb.

When we take the kids out climbing our focus is 100% on them and setting up the best experiences they can have, therefore we don’t tend to get much (if any) climbing done ourselves. That being said, it is still amazing to be outdoors and offers us the perfect opportunity to feel like we are keeping our hand in a sport we very much love. We hope, like us, that you manage to get out exploring and climbing with your little ones and hope that this post has offered some insight and inspiration on places in the Peak District that would be worth exploring.