The crag is a bit dirty and loose in places, but there are some good routes here. Getting between the buttresses is a bit of an heather thrashing ordeal but the routes are quite easy to locate. The 8 recorded routes are short and the rock is lichenous. There is scope for a few more of the same.
Ottercops Sandstones
Carboniferous, Dinantian (Lower Limestone Group)Poor
Access issues:
Peregrines usually nest here, they make themselves known - so please keep away if you see them , or more likley, hear their mewing call.
Routes/Bouldering:
No recorded routes.
Problems:
Some traverses, but not really a bouldering crag
History:
Aid Crag was one of the first crags to be explored by the early Northumbrian climbers and many routes were recorded in the 1950 guidebook. This popularity may be due to the fact that in those pre-Beeching days the usual way to get to The Wanneys was to take the train to Bellingham and walk, passing Aid Crag on the way.
In the 1960's Gordon Thompson and friends added half a dozen routes. A few more were added by S Nagy, J Dalrymple and S. Madgwick in 2001 and possibly the best 2, in the quarry were added by Simon Litchfield in Sept 2009