Aid

Approach

When approaching the Wanneys from the north on the forestry track, the crag can be seen on the right. Keep to the track and this swings round above the crag. It is a little faster to approach along this same track from the A68, but the parking is a bit dodgy.

Routes

The routes are described from left to right
The first big buttress has a huge poised boulder on top and contains three cracks.
1  Cabbala 9m VS 4c 
The left crack which has a kink right.
2  Cosmic Egg 8m MS  
The central main crack.
3  Ankh 8m VS 5a 
The thin right hand crack.
The Quarry
The large bay, obviously quarried. It is the highest section of the crag.
4  Ambulance On Standby 9m E3 6a * (**new**)
Good unprotected climbing up the left hand side of the overhung ar? on the east side of the quarry (left of Quaker). Start below the ar? and climb to a ledge. From the ledge step left round the ar? and commit to hard initial moves. Higher up the climbing eases.
5  ICU 9m HVS 5b * (**new**)
Delicate climbing up the right side of the ar?. Start as for Ambulance on Standby. From the ledge ascend the right side of the ar?, with surprisingly delicate moves at towards the top.
6  Quaker 11m D  
A route up the wall on the east side of the quarry.
7  Shaker 11m S 4b 
The overhanging crack just to the right with poor protection and loose rock.
8  Faker 12m MVS 4c 
Start beneath a small overhang in the central wall (arrow in rock). From a niche move right and up to a ledge. Continue up and right to a bulging wall and finish up left.
9  Just A Little Green 10m E2 5c 
The green wall on the right hand side of the quarry. Better than it looks, which doesn't take much doing.
10  Sick, Sick, Sick (The Beast) 10m E1 5a 
The unstable looking flake right of Green Wall is as unstable as it looks.
11  Hypotenuse 14m VD  
The long buttress bounding the quarry on the right. A good climb. Go up the short arete, work across a wall to the right and finish up the crack.
The next buttress to the west contains a recess. This can be climbed by the left crack or up the narrow wall both Mild Very Severe. Further west again is a buttress with two easy chimneys. The wall at the right end is Very Difficult.
Beyond that, the next buttress has an overhang atop it. The bulging left wall is Severe and the right end past the overhang is Very Difficult.
A little further west is a buttress with a slab at the foot, capped by an overhang and a fine cracked arete above. There is a peg at the top for belaying.
12  Thompsons Rib 7m E1 5b * (**new**)
Make a difficult move on the slab and surmount the overhang. Finish up either the wall or the crack.
13  Madge 7m S   (**new**)
The crack to the right of Thompsons Rib. A poor route
White Walls
The next buttress has a quarried section and the rock is very suspect.
14  Legal Aid 9m E3 5c  (**new**)
A devious route that encompasses the finest climbing on the right hand buttress with some technical bouldery moves. To the right of the broken crack on the left of the buttress is rib with a shallow scoop to its left. Technical moves gain the rib. Two shotmarks are useful for gaining the middle break. Traverse the break right for 1m. Use the remains of a broken flake to reach a number of crimps up and left. Gain the top, keeping a cool head a fair distance above the gear.
15  Legality E2 5c  (**new**)
The true direct start to the upper half of Legal Aid that starts 1m left of Guilty. A fair route, but the start of Legal Aid has the better start.
16  Aid and Abet E2 5c  (**new**)
Start as for Legal Aid but finish
directly up (and is spoiled by) the rubble above the
middle break.
17  Guilty 8m HVS 5a  (**new**)
The crackline on the right of the quarried section has doubtful rock and dubious protection
© 2003 The Northumbrian Mountaineering Club Editing and website contact: John Dalrymple