Devon and Dartmoor Rock Climbing Courses
Try outdoor rock climbing on the granite crags of Dartmoor with a relaxed half-day climbing experience. Perfect for beginners, families or anyone wanting to experience real rock climbing in Devon for the first time, with routes chosen to suit your confidence and ability.
Dartmoor Rock Climbing Experience
INTRO TO OUTDOOR BOULDERING
Take your climbing outside and discover outdoor bouldering on Dartmoor’s granite tors. Learn how to move confidently on real rock, use pads effectively, spot safely and choose suitable problems while developing the skills needed to boulder independently outdoors.
Make the transition from climbing walls to real rock on Dartmoor. This course introduces the additional skills needed for outdoor climbing, including route choice, movement on natural rock, outdoor hazards, equipment and good practice at the crag.
INDOOR TO OUTDOOR PROGRESSION
INTRO TO TRAD CLIMBING
Discover traditional climbing on Dartmoor’s granite crags and learn how protection, ropes and belays are used outdoors. Ideal for indoor climbers, boulderers or sport climbers who want to understand trad climbing, become a confident second and start developing the skills needed for greater independence outdoors.
Develop the skills and confidence to lead traditional routes on Dartmoor. Learn how to place protection, build secure belays, choose appropriate routes and manage the rope while gaining supervised leading experience on Devon’s granite crags.
LEARN TO LEAD TRAD
INTRO TO MULTIPITCH CLIMBING
Progress beyond single-pitch climbing and learn the skills needed for longer routes on Dartmoor. Develop efficient belay changeovers, stance management, rope systems, communication and multipitch techniques while climbing suitable longer routes.
Build the practical skills to deal with common problems that can arise while climbing outdoors. Using Dartmoor crags as a realistic training environment, you’ll practise techniques such as escaping the system, assisting a climber, ascending ropes and solving common rope-management problems.
CLIMBERS SELF RESCUE COURSE
CLIMBING SKILLS AND DEVELOPMENT COURSES
Improve specific areas of your climbing with focused coaching and technical skills training on Dartmoor. Sessions can cover areas such as belay building, rope systems, guide mode, double ropes, movement, falling, rigging and other skills tailored to your experience and goals.
Enjoy a day of guided rock climbing on Dartmoor or the North Coast of Devon with routes chosen around your experience, ambitions and the conditions. Whether you want to climb classic Devon routes, explore new crags or simply enjoy a full day on the rock without needing to lead everything yourself, the day can be tailored around you.
DEVON AND DARTMOOR GUIDED CLIMBING
Why Go Rock Climbing on Dartmoor?
Dartmoor is one of the South West’s best areas for learning and developing traditional rock climbing skills. Its granite tors and crags offer everything from accessible single-pitch climbs through to longer routes, making it an excellent location for progressing from your first outdoor climbs towards independent trad and multipitch climbing.
The variety of venues means the day can be adapted around your experience, objectives and the conditions. Whether you want to learn how to place traditional protection, lead your first route, improve your belay building or develop self-rescue and multipitch skills, Dartmoor provides plenty of opportunities to put those skills into practice.
For climbers based in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and the wider South West, Dartmoor also provides a fantastic climbing destination without needing to travel to North Wales or the Lake District.
What Is the Climbing Like on Dartmoor?
Dartmoor climbing is predominantly on granite, giving it a distinctive style that rewards good footwork, confident movement and careful use of traditional protection.
You can expect a mixture of cracks, slabs, walls, corners and rounded granite features, with routes ranging from short single-pitch climbs to longer multipitch adventures.
Learning to climb and place protection on granite is particularly useful for developing a broad range of trad climbing skills. Cracks can offer excellent opportunities for nuts and cams, while other routes require more thought about protection, route finding and movement.
Where Do We Climb on Dartmoor?
The exact venue is chosen according to your experience, the course you are attending, weather conditions and what will provide the best learning environment on the day.
Typical venues may include:
The Dewerstone
One of Dartmoor’s best-known climbing areas, the Dewerstone, just outside of Plymouth, offers a wide range of traditional routes on granite and is particularly useful for developing lead climbing and multipitch skills. Its larger crags provide a more adventurous feel than many of Dartmoor’s smaller tors. All of my rock climbing courses can take place here
Hound Tor
Hound Tor, near Bovey Tracey, offers a broad selection of single pitch granite climbing in an open moorland setting. The variety of routes makes it useful for introducing outdoor climbing, developing traditional protection skills and progressing towards independent leading. My rock climbing experiences, Indoor to Outdoor Climbing course and Learn to Lead Courses can be run from here.
Sheeps Tor
Sheeps Tor, not far from Princetown, is particularly well suited to easier traditional climbing and developing confidence. Its relatively accessible climbing and good selection of lower-grade routes can make it an excellent venue for climbers taking their first steps into trad climbing. Sheeps Tor is often used for my Learn to Lead, Intro to trad and Self Rescue courses.
Leigh Tor
Leigh Tor provides another useful Dartmoor option, with varied climbing that can work well for skills development and coaching. I use Leigh Tor for courses such as Learn to Lead, Indoor to Outdoor Progression and Climbing Skills and Development courses
Baggy Point, North Devon
For guided climbing and bespoke days, we can also head to the North Devon coast. Baggy Point near Croyde offers fantastic traditional climbing above the sea, providing a very different experience from Dartmoor's inland granite crags. North Devon is particularly well suited to guided climbing and climbers looking to experience adventurous coastal routes.
Other venues may also be used depending on the course, conditions, group and current access arrangements.
Who Is Dartmoor Climbing Suitable For?
Dartmoor is particularly well suited to climbers who:
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climb indoors and want to start climbing outside;
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want to learn how traditional climbing equipment is used;
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want to progress from seconding to leading;
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want to become more confident placing protection and building belays;
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want to develop multipitch climbing skills;
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want to practice climbing self-rescue techniques;
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already climb outdoors but want coaching to improve their independence and decision making.