Introduction
This crag was made famous in 2021 when Tom Cruise visited to use it for a train crash stunt in the film Mission Impossible 7. The quarry is situated on the opposite side of the road to Stoney West. The main wall gives a number of tough wall climbs on generally good rock in a typical quarry setting. There are also a number of easy sport climbs on the opposite, south facing White Stripes Wall though the rock is less reliable here.
Approach
From Stoney Middleton drive up The Dale and park on the left just past the turn off on the right for Eyam. This is the same parking place for Stoney West. Walk up back toward Stoney Middleton a short way to a small road on the right. Go past a barrier into a small ’loading bay’. Pass the fence and hop over the next fence - this point can also be gained from the public footpath directly below (limited parking) - and into the quarry. The main wall will be seen in the top left-hand corner of the quarry.
No access has been granted so if asked to leave please do so courteously.
Main Wall (aka Shady wall)
1. Project
2. This is not a Drill (7a) ★ fine face climb with a central crux on small incut holds
3. Shady Business (6c+) ★ tough face climbing above a ledge
4. I am a Darlek (6c) a touch fingery start leads to sustained face.
5. The Beast of Darlton (7b) a tough route with a difficult lower half and a very frustrating sequence through the overlaps.
6. The Who? (7a) another touch lower wall with sustained moves to a hard finishing move onto a ledge.
7. Tean Dream (7a+) good sustained face to a mean overlap.
8. Blue View (6c+) the vague blunt arete has a suprisingly tough sequence of moves.
9. The Knew (6c+) ★ the thin crackline with good moves and a hard finishing move to the belay.
10. The Grey (7a) ★ the excellent blank-looking face to the right. High steps, crossovers and rockovers. Harder climbed direct.
The easier routes lie on the walls on the right-hand side of the quarry. The leftmost route is alongisde an impressive ‘plank’ bolted to the cliff: Still Game (5+) ★. further to the right is a long slim groove: Darlton Slab VS 4c takes the pleasant slabby face left of this and Bucket List (5+) takes the faint leftwards trending line around to the right.