Windgather Rocks

Sometimes the best places to find are the unplanned ones and we were just driving along when we saw the sensational rockface of Windgather Rocks and so we had to make a little detour.

Windgather Rocks is a gritstone crag that sits right on the Derbyshire and Cheshire border inside the Peak District National Park. It tops out at about 416 metres, sits above Taxal Edge, and forms part of a ridge that runs from near Kettleshulme and Whaley Bridge up towards the trig point on Shining Tor. (can't believe I didn't realise that until this write up!)

It is very exposed to the prevailing westerly winds, which its name hints at, so even on a clement day like today it's still a bit breezy. Nothing that Red5 drone can't handle though.

You're probably wondering "how is he going to make a full article about a lump of rock poking out of the ground?" Well strap in for a geology lesson as I've been busy on t'internet.

What Is Windgather Rocks Made From

The rock here is Chatsworth Grit, a member within the Millstone Grit Group. It is a pretty coarse sandstone that is often cross bedded and locally pebbly, with rounded quartz pebbles turning up in places. In plain English that means tough, gritty sandstone with occasional pebble layers, which is why it gives brilliant friction under hand and foot. Perfect for those who fancy a climb up and there were a canny of those today.

How Windgather Rocks Formed

For this one you will need to roll your clocks back to the late Carboniferous period (so 300 - 360 million years ago!) This whole area was criss-crossed by huge rivers and they carried sand and gravel downstream and dumped it in thick layers.

Over time those layers were buried, squeezed and cemented into the gritstone we see today. Since then the softer rocks around it have been worn away, leaving the harder gritstone that you now see on this crag. A weathered skin that once covered the rock has also been stripped off bit by bit by frost and rain, which is why the cliff faces look pretty clean and sharp now.

Now the best thing is that you don't need ropes and pitons to climb up Windgather Rocks as there are some well worn paths either end where you can wander to the top and see all the rocky outcrops close up.

Why Is It Called Windgather

No great mystery here. The crag is famous for catching the wind. It is a west facing edge that gathers the westerlies as they sweep over the Cheshire side, so the name is simply descriptive of the conditions you feel on the ridge. Fortunately Red5 drone could hold his own against the breeze today.

Once you are done wandering at the top you can follow the path in front of the crags to get some fab views and all the climbing paths that are available up. We found out that there are 54 climbing routes up Windgather Rocks including Mississippi Crack, The Rib Right-Hand, The Staircase, Chockstone Chimney, Squashed Finger and Struggle!

Climbing Windgather Rock

Windgather is one of the classic beginner friendly crags in the Peaks and was already in print in 1913 in John Laycock's Some Gritstone Climbs. In 1961 the park authority purchased Windgather Rocks to sort out an access problem, which helped secure climbing there.

If you don't fancy a climb you can just head up via the side path and wander around the top. Then back at the bottom follow the path in front of the crags to get some fab views and all the climbing paths that are available up.

We found out that there are 54 climbing routes up Windgather Rocks including Mississippi Crack, The Rib Right-Hand, The Staircase, Chockstone Chimney, Squashed Finger and Struggle!

Also it's not much of a hike from the parking. Just a little short walk up the track.

Or if you are like my Glamorous Assistant, you can just admire it from the car!