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Thursday 9 Jul 2009

WORLD FAMOUS RAILWAY SET(TLED) IN STONE

Region & Route:

Two days after the famous Settle – Carlisle railway line closes on 9 July for improvement work by Network Rail, the line is immortalised by having a rock climb named after it. Climb no. 24 on Castleberg Crag, which forms the backdrop to Settle town centre, has been named The Settle-Carlisle Line.

Graded F7a***, it is one of the hardest climbs on the Crag and was given the name in tribute to the men and women who built the railway line back in the 1870s. It is also the first climb in the country to be named after a railway line.

The climbs on Castleberg Crag were officially opened on 11 July by Cllr Barbara McLernon, Mayor of Settle and Dave Turnbull the CEO of the British Mountaineering Council.

For over 100 years there has been a landscaped, hillside walk on the Crag and reputedly there used to be swing-boats and other park apparatus on the lower terraces.

A rock-fall early in 2009 forced Settle Town Council to close the Crag to the public but a chance conversation between a councillor and a climber brought about a period of intense activity by a group of local climbers. Supported by Settle Town Council and local traders who sponsored the climbs, volunteers removed several tonnes of loose rock and vegetation to transform the Crag into an excellent climbing venue.

Mark Rand, Chairman of the Friends of the Settle Carlisle Line, said: "The opening up of Castleberg for climbing is an added spectacle to Settle's already dramatic rocky backdrop and is sure to attract business to the town.

“The 'Settle-Carlisle Line' is the longest climb route and traverses the face of Castleberg. It is an appropriately tough climb, which ascends northwards - as of course does the railway line. 2009 is the 20th anniversary of the government decision to save the line from closure, since when it has undergone an amazing renaissance. Now we really can say that the line's future is set in stone!"

Money raised through sponsorship will go towards the work of the Yorkshire Bolt Fund, which exists solely to place and upgrade permanently fixed equipment for climbers on the limestone crags of the Yorkshire Dales.