Anchor Church Caves
Bloody chippers
Bloody chippers
A church cut out of the rock a long, long time ago. The crag is located across the Derbyshire border but has traditionally been included in Leicestershire climbing guidebooks. The most recent guide notes a worthwhile low traverse of the crag (just above the nettles). The inside of the caves may give some bouldering but the main reason to visit is for the esoteric value.
The rock is a very soft and fragile sandstone so do not climb on the rock if it is at all damp or wet as this will permanently damage the rock. Please read and adhere to the Sandstone Code of Practice when climbing here.
The rock is a very soft and fragile sandstone so do not climb on the rock if it is at all damp or wet as this will permanently damage the rock. Please read and adhere to the Sandstone Code of Practice when climbing here.
Topo for the routes can be found on the online version of the old Leicesteshire Climbs Guidebook.
Parking: Park on the layby by the bend on Ingleby Lane (52.839123, -1.486308).
Approach: Walk west along the footpath for 10 minutes to reach the caves.
Approach: Walk west along the footpath for 10 minutes to reach the caves.
The crag is not in Leicestershire at all, but is included here because no other guide would want it.
Anchor Church, near the Trent, is a singular rocky bank which presents the appearance of an edifice in ruins, and consists of four rooms, which tradition assets to have been the abode of an anchorite, but some suppose it to have been a summer-house for the amusement of fishing; it is said that human bones have been found here.
- History, Gazetteer and Directory of Derbyshire, S. Bagshaw (1846)
