Beacon Hill
For those who find slate too abrasive
For those who find slate too abrasive
Also known as Roman Camp
The jewel in Leicestershire's crown and an amazing place to have a session while the sun goes down. Beacon Hill gives low to mid grade bouldering with its problems in the f5 to f6B range being among the very best in the county. The rock here is Hornstone formed from the ash of ancient volcanoes and then polished by decades of climbers; it may take a little while to get to grips with it. The best place to start here is Number Four Crag due to its flat grassy landing; there are also a few easy rambles with good landings on Summit Crag. The experienced boulderer should not be put off by the relatively low grades; Moonshot Direct, Circus of Heaven, Third Time Lucky and Starship Trooper would be considered three star problems at any crag in the UK.
The crag is known for resembling the silhouette of a face, which has been nicknamed the 'Old Man of Beacon Hill' or, more sinisterly, 'The Devil's Profile'. The hill was the site of a Bronze Age fort and is thought to also have been the location of a Roman camp. Beacon Hill is also the only crag in this guide that is so inspirational that is has an ale named after it.
April 2021 Access Update: Access to Number Three and Number Four crags has been restricted from April to August 2021 for conservation reasons. "To protect the ground nesting birds which use this area for breeding - and to allow the vegetation to recover and flourish." See here for more info.
The crag is known for resembling the silhouette of a face, which has been nicknamed the 'Old Man of Beacon Hill' or, more sinisterly, 'The Devil's Profile'. The hill was the site of a Bronze Age fort and is thought to also have been the location of a Roman camp. Beacon Hill is also the only crag in this guide that is so inspirational that is has an ale named after it.
April 2021 Access Update: Access to Number Three and Number Four crags has been restricted from April to August 2021 for conservation reasons. "To protect the ground nesting birds which use this area for breeding - and to allow the vegetation to recover and flourish." See here for more info.
Topo can be found in the online version of the old Leicestershire Climbs guidebook. This topo is from 1993 and gives traditional grades for the climbs instead of bouldering grades. An updated version of this topo with bouldering grades can be found below.
| beacon_hill_bouldering_20200716.pdf |
Parking: Beacon Hill Upper Car Park, LE12 8SP
Approach: Very short walk past the beacon and up to the rocks.
Approach: Very short walk past the beacon and up to the rocks.
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In 1978 Steve Gutteridge and Pete Meads had a bit of a competition whenever either of them visited the Beacon. This eventually resulted in Pete doing 21 ascents of Moonshot (some of them by the Direct) in 18 minutes! No wonder it's polished.
On the summit of that magnificent hill was a camp of British warriors when the Roman legions overran the plain below. But in those days skill and discipline were stronger even than patriotism, and this fortress also, like so many of it neighbours, passed into the hands of the conquerors.
- Charnwood Forest, F. T. Mott (1868)
From old Beacon, hoary headed,
Let the watch-fire blaze to night :
Let each heart to heart be wedded,
Foes be friends, and friends unite,
So this day in earnest thorough
All may sing: 'God speed Loughborough!'
- Congratulatory Ode, A. F. Cross in H. Wills (1889)
Written on the occasion of Loughborough obtaining her charter of incorporation
Written on the occasion of Loughborough obtaining her charter of incorporation
