BOLDERING – BLAENAU – BETHESDA – CYMRU

image_pdfimage_print

Ffestiniog Bouldering

Carreg y Foel Gron
This quiet backwater venue is a great place to get away from it all. Out on the edge of the Migneint moorland there is a delightful sense of isolation. The circuit features problems mostly in the lower to mid grade range.

Tan y Grisiau
Blaenau’s premier bouldering venue with an impressive collection of problems found both above and below the dam road which runs below Craig yr Wrysgan and Clogwyn yr Oen. Historically the bouldering above the dam road has seen the most attention, and produced some of the hardest problems; however the rock quality below the dam road is significantly better.

Craig Peniel
A big impressive boulder with many steep test pieces and the classic This Way Inclined. There are also several excellent satellite problems within easy striking distance. This is a beautiful spot with a really peaceful ambience; the view of the surrounding landscape even includes a clear sight of the sea in the distant Cardigan Bay.

The Sidings
Just above the Blaenau town centre, perched atop a steep incline, is a superb bouldering venue. In truth it is two little areas sited right next to each other. The quarried walls of the Sidings provide some fine vertical problems on pockets and thin edges. The landings are good but typically a bit squelchy.

Bethesda Bouldering

Sheep Pen Boulders
A fine collection of boulders scattered on a hidden plateau which tops a steep scree slope running down to the A5 road. The main boulder is very impressive indeed and numerous good quality problems abound on the smaller peripheral blocks.

Ogwen Bank
This area consists of two micro venues situated above and below the A5 close to Ogwen Bank on the outskirts of Bethesda. Below the road is a small buttress composed of perfect rock with a neat collection of problems. Above the road there is an old quarry with a good selection of problems, mostly in the lower grades.

The Wave
The southern side of the Braichmelyn woods is densely populated with coniferous trees. It seems an unlikely place to find a bouldering crag, yet hidden amongst the towering pines is an escarpment of volcanic rock. Much of the escarpment is broken or overgrown, but in places it provides some very good bouldering.

Braichmelyn
In the northern, deciduous segment of the Braichmelyn woods there is a very fine bouldering circuit. Central to the circuit is the magnificent Super Boulder, but beyond it there are numerous excellent problems dotted around the woods. The rock quality is mostly excellent and the landings are generally good.

Caseg Boulders
Hidden away on the banks of Afon Caseg there is some excellent bouldering. The main Caseg boulder is a magnificent chunk of stone and hosts some of the most celebrated test pieces in North Wales. The other blocks have some fine mid and low grade problems. The rock is superb and the landings are generally good.