In reply to Dave Williams:
In current guidebook order:
Craig Cwyarch:
Tap Y Gigfran is very grim to access, death scrambling through brambles and choss. The whole crag is in mediocre condition for approaches and descents.
The Overlap E2 5c ** (correct) - good route, fair a grade, horrible getting off it and could do with an abseil station.
Sweet Baby James HVS 5a *** (worth more than **) - really nice route AND perfect belay and ab station.
Craig Y Mwn:
Great bit of rock, gets plenty of early sun.
Pardon Me For Breathing E3 5c ** (harder than E2?) - good climb, felt stiff for the grade, strenuous climbing and placing enough gear.
Meisterspring E2 5b ** (correct) - fine.
Brothers In Arms E3 5c *** (correct) - cool route, worth it's stars. Varied and committing but steady.
Craig Rhiwarth:
[x]
Eden E3 5c * (dodgy for E2) - can't remember much but backed off this.
Rose Corner HVS 5a * (correct) - can't remember much about this?
The Cheshire Cat E2 5b ** (correct) - does exactly what it promises, a bit goey.
The Hud E1 5b * (correct) - can't remember much about this?
Arennig Fawr:
The Emperor's New Toes VS 4c *** (worth more than **?) - can't remember much but it was nice!
[x]
The In Of Sixth Happiness E4 5c ** (correct) - backed off but seems correct.
Mohican E2 5c ** (worth more than *?) - can't remember much but it was a good climb and right at the grade.
Generals Of Tomorrow E2 5c ** (correct) - stiff but short and safe, Mohican is as good as this.
Fiend Two E2 5c * (correct) - fine, a bit steep and bold in the middle, safer finish. Done solely because of the name and found a yellow Camalot at the top
A Pair Of Clydesdales E1 5b ** (correct) - good climb.
Rapscallion HS 4b ** (more than S 4b *) - not that hard but pretty out there for a short HS route.
Pricked By A Pulse E4 5c *** (correct) - quite steady but committing and bold, cool pocketed rock and plenty of interest.
Craig Y Hyrddod is quite a slog and was in poor condition in summer 2009.
Y Moelwynion:
Titus E2 5c ** (more than *?) - can't remember much but it was spot on at this grade and a good route.
Acoustic Flake E2 5b * (correct) - can't remember much, it was fine at the grade but a bit unbalanced?
Pinky VS 4c ** (correct) - can't remember much except sitting on an ant's nest.
Rememberance E2 5c ** (easy for E3) - good steep route but steady enough to be E2, good fun.
The White Streak / Honeysuckle Corner HS 4b *** (definitely ***) - great contrasting combination, top end of grade, slab is delightful.
The Green Wall E3 5c ** (correct) - spot on at this, a grade harder than Rememberance, steep but just in balance and a good finish. Protection fine where it matters.
Sasquatch E3 5c ** (deserves stars!) - good line, good climbing, cranky but with decent gear wher it matters.
Wall Of Ghouls E3 6a ** (deserves stars!) - nice bit of rock, boulder problem start, bolder above too, cool pockets IIRC.
Maen Twr Og E2 5c *** (could be E3) - very top end of this grade, maybe E3, top end of quality too, interest and committment all the way, one of the best E2s in Wales.
Cyw Haul VS 4c * (correct) - can't remember much.
Loki Crack HVS 5a ** (correct) - a bit stiff for the grade but a good line and good climb.
Crag base at this crag is bloody awful, take stakes to anchor bags to!
Craig Rhiw Goch:
The Riparian E2 5c ** (maybe ***?) - fine at this grade, not that bold (let alone serious) with modern wires, a cool hidden gem classic.
Clogywn Cyrau:
Jingling Wall HS 4b *** (correct) - can't remember much.
Private Practise E3 5c ** (correct) - committing and steep and a bit bold, a good route.
Conwy Corner S *** (correct) - can't remember much.
Irish Rover Direct E2 5c ** (deserves stars) - correct grade, deserves a couple of stars as it's the obvious true line.
Y Rhinogau:
The best outcrop climbing in Wales?? Deserves a lot more attention.
Y Grisau:
Wilderness Grit E3 6a *** (correct) - brilliant indeed, safe but thin and dramatic finish.
Later That Night E3 5c *** (more than *) - as classic as WG, not as cruxy but better balanced, a fine climb.
Araf Nawr E3 5c * (maybe not **) - good climbing but marred by seriousness as they say.
Min Pistyll:
Emilya E2 5c ** (not quite **) - great wee climb with a sketchy finish but not substantial enough for ***.
In An Ideal World E1 5b ** (easy for E2 but nice) - a fairly gentle climb, bold but not that hard, good.
Rock Steady E3 5c *** (correct) - bloody great, well worth it's *** and 2 photos in the book, great bit of rock, good technical crux, everything!
Y Garth:
This One Too E1 5b * (not HVS 5b) - tricky route with some fiddly pro, but a good direct line up the wall.
Craig Y Merched:
The Gadgie E2 5b ** (correct) - fine at this grade, some bold moves but steady, nice line and nice climb.
The Haw Lantern E3 5c ** (missing peg so not E2) - I think this deserves it's upgrade, sketchy start and a tricky, substantial finish, good route albeit slighty disjointed.
Magic Mushroom E1 5b ** (correct) - can't remember much, but it was fine.
Cwm-pen-llydan:
Very minor and unimpressive, no stars for anything.
Friog Quarry:
Great Mambo Chicken F6b+ * (bolted) - can't remember much.
[x]
Grips Of Wrath F6c+ ** (bolted) - desperately thin.
[x]
Bolt From The Blue F6c * (bolted) - hard finish.
Bryn Eglwys Quarry:
Completely impossible to find, if it exists at all!
General feedback:
The current guidebook, although covering a wonderful variety of rock with plenty of evocative description, is fairly awful and archaic as far as a functional guide goes. It took me the better part of a year and countless toilet revisings, page stickers and pencil cross-referencings to make sense of it. The lack of linkage between adjacent maps / sub-maps and crag pages is particularly problematic, as is the distance between crag pages and topos / diagrams, and the generally outdated maps and approach details. I will be very much looking forward to a new guide to this exciting area!!