UKC

Hi all. I am planning a 2 week road trip in May and have never been to North Wales but heard its amazing.
I am after any advice or recommendations on crags or bouldering areas to visit and places to stay. Bouldering up to 7B and sport climbing up to 7a. Appreciate any help.

Thanks in advance

In reply to sduke85:

Are you not planning on doing any trad? That's the main draw of North Wales... There's some famous boulders in the Llanberis Pass; RAC boulders etc. There's sport climbing in the slate quarries and near Llandudno, but there might be a better destination if you're after sport (I'm not expert on that though.)

In reply to sduke85:

If you're trad climbing, don't miss Gogarth. Adventurous sea cliffs, multi-pitch, and much more often dry than the mountains.

As a warm-up for Gogarth, Rhoscolyn is also superb. Big single pitches, less adventurous than Gogarth.

In reply to sduke85:

North Wales is a fantastic place for a road trip, there are so many places to go an have fun and you would needs years to experience it all. I have been going there each year since I was young boy.

North Wales and Trad go hand in hand, but there is a huge amount of sport too. I would recommend getting a copy of "A55 Sport Climbs" - http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/book.php?id=773. The A55 runs along the top of Wales next to the coast and is quite a fast road unlike the A5 at times

Not sure if you want B&B, bunkhouse, campsite? but you cant go wrong staying around Llanberis as you will also have the slate quarries on your doorstep, bouldering in the valley and easy access to the A55. Have a read at this for some inspiration if you need it. http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=3682 . Might also be worth getting a book like llanberis slate...

The weather can be temperamental at times, so might be good to plan for some activities for when you cant go outside and play. Last year we tried bounce below and it was a great laugh. http://www.bouncebelow.net Also bear in mind the weather in the mountains can be completely different to that of the coast. So if its raining at Llanberis it might be dry at Conway

Stay safe and have fun!

In reply to Gecko2k:

Thanks for that! i shall certainly grab a copy of a55 and i think staying in llanberis seems the logical choice. thanks again for taking the time to share your knowledge.

In reply to sduke85:

If you're definitely not doing trad then the Ormes limestone, slate and evel the Clwyd limestone should be on your radar. Slate and Ormes are covered by brilliant guidebooks (brand new one for the Ormes) but I'm not sure if Clwyd is covered by anything more recent than the 2005 Rockfax.

I'm biased but I think slate is an unforgettable medium to climb on and shouldn't be missed - but its not just clip-ups.

In reply to sduke85:


If you are restricting yourself to the A55 crags that would be fine(and cheaper) but you should also be aware that the recent North Wales Limestone guide covers ALL limestone crags along the coast including the A55 crags.

In reply to wynaptomos:

Ah ok. that may be my best option then. cheers for that. would you know what guide is best for bouldering too?

In reply to sduke85:

There is a North Wales Bouldering guide but I believe it is out of print. I've seen some people post here to ask if anyone wants to sell a copy so that could be an option.
There is also the bouldering site:
http://www.northwalesbouldering.com/

In reply to wynaptomos:

Nice one thanks alot!!

In reply to pasbury:

Cheers for that. the slate looks awesome.

In reply to sduke85:

There is some good information on Dinorwic here:
http://slate.wikifoundry.com/

The Ground Up guide is very good too.