UKC

Hi there,
A few years back a mate and I had a stab at climbing Mallory's slab on lliwedd. We backed off as we had started too late but we still don't know if we actually started off on the right route. The guide book I had didn't have photos or diagrams and I'm afraid I'm very much a rockfax type of guy.

We'd like another stab next weekend but cannot find any clear indication of the routes on lliwedd. I was just about to buy the north wales rockfax but it only has 5 routes on it.
So..does anyone...
a) know of either a photo online with Mallory's slab drawn onto lliwedd
B) know of a guide book with a photo on it
C) have any guidance on finding the sodding route!

Many thanks

In reply to twm.bwen:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/book.php?id=93 ?

In reply to Ron Rees Davies:

Thanks for the suggestion, I have previously had a look at this on line but worry that it is like the climbers club guides I already own that rely heavily on description in place of photos with the routes marked on. For some reason I'm useless at interpreting the descriptions and have resorted to replacing old books with the newer rockfax picture heavy styles. Does this one have Mallory's slab marked on?

In reply to twm.bwen:

What CC guides have you used previously out of interest? I find the CC guides much better than Rockfax guides.

The Lliwedd guide, unfortunately, doesn't have photo diagrams. The reason given in the guide, which I think is true to an extent, is because of the scale of Lliwedd. Topos aren't much use when you're stood below, or climbing on, such a big piece of rock!

The description in the guide of Mallory's Slab is very clear, maybe you should have a go at following the description, which is a valuable skill!

In reply to Mike Nolan:

You can see the line on the front cover (almost )
Lliwedd is an adventure crag, you'll find a way off to the top.

In reply to twm.bwen:

There is a topo being produced by the CC to go with the book, apparently.

In reply to twm.bwen:

There is a black and white photo topo showing Mallory's Slab in "Rock Climbing in Snowdonia" by Paul Williams, but it doesn't go to the granularity of showing individual pitches. I remember starting on MS about 15 years ago in plastics, to practise for the Alps. Having travelled 30 feet without any gear apart from an old peg, I couldn't wait to retreat. I managed a return on Thursday, but went for Avalanche/Red Wall/Longland's Continuation because we had the Rockfax guide with it's full colour photo topo. However, apart from the places where you start Red Wall and Longland's Continuation, I could possibly have followed the polish. That's not to say it's badly polished but the virgin rock in general is quite sharp, so any smoothness is obvious to the touch and re-assuring in a someone's been there before kind of way. That said, it is unlikely that Mallory's Slab has had anywhere near the same amount of traffic. It might be worth going for ARWLC instead if you've not done it before, as there is always the scramble available on the left at the half way point if things aren't going to plan. You have to bear in mind though, that I'm saying this with no knowledge of your parties abilities, ARWLC is very committing for its grade beyond half way.

Anyway, hope you have as good a time as we did, whatever route you choose. In my opinion Lliwedd is a jewel in the crown of Snowdonia.

In reply to Mike Nolan:


Yes, it's well worth stopping when you get to the lake and making sure you have figured out the line you are heading for from a distance.

In reply to twm.bwen:

OK, it's not a photo, but here's the relevant crag diagram of the Shallow Gully area of Lliwedd in Harold Drasdo's excellent Lliwedd CC guide of 1972.

8 - Mallory's Slab
X - long quartz line
Y - Twin grassy cracks leading up to left end of Bowling Green
3 - Route II
6 - Shallow Gully

http://bit.ly/1JdPRIW

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

I had kind of given up on the idea of there being anyone wwho wasn't either condescending or sarcastic or just bloody annoying left on ukc so I thank you very much for your excellent replies. Has restored my faith in the "average" ukcer a little!

In reply to twm.bwen:

If you look carefully over the lake, it's quite easy to identify Heather Shelf: the start of Avalanche, Horned Crag, etc. It's a pedestal with a thin vein of quartz running horizontally across it. Once you have worked out where that is, it's not too hard to work out where Shallow Gully is. The 1998 edition of the guidebook has a photo of the whole crag, with various features (not routes) labelled.

In reply to twm.bwen:

Thanks very much everyone for this info. I'm headed that way in a week or two, and my route finding is not always the best!

In reply to twm.bwen:

While we have the attention of a few people who have actually been to Lliwedd, does anyone know if the thin crack left of the normal start to the Sword has been done? It would make a minor (but harder, I suspect) direct start straight up to the end of the initial crux traverse, or just maybe, there might be a continuation crack?

In reply to twm.bwen:

Part of the problem with Lliwedd is that not only is it big but one bit of it looks very similar to the rest. The bottom quarter or so of the crag is slightly steeper than the rest so when you are at the foot of the crag you can only see a pitch or two at most. Spending time locating the main features and figuring out where you want to be *before* you get to the crag will save you a lot of time once you get there.

It's even worse in winter when features like the "obvious large area of quartz" don't stand out in the snow

In reply to twm.bwen:
My memories of Mallory's Slab are hazy but I remember wandering around, looking for the easiest line and any gear placements (of which there were hardly any). I found an old rusted peg which was intriguing and reassuring and completely useless. I wondered if it dated from the original ascent although I think Mallory soloed the route. Lliwedd is a fascinating crag. The routes are suffused with history and the past, they are vague at times, poorly protected and very unfashionable.

In reply to Dave Garnett:


This thin crack is the start of "I Got You Babe" (E1 5c) and yes, there is a continuation as far as the Quartz Babe.

In reply to kneal:

Thanks, that's interesting. Reassuringly, it's about the grade I'd have guessed. I'll add it to my to do list.