UKC

Hi

I know its a little early yet but I`m looking at some easy winter stuff ready for the start of winter stuff.
I`ve been reading about Parsley fern gully upper Cwn Glas in the Welsh winter climbs guide and although it describes the route and how to find the route it does not appear on the Topo at the end of the book. I`m writing to ask if anyone has a decent topo of this area or in what book I can find one? Also any OS reference or GPS track would be great and additional directions.
Thanks for reading
Paul

In reply to paulmo101:
Go into Cwm Glas and its the large motorway like route in front of you. Hard to miss even in cloud
Good view of Parsley Fern LH and main gully on here

youtube.com/watch?v=KuOWvEhLfFU&

In reply to L.A.:

Big thanks for the Link - other video I have seen is of the chap that slid down PFG. That video showed a very fast descent but could not see much of the route!
So PFG is easy to find at the rear of Cwn Glas? I think the description in Welsh winter climbs says follow the stream to the back of the Cwn and that is PFG? Is it Ok to scramble/climb in Summer as I may try to have a look in decent weather?

Cheers

Paul

In reply to paulmo101:

Have you looked at the definitive guide from the late 80s (still available). It has far better coverage of easier routes than the modern selected guide.

In reply to paulmo101:
If I remember rightly from 20-something years ago, its fairly easy to end up in the left hand branch (looking up) rather than the main one, if visibility upwards isn't brilliant. We did this, and ended up having to traverse, easily I think, rightwards at the halfway point. You can see this point in the video. We weren't the only ones to do this on that day...probably all following the same footprints!

We then followed it up by dropping down the top of the Miners and nipping up Central Trinity on Yr Wyddfa.

In reply to paulmo101:

I wouldn't sweat too much about this (especially in August!). It's pretty damn obvious, even in the clag. It's big and often pretty banked. It's the continuation of Sargeant's (which is lower down and leads in to the cwm) - the main line out the back of the cwm.

To the left the only obvious gully I can recall is Sinister Gully, which has a fairly obvious if short (20m) pitch of vertical ice halfway up (and is thus III rather than grade I). I have some photos somewhere but goodness knows where...To the right there's not much gully action apart from Shallow Gully which looks nowhere near as grand as PFG.

Could also look at Banana Gully or Easy Gully in the Glyderau (Y Garn and Cwm Cneifion respectively) for initial explorations...

b

In reply to nigel n:

I have both guides and was pretty gobsmacked that the most popular Welsh winter climb had been entirely omitted from the Ground Up guide, presumably on grounds of snobbery/elitism or the "its so obvious" line.

I can't think what possessed the guidebook writers to do this - as the OP says if you're starting out you want to know easy stuff and where it is!

In reply to Babika:

The new book should be titled " (Mostly) New routes we have done around Ogwen and Llanberis"

The first ascent details are highly inaccurate as many routes were done before the date recorded in the book (presumably because they were never written up in the book at Petes Eats)

Worthwhile but slightly off the beaten track places such as Craig Cwm Beudy Mawr have been completely omitted, along with many other worthwhile routes in the lower grades.

Most people would be better off with the old guide.

Hi Folks

Thanks for the great replies - I will keep an eye out for the guide mentioned - does anyone know the full title of the early definitive guide?

Thanks again

Paul

In reply to Babika:

No Lliwedd routes either in the Ground Up guide!!

In reply to paulmo101:
It is simply 'Welsh Winter Climbs'.

http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detail.cfm/book/1/title/welsh-winter-clim...

You have seen it already?

Hi

Yes I have the Welsh winter climbs Cicerone. Mine says This edition published in 1988 and reprinted in 1996, 1998 & 2005.

Isbn 1 85284 001 3

Is the earlier version (says first printed 1974 and second edition 1980) any better for easy stuff etc?

In reply to paulmo101:

The earlier books by Rick Newcombe had far fewer routes and considerably less detail. The diagrams are far more sketchy (though they seemed fine at the time!) Really, all the information you need is in the guide you have and short of someone taking you up there you should have no problem finding Parsley Fern
ps in mist the big line of deep steps is usually a giveaway!

In reply to paulmo101: The Welsh Winter Climbs book I'm talking about is the one with a view up John Barry's Black Cleft on the front cover. Not sure what the climb was called though..



b

Hi

Big thanks for all the great replies.

I am going to have a look in the next few week all being well.

Paul

In reply to paulmo101:

Somebody on here found a dead badger up there a few years ago.
https://twitter.com/kasp82/status/305405733455937537/photo/1

The picture might give you some clues.....follow the nose so to speak.

In reply to paulmo101:

Incidently, PFG has the last snowpatch to melt after a Welsh winter!