UKC

The Path to Rome (E3 5c)

Just stumbled across this and it looks amazing. Keen to get on it in a few weeks, but also keen to avoid a massive epic. Have looked at the logbook comments and it seems reasonably amenable, but if anyone has anything they wish they'd known, go ahead. Thanks!

In reply to spidermonkey09:

take plenty of cams, including a few biggish 3/4 ones. Its a great route in a great setting.

cheers
mark

In reply to spidermonkey09:

Agree with Mark. Take plenty of cams, and don't leave the big ones hanging on your ab rope, thinking you won't need them.

In reply to spidermonkey09:

It's pretty solid. Short ab in, long traverse. Take 60s or else belay as far left as possible. Don't recall taking any number 4 cams and it was fine but would have placed a couple of 3s (in fact found one in situ). These are BD cam sizes.

In reply to spidermonkey09:

As others have said, take plenty of cams and long draws. The only specific beta I'd say is save a big cam for the belay (friend 4 minimum, bigger if you've got it). It goes in the horizontal a couple of metres above the belay and makes for a bomber belay rather than a bunch of so so pieces. Enjoy!

Classics nearby at a similar grade include Cripple Creek and Three Dandy Scuttlers on Dorys, Rastus in zawn one back towards Cilan main cliff. All of which are fairly big outings, but there are some more amenable single pitch routes halfway between zawn one and Pen Cilan, forget the names but right of Silence of the clams.

In reply to spidermonkey09:

Thanks everyone, looks like I'll be pretty heavily laden with large cams then!

Great route, 60's do reach, even if I did shuffle the belay along with leader in mid pitch thinking there was no chance!

In reply to spidermonkey09:


I took only a single set, and placed them all in the first half of the pitch. Made for an exciting run out to the belay! Brilliant route in a stunning location.

In reply to 1234None:

but more so for the mug who was seconding.....

In reply to Adam Long:
Albeit Cripple Creek is loose with no decent gear to a ledge several metres up - while the belayer is stood on a narrow path above a steep drop, also with no decent gear to tie into from what I recall. Not a place to fluff it. After the ledge there's gear and it gets more solid.

In reply to Misha:

Out of Adam's recommendations, Cripple Creek is the least of your worries - 3 Dandy Scuttlers... A classic! Take spare underpants is what I say!

In reply to Jack Geldard - UKC Chief Editor:

Thanks everyone, the Lleyn scares me so more than likely we'll do Path to Rome and quit while we're ahead rather than getting on anything else...if all goes well!

That said, Byzantium also looks amazing.

In reply to spidermonkey09:

Have you done Samurai (E2 5c) at Tyn Towyn Quarry? RPs would be more use than big cams though

Other less frightening Lleyn outings include Manx Groove (E3 6a) and the two E5s Reactor and Catalyst at Pen-Y-Cil though they aren't in the UKC database

In reply to spidermonkey09:
Byzantium has a dodgy start (no / not much decent gear and a bit loose) then good cams in the breaks higher up and good pegs for the crux. Great route.