Had an excellent day on Cwm Idwal yesterday, however went slightly 'off-route' in the true spirit of exploring the mountain and having a good scramble. This has now left me slightly frustrated as I can't (having googled) find the name of the gully we ascended once past the Idwal Buttress section. Safe to say we didn't complete the Idwal Staircase, but some other Frankenstein route.....
Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but I'll rest easier if I some kind soul would help me out! I've highlighted the route red on the photo below, the top section being the part I can't ID:
I think it's Oblique Gully. It might be a summer route (an old climb I'd guess) but it's definitely a winter route. I don't have the winter guide to hand to check.
Thanks Mike - we set off to complete the Idwal Staircase and continuation, but having looked at the slabs on the continuation wall decided the gully looked more fun. In hindsight the wall would have been the cleaner / better option! One for next time.
My memory of the continuation is that it isn't all that obvious to find. Steve Ashton wrote something about aiming for "orange-tinted slabs" I think. The NW Face route (to the right of the gully) is a fun g2 as well.
I'm claiming Oblique Gully as a grade 2 summer route - seeing as it was thoroughly unpleasant in places and would be worse still after a little rain. Maybe this (as a summer route) is only possible in the current 'drought' conditions we're having?!
I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has been misguided enough to try this route in the summer.
Looks like it, this is from the 1958 Cwm Idwal guide:
Oblique Gully - Easy: Obvious and well named. It starts from the left end of the platform and slants up to beneath a block of steep rocks. No incident.
Slightly off-topic but what's the 'correct' way out of Cwm Cneifion onto the Glyder summits? I was in the Cwm in march and couldn't see a thing in the fog, ended up climbing out to the left of the main cliff which was quite serious. I'm guessing you could go left up onto the gribin or right onto the ridge above the continuation walls?
Not sure there is a 'correct' way out. There are some scrambles: Ghost Arete (g3 I think), Nameless Rib (g2), Cneifion Arete (g3) and Maybe Tower Rib (g2/3). I once escaped via way of Easy Gully (grade I in winter) which was steep grass, and loose stones, and not really much fun. I guess it must be possible to escape in other places, but it might involve some loose and chossy ground.
Yes I think I should have done that. The slope I climbed was quite bad, very steep gravel, soil and snow. But at the time I was a bit ignorant of the lie of the land and the ware left of the Main Cliff looked like the easiest option, from what little I could see. Senior's ridge would have been much better.
