UKC

Climbs 133
Rocktype Limestone
Altitude 171m a.s.l
Faces S

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Retrobolted route Clematis 6b+ © Mark Glaister

Crag features

An extensive quarry providing a wide range of routes to appeal to a variety of climbers.This includes multi-pitch classics,up to 55m in length,such as Blind Faith VS and Cream VS on Blind Faith Buttress.A range of single pitch trad classics on Black Wall such as Black Wall E2, Bastard E2 and Black Is Beautiful E4. Also,easier stuff for beginners in Cul-de-Sac Quarry from D to HS. More recent developments have resulted in a range of sport routes on Red Wall including Mussel-Bound 7a+, The Ancient Mariner 7a+, Dead Man's Fingers 7a, Subterranean Sidewalk 6c+ and Rapture of The Deep 7a. The Grid Iron Wall is now fully bolted with a hard range of sport routes such as Incy Wincy Spider 7a, Grid Iron 6c and Curfew 6b+. Also home to some of the best wall climbing in the UK is Nomad Wall.

Approach notes

Llanymynech Quarry runs parallel to the A483 that links the towns of Wrexham and Welshpool. Approaching from the north, follow the main A483 into the village of Pant and 100m after the Cross Guns pub, turn right into Underhill Lane. Follow the lane for 100m onto an unmade section which leads to the parking area after 50m. From the south, follow the main A483 through the village of Llanymynech and, just after the Pant village sign, turn left into Underhill Lane. From the parking area the quarry is easily gained along a path in around 5 minutes.

Restricted Access

The site is managed by Shropshire and Montgomery Wildlife Trusts and managed as a nature reserve. Please pay attention to the following: - Climbing is not allowed in the Northern Quarry or on Asterley Rocks. Organised groups wishing to use 'Cul de Sac' quarry - please contact the Red Ridge Centre first to avoid overcrowding. Tel (01938) 810821.  The development of additional new routes may jeopardise the existing access arrangements - please contact the BMC for futher details.

There is an agreement between Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Montgomery Wildlife Trust and the British Mountaineering Council to allow individual recreational climbers and club members to rock climb on the rocks at Llanymynech. Nothing in the agreement is legally binding; however failure by climbers to follow these guidelines could lead to a permanent restriction on climbing at the whole site.The Wildlife Trusts welcomes visitors onto the nature reserve to explore and enjoy at close hand the spectacle of the cliffs and the wildlife this area supports. 

  1.  The whole site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and as such enjoys a degree of legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). The rocks which straddle the English-Welsh border are open to the public as nature reserves by the respective Wildlife Trusts. The area has significant conservation, historical and archaeological interest; in particular there are many rare plants along the base of the cliffs which have developed on the thin limestone soils.
  2.  Climbers should help to conserve the plants and wildlife by not leaving any litter, or by disturbing or removing any soil, vegetation or rock features. This applies equally to the whole site, including the base of cliffs and approach paths, as well as to rock-faces. To protect the special interest of the site no new routes or bolting should be developed without prior consultation and agreement with the Wildlife Trusts.
  3. A seasonal restriction on climbing is in place on Red Walls to safeguard from disturbance legally protected bird species. This extends from March 1st until June 30th. A further permanent restriction on climbing is in place for all climbs on Foreigner Wall - this is to protect the rare plants (and the soils they grow on) that can be damaged by trampling, that grow below this face. Most bolts have been removed from this face. 
  4. Due to the fragile nature of the soils beneath the main cliff-faces these areas are not suitable for large groups under instruction or for abseiling groups. It is recommended that all instructional groups use “Cul de Sac Quarry” on the Montgomeryshire side, which is not part of the nature reserve. Groups wishing to climb here please contact  the Red Ridge Outdoor Centre (Tel no.01938 810821) prior to using this site to ensure that there is no over-crowding or conflict with other users.
  5. Leaders and supervisors of organised groups take full responsibility for the safety, supervision, management and behaviour of those in their charge.
  6. No climbing is allowed at any time for conservation reasons on the area to the right (east) of the route “Clematis” on Red Walls on the Shropshire side of the site and no climbing is allowed at “Asterley Rocks” on the Montgomeryshire side.
  7. The cliffs and rock-faces are inherently unstable and rock falls can occur at any time. In the interest of public safety, especially risks to third parties and other visitors to the site, the Wildlife Trusts reserve the right to prevent climbing at any time if a risk assessment shows there is a significant and immediate threat to public safety.
  8. The areas known as “Cream Walls”, “Blind Faith Buttress” and “Bay Walls” are on land owned by Montgomery Wildlife Trust and have been identified as being particularly unstable. For this reason the Wildlife Trust cannot give permission for public access to this area, and signs and fencing are in place to ensure that the Wildlife Trust fully complies with its legal responsibility.
  9. Climbers ignoring these signs fully accept the additional risks involved and that they are then on this land as trespassers. Wildlife Trust staff and volunteers will advise any members of the public that are seen within the fenced area of this fact. Uncivil responses will be noted and taken into consideration when reviewing any access agreements and therefore we ask members to respect any request to desist from climbing.
  10. All climbing is done solely and completely in the full knowledge that all participants are aware that climbing, hill, walking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions.
  11. The Wildlife Trusts do not take any responsibility for the placement, maintenance or safety of any bolts or other fixed climbing equipment or for the safety or integrity of the rock faces. All climbers have to be aware and accept that the rock-face is inherently unstable and no fixed equipment at this site has been tested or inspected. Climbers have to make their own judgement based on experience as to the safety and suitability of any fixed equipment and of the stability of the cliff faces

 

 

Seasonal Restrictions

Dates: 1 March to 30 June

Reason: Nesting Birds

Keep an eye open for signs detailing the nesting restriction in the Red Wall area. Currently all routes on Foreigner Wall are permanently restricted. Seasonal Restrictions apply to all routes on Red Walls from 1 March to 30 June.

Visited Foreigner Wall tonight, and most of the bolts have been removed from the routes. Some routes had bolts missing mid route... Grid Iron Wall was still intact. Red wall had climbers on it. Headed to Cult Wall which was all in place.
JPHOGAN - 05/Jul/17
Climbing on grid iron easter and there was a large rock that came off on its own from the wall to the left and it landed close enough to shake us up a bit remember your helmets folks
jjsk8a - 07/Apr/15
Love to visit again, think I got recommended a bad area, looked nice tough
TT999 - 10/May/14
Clearly UKC member TT999 needs to visit other areas of this all year round crag!! Not much in the way of dirty rock or intrusive veg' on Red, Black or Grid Iron Walls!
jim jones - 29/Dec/13
Was here two days ago. Dirty rock, plenty of plants and mud. Alors in the cul-de-sac area is pretty muddy, with loads of loose rock - unpleasant.
TT999 - 11/Jul/13
Most of the bolts on Foreigners Wall and Lower Nomad wall now stripped due to conservation concerns.
Dim Dringo - 03/Jun/10
A friend of mine once said, sport climbing is kind of like having oral from another man, it feels great, until you look between your legs and realise its kind of gay. That friend has never been climbing at Llanymynech Quarry. As you turn the corner into the quarry youre faced with the mammoth Foreigners wall, you almost wet yourself with the excitement. That is until you turn to see the 35m monster that lays dormant next to it, the Grid Iron Wall, now thats a wall just begging to be climbed. As far as first impressions go, this wall delivers a knockout first punch. Ok, so lets get down to the nitty gritty of what this wall has to offer. From the 5 of TGV to the 7B of strawberry Tubin, this wall has enough to offer to keep any over excited climbing monkey busy for the day, without the need for packing extra bananas. If your anything like me and cant help but eye up the tallest and coolest looking route around then youll want to try the 6B+ of Curfew, this beast stretches all the way up the Grid Iron Wall, but be careful as you need a 60m rope to climb this bad boy, so dont get caught short. However, if youve got balls of wood and need something less daunting then I suggest you try some of the nice of 5s on the Foreigners wall, these ones have some really nice easy moves that lull you into a false sense of security before testing you with the tricky crux of the route. One interesting feature of this place is how little climbing happens on it, its still quite a dirty route, I lost count of the number of times I had to dust loose dirt off the rock before I could safely grab it. This is even more evident on the few trad routes in the quarry, placing gear becomes a challenge when most of the cracks are full of loose dirt and stones. The more climbing thats done in this place, the better it will get and its true potential will be unlocked. This is not the kind of rock to take that novice friend of yours, unless they enjoy just watching. This is a place for those of you who have a little bit of climbing ability and enjoy pushing yourself to get that I cant believe I climbed that feeling. You have to go check it out for yourself, I guarantee it will put a smile on your face.
samtheman22 - 26/Oct/09
The guide makes Llanymynech look like a hard-core venue suited only to extreme climbers. There are routes for mere mortals, however, in the further bays. We did Blind Faith on a Winter's day a couple of years back and really enjoyed it. Although it looks loose from below, there's no material on the ground below, which is encouraging, although you should climb with some caution. The route is very enjoyable, perhaps HVS 4c would be a fairer grade than VS 4b, although it depends on what you're used to - Swanage veterans will probably feel at home. Friends of mine climbed the Severe about 25 m to the left; it looked horrendous but they really enjoyed it!
Joe Lenham - 04/Feb/05
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