UKC

Climbs 108
Rocktype Gritstone
Altitude 311m a.s.l
Faces SW

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The Haw Lantern © jim jones

Crag features

Craig y Merched is used as a collective name for a vast number of small (and not-so-small) gritstone buttresses at the very head of Cwm Mynach in the southern Rhinogydd, More correctly the group should be called Upper Cwm Mynach Crags, as a number olf these crags are actually no where near Craig y Merched itself, some even being located on the opposite side of the valley above Cwm Mynach Isaf farm.

Crags are listed in an arc from west to east. Not all are visible; some are hidden by trees. All crags are on access land, owned either by local farmers or Coed Cadw. Most of these crags have a sunny aspect and are quick to dry, but midges can be a problem in still summer weather and some approaches are bracken-central once it's grown.

The valley's honeypot is Rhino's Buttress. Very nicely positioned and with excellent views and much improved access, this popular little buttress is probably the second most visited crag in the Rhinogydd after Llechau'r Garn ('Barmouth Slabs'). Nearby is the far less visited but bigger Three Pillar Crag, which is very worthwhile, has excellent rock and deserves far greater popularity. North Buttress is worth a look too. Similarly, all six Upper Craig y Merched crags give good climbing and, again, are very unfairly neglected. Those prepared to make the extra effort to get to any of these crags will not be disappointed.

*** September 2019: New, updated, definitive, free interim guidebook now available. Details below. ***

The area is far from being 'climbed out' and there has been a lot of (still continuing) development in this area of the southern Rhinogydd since the 2002 guide, with loads of new routes. The development of bouldering is still very much in its infancy, although there is massive potential in certain places, particularly so for the adventurous boulderer who is prepared to simply go exploring with a mat.

The area will feature in the new Welsh Grit (Rhinogydd) guidebook, a Steep Stone Publishing project, which is currently under development. Before then Steep Stone will publish an interim guide which will include all the well-known Craig y Merched crags as well as many of the 'new' crags. Publication of this interim guide, in a free-to-download PDF format, occured at the end of September 2019.

Further information:

Free Craig y Merched definitive interim guidebook (2019):

https://steepstoneclimbing.co.uk/pdf-files

2002-2009 Update:

http://www.climbers-club.co.uk/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/rhinog02to09august.pdf

Also:

https://vimeo.com/229573438

https://vimeo.com/231586116





 

Approach notes

The once well-established and easy to follow approach path to Rhino's Buttress (and therefore to most other Lower Craig y Merched and all Upper Craig y Merched crags) had, in recent years, become very difficult to follow due to encroaching heather and scrub following deforestation. With the permission of Coed Cadw/Woodland Trust and the support and co-operation of the Snowdonia NP,  BMC Cymru has undertaken a programme of path improvement work during 2018-19 involving waymarking the path to Rhino's Buttress, extensive vegetation cut-back,  improved signage and the installation of two new stiles.

 

One stile has been installed almost directly above Rhino's Buttress' descent gully, thus providing a permanent solution to the need to climb over the stone boundary wall above the buttress in order to access all Upper Craig y Merched crags. A second stile has been placed over the forest boundary wall on the approach to Rhino's Buttress. 

Periodic footpath maintenance is ongoing and further vegetation cut back was carried out by BMC volunteers in August 2022.

ACCESS

All Craig y Merched crags are on open access land with no access issues. However, the approach notes in Meirionnydd 2002 (p.363) are useless on virtually all counts as they simply will not get you to the crag and, in addition, the initially described approach is over farmland (not access land) with absolutely no public right of way.

The land-owner has tolerated climbers walking across his land for many years but, unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Climbers must no longer approach the crags past Blaen Cwm Mynach from the small Coed Cadw car park at the very end of the tarmac road. Instead, climbers should use the following approach to reach Craig Blaen y Cwm and all other Upper and Lower Craig y Merched crags:

Revised Approach 

Approach from the A496 as described in the Meirionnydd guide but do not continue beyond the small, gated, narrow stone bridge over the Afon Cwm Mynach. Instead, park considerately just short of the bridge at SH683209, where a Coed Cadw forestry road heads off rightwards, ensuring that no gates are obstructed as access may be required to the forestry at any time.  New bilingual signage indicates this parking area. (If needed, there is ample additional offroad parking a short distance back along the council road.)

Once parked, follow the gently rising forestry road for about 2 kilometres to reach a staggered cross-road at SH687229.

[1] For Craig Blaen y Cwm: Follow the forestry road uphill from the cross-road to a junction with a public footpath on the right. (SH685230) The initially indistinct footpath leads into a walled enclosure. Walk due North to a gap in the wall; the crags are just beyond.  Allow at least 15 minutes from the cross-road to the base of the scree below the crag. 

[2] For Lower (and Upper) Craig y Merched: Just before reaching the cross-road, take the minor (currently unused) forest track on the right. Follow this for about 100 metres and, from the outside of a RH bend (sign) , follow the path leftwards through trees and climb steeply up the scrubby hillside following marker posts towards Craig y Merched’s Rhino’s Buttress. The posts lead all the way to the base of the buttress. Allow 60 minutes or so from the parking to Rhino's Buttress (+15-30 mins extra for Upper Craig y Merched crags.)

(Note: This approach will NOT get you to crags such as South Buttress, Explorers' Wall and Bear Rock as these are located some distance to the south. These crags must be accessed directly from the forestry road beneath or, better, from the hanging valley above, which may be accessed via Rhino's Buttress.)

For all Upper Craig y Merched crags, continue ascending past Rhino's Buttress (on its LHS) to a stile over the stone wall. Follow the wall to the right (south) for 20 metres os so to pick up a faint undulating path leading to Upper Craig y Merched's Central Buttress (which is fully described in Meirionnydd 2002). There are no paths as such to any of the other five new Upper Craig y Merched crags although, by Rhinogydd standards, much of the terrain affords comparatively straightforward walking.

 














 

The "Follow the right forestry path" is somewhat misleading now, as a new path has been cut that looks like it goes straight up to the crags. Do not take this unless you are partial to a two hour boggy scramble to get to the crag. Keep on going on the base of the valley until you are almost below the crag.
neuromancer - 05/Oct/12
Great little crag! We did a few routes on one of the buttresses, but there is plenty of scope for those climbing up to E2, and quite a lot of good-looking rock which isn't in the guide.
Andrew Barker - 09/Feb/06
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