North Wales crag and guidebook beta?

[crzylgs]

Hi all, I'm off to North Wales with my partner and possibly some friends for a week in August. Will try to pack in 2-3days 'casual' sport climbing, ideally with good stuff through the 6s and low/mid 7s.

We're staying in Colwyn Bay so super close the Great Orme. I've also heard quite good things about the 'A55' destinations.

I was looking online and actually found it hard choosing which guidebook(s) I should pick up. I understand there is a dedicated book for the A55 sport crags which I'll almost certainly get, unless otherwise advised. Some of the other books, I found it hard to tell from the limited product description pages exactly how much sport they included. Also which might be better quality / more recently updated etc?

Also, any advice as to which crags I should check out greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[remus]

This is about as definitive as you can get for north wales lime https://www.needlesports.com/Catalogue/Books-Media/Guidebooks/Wales/North-Wales-Limestone-2023-COR-CW076 and is a great quality book to boot. It covers most (all?) of the A55 crags too so would be no need to get the separate A55 book.

 

[Fiend]

Will try to pack in 2-3days 'casual' sport climbing, ideally with good stuff through the 6s and low/mid 7s.

Also, any advice as to which crags I should check out greatly appreciated.

You're spoilt for choice at that standard. Also the rock is generally a lot better than Pennine lime.

A few things to consider / rule out: Marine Drive is school-holiday-banned until 6pm (alas including Axel Attack Wall), The Diamond is quite complex and might still have bird-bans, LPT is obviously quite tidal (and can bake in the morning sun), and of tangential interest Tramstation Crag and St Tudno's Upper should avoided like the plague there because the sport there was created in a cuntish action of retrobolting good, protectable trad and doesn't deserve any ascents.

Otherwise: Hornby Crags has a nice selection scattered along in a fine (but not small children / nervous dog suitable) location, and gets the shade until early PM or a glorious sunset if cool enough. Particularly popular at Sticky Mix Wall.

Penmaen Head has a good selection of 6s on quarried rock with some nice flowstone and ergonomic holds. Can be very popular, again early shade or afternoon sun.

Llanddulas Cave is great if it's hot, very shade and gets any Northerly breeze, plus cool routes on cool rock (and a cave to hide in).

Dyserth has some interesting crags to check out.

Penmaenbach Quarry is good for different climbing on quarried, errr, microgranite? Or basalt or something similar?

Obviously if you get the tides right for LPT or evening sessions at Marine Drive then they are ace.

 

[andy moles]

Tramstation Crag...should avoided like the plague there because the sport there was created in a cuntish action of retrobolting good, protectable trad and doesn't deserve any ascents.

:lol:

...but 300 logs in two years for the most popular routes there suggest the general climbing public is not upholding those standards of deservingness.

 

[Fiend]

3000 logs of the toilet sector at Horseshoe tho :shit:

 

[andy moles]

3000 logs of the toilet sector at Horseshoe tho :shit:

...demonstrating for quite different reasons that 'deserve' doesn't come into it!

 

[crzylgs]

Thanks Remus and Fiend for you recommendations.

 

[Fiend]

Forgot to add Noticeboard Crag if it's a warm day - an exposed nugget of rhyolite that provides some fairly different-feeling climbing.

 

[crzylgs]

Forgot to add Noticeboard Crag if it's a warm day - an exposed nugget of rhyolite that provides some fairly different-feeling climbing.

Thanks - I'll have a better look at this and your other suggestions once the book arrives