Colmcille Climbers

1. (5a) 25m Climb obvious cleaned slab 2m right of Rafiki arete till it steepens at 20m. Move up and across rightward on good foot edges along short slab under short hanging wall. Use hold in thin right curving seam (between slab and wall) and smears to move up around the right edge of short wall. Belay on good ledge
2. (4c) 15m Move carefully right for a few metres along foot ledge then climb short steep finger sized crack (exposed) to heather ledge. Move left and belay as for Rafiki.
   
3. (4c) 20m Move up corner of Chemical Brothers to second ledge then move to right side of this and climb the slabby looking ramp just right of the overhang to ledge. Move left and up short corner to belay. A fine climb and all on good rock. (It is possible to go direct from a belay on the right straight up to right side of the second ledge, via an unprotected mantle shelf at 5b.)

Climbs a line low down on the fine clean wall on the other side of the gully from Rafiki.

1. (5b) 35m. About 10m up from the mouth of the gully are three stepped left trending ledges. Climb these to good foot hold above the third. Move right across small hanging corner then up steeply (crux) to small ledge. Continue straight up past some thin flakes and small overhang into short crack groove, exiting left to niche below slab. (belay possible) move up niche and tippy toe left across thin seam in slab to heather. Belay in crack in short wall.
2. 4c) 20m Move up heather for a few metres till it is possible to step back right onto slab where it does a step up and there is a fine fist crack. Climb this and cracks and slab above exiting left up wide crack to avoid headwall at top.

About half way up the Castle Gully on the same wall as for “Claymore in the Gully” there is an obvious groove which starts a few metres off the deck. This route takes the groove and wall above. Start 8m up from “Claymore in the Gully” below the groove. Climb a small leftward trending ramp to reach the groove. Climb the groove until it runs out and then climb the obvious thin crack above, moving left (crux) onto better holds. Assemble gear and then climb the wall above via sloping horizontal breaks to good ledge. From ledge traverse carefully right and up below an obvious detached block to were you reach a crack and the top.

1. (5a) As for first pitch Llanwrst or Bust
2. (5b/c)15m Climb straight up wall from ledge then right wards past obvious sidepull to crack, then up to heather platform. Move left to belay at the top of 1st pitch of Rafiki and under corner.
   
3. (5b) 20m Climb corner past first to second ledge. Good small wires protects the thin slabby sequence to the overhang where there is bomber gear and hand hold. Climb overhang to ledge then up short steep crack to belay.

The most north easterly end of the spur, finishes in a north facing cliff. This climb starts up the centre of this cliff and then traverses left to the rib running up its left-hand side, which is followed to the top. party

The route takes a long rib about 100m to the left of the Castle, with a gully on its right hand side.

The route takes the rib/pillar of rock left of Green Grass Gully. Starts at the bottom right-hand side of the rib. The first 90m is easy scrambling. Above that a series of corners on the left are climbed.

The obvious deep gully at the left-hand end of The Castle containing some particularly savage grass sections.

Start: From the base of Green Grass Gully up the right rib.

1. 12m Climb edge (peg runner at 6m) to small grass ledge and flake belay.
2. 30m Crux pitch. Two series of stepped ledges run right, towards the centre of the face. Take the higher series - a hard start. Ascent it until a steep step makes progress difficult at about 13m. Traverse right around this step and pull up shallow corner above. From a flake on the slab, traverse diagonally up right until it is possible to descend into a grass filled corner and belay.
3. 18m Climb the groove directly above (This groove is about 8m left of the obvious gully on the left of Portcullis Wall). Put out on a curious ear of rock just left of the groove and stand on it. Move into corner above and climb it to spike on left and belay.
4. 25m Up pink wall on left. Exit left.
5. 18m Follow broken steps into base of prominent groove. Large spike belay slightly to the left.
6. 24m Climb groove and exit right at the top. Ascend on small jugs to slabs above. Climb to ledge with groove on right. Block belay.
7. 23m Move into groove and ascend this to the top.

Start directly below the center of Porcullis wall, immediatly to the left of the large white slab at base of main face.

1 38m 4c Climb the left facing corner to a heather stance, trend right and climb right facing arch to another heather stance. Climb the shallow left facing corner, continue, trending back left to another shallow left facing corner. Belay.

2 20m 4c Climb corner to a superb flake and pull up on to a micro stance at base on a knobbly gearless slab. Tip toe and smear up slab and up through the heather band to the center of the base of Portcullis Wall.

Portcullis Wall looks, Ahem, a bit harder, TO BE CONTINUED!

Start: Directly below the vertical corner that can be seen at the right-hand end of Portcullis Wall (the clean vertical wall in the centre of the buttress).

1. 9m Climb a short crack (3m) to a vegetated ledge.
2. 15m Traverse slightly left and climb slab to end up on vegetation after 6m. Up mixed vegetation to belay.
3. 30m Climb mixed rock and vegetation to base of vertical corner between Portcullis Wall and buttress on right.
4. 12m Up chimney for 2m then cross right wall to gain ledge around corner. Up by sloping shelves to top of chimney.
5. 30m Move a few feet right, then left on easier ground, until an awkward mantleshelf at 30m leads to a rightward leaning crack and belay.
6. 30m Up crack to overhang at 10m. Traverse right and descend. Hard long step to gain ledge. Up groove and move left to belay on grass ledge.
7. 24m Up slab, and at 6m move left to crack. Up this to top. Crack can be avoided by exposed move on the Ieft.A further 210m of scrambling leads to the top of the cliff

A poor route wandering up broken rock and grassy . cracks on the right-hand side of the front face of The Castle. The climb starts from a detached block at the right-hand end of the front face and trends leftwards.

Another poor route, starting in the same place as Finnegans Rake but following a line up the righthand edge of the crag, taking in a large pillar at about 60m.

Start: The route takes a line up the obvious black wall half way up the right-hand side wall of The Castle. Climb the crack in the middle of the wall to gain the first of two dubious looking blocks. Continue up the wall to gain second large block. Climb wall above to belay Slow to dry. Follow rib on the left on easier ground to the top.

Start: This route takes the left edge of the small clean buttress, on the skyline to the right of The Castle and separated from The Castle by the deep cut Great Gully.

1. 4b. 32m From the bottom, left-hand edge of the buttress go up slabby, vegetated rocks to the base of a small chimney. Climb either the chimney itself or the cracks to the right. Continue up the edge of the buttress onto vegetated ledges to a good belay at the base of the first steepness of the rib. '
2. 4c. 22m Climb on stepped blocks to the left of the rib to reach the edge of the rib. Swing out onto the rib past old peg and continue up the groove in its centre to avoid the jammed blocks. A nice pitch.
3. 4a. 18m Move up on good rock to the top.

S Rothery F Winder (Alt leads) (?_8/3/59)

A poor route on the side of the buttress containing Rafiki. The climb starts at the bottom right-hand side of the crag and makes a way up easy rocks to a short steep wall overlooking the gully on the right.

Pitch 1/  5b  27m.

Start at short black wall approx. 4 metres left of Spectrum. Climb onto small grassy ledge at about 2.5m, reach up high on the left for good hidden flake. Get on ledge above flake and climb wall above to good holds at the bottom of the left facing corner. Pull around this to good ledge on the right. Climb the wall above using a series of horizontal breaks and then traverse delicately right to good visible jug above the groove of Spectrum (Crux). Move straight up wall to small flake jug and traverse right to gain large heather ledge and belay.

Pitch 2/  4c 20m.

Climb obvious left trending big offwidth crack for 3 metres and the start traversing right along obvious crack for hands and gear. Follow this crack right as it widens and steepens over obvious overlap (crux) to the top.

At the back of Castle gully on the left wall there is an overhang roof at about half height of the crag. Start below the right end of the roof on a clean wall with a small hanging left facing corner. Go easily up on good steps into the corner.  Step up right onto good ledge. Move up and right onto delicate clean slab avoiding huge detached flake on the left.  Go easily left under the roof for 3metres to obvious line of weakness.  Good wires & friends under roof. Reach up for good jugs and moving hands right on solid jugs get feet up high and grab bottom of thin solid flake running up slab above (Crux).  Climb the slab on good groves to thin crack running up right. Follow crack to overhanging corner on the right. Climb through overhang on good flakes and finish on clean slab at the top of Pulp Friction.  

On the left wall of the second gully right of the Castle Buttress and approx 100metres right of the Rafiki. Start just in from the mouth of the gully opposite the right corner. Go up wall for 12 metres and then move up out right to avoid the blank wall above. Belay on large blocks above..

On the right wall of the second gully right of the Castle Buttress and approx 100metres right of the Rafiki. Start 1.5metres in from the corner of the gully. Climb up a series of blocky corners until on last large block a move out right brings you up into the final capped hanging corner. Climb corner to top and finish out the top through the small roof.