Ferndale

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Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve at Ferndale Lower Quarry

Ferndale Main
Ferndale Right
Ferndale Lower Quarry

OVERVIEW

Only 15 miles (or 25 mins) from the M4, the Ferndale area of the Rhondda Valley is a very picturesque spot with a quiet ambience.

Ferndale Main Quarry hosts a mix of fingery sports climbs, on blank quarried walls and arêtes, as well as traditionally protected crack climbs.

Ferndale Main faces east, Ferndale Right and Ferndale Lower Quarry face north-east.

Blaenllechau is on the other side of the valley, faces west, and can be easily combined for a full day in the sun.

ACCESS

From Cardiff M4 J32 Coryton, follow A470 to Pontypridd. Follow the A458 (all signposted Rhondda Valleys) to the main roundabout in Pontypridd then take the second exit, A4058 to Porth (Lidl superstore on your left), and follow this for a couple of miles.

A few hundred metres past a short dual carriageway section is a roundabout, turn right, signposted Ferndale A4233, which takes you over the prominent white bowstring arch bridge.

Pass across 3 roundabouts (spaced sbout a mile or so apart) to enter Ferndale.

Follow the High Street (long straight lined with small shops) to a ‘S’ bend with a zebra crossing at its middle.

Instead of swinging right around the ‘S’ bend take the wide left junction uphill. Follow it to the end of the houses on the left at the crest of the rise. Park on the wide footway on the right, and follow a zig-zag track uphill for the main quarries and edge. For the lower quarry, walk down the road and cross over before the garages, follow a track up behind them a short distance to Ferndale Lower Quarry.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

If on foot buses run up from Porth and the railway terminus at Ystrad Rhondda. From Ferndale follow the descriptions above.

CRAG LAYOUT

Crag shot ferndale town.jpg

For the Ferndale Lower Quarry, walk down the road and cross over the ditch at a boulder, approx 30m before the garages. Follow the (steeper) hillside path to the right, which quickly enters a thicket of Rowan trees. The Lower Quarry is approx 100 m from the road.

The best way to Ferndale Main is to follow a zig-zag track uphill from the parking spot and after 100 m, go through a metal gate in the fence on the left, leading into the woodland surrounding Llyn Y Forwen. Once through this, follow the good path leading uphill, for 40 m, to a much steeper and poorly defined path up the hill (over an old fallen tree) which leads to the base of the quarries after 50 m. Ferndale Right is the shorter quarry above the path, for Ferndale Main follow the path to the left.

Alternatively, continue up the zig zag track to a fence line and follow this leftwards to Ferndale Right (as shown on map below).

To find your desired crag, type the name in to the Filter Markers box (top right corner of the map).

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This category uses the form Infobox Crag2.


Afternoon Delight - Ferndale Main Quarry
Wayne Gladwin on the first ascent of Rhondda Roraima

Pages in category ‘Ferndale’

The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.

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