Cilfrew Outlying Areas

Geodata
Cilfrew Outlying Areas

Robin McAllister on Baphomet

Rock Type	Natural Sandstone
Climbing Style	Trad
Approach Time	5 minutes
Area	Sandstone
Sub Area	Sandstone Far Western Valleys
Local Area	Cilfrew Edge
WGS-84 Location	51.681700, -3.7878626
OS Grid Ref.	SS 764996
WGS-84 Parking Location	51.682635, -3.781926
GR Parking Location	SS 769997
Parking Postcode	SA10 8LF
Base Elevation	144 metres (SRTM Estimation)
General Info
Faces Direction	South East
Aspect	Partially Sunny
Wind Sheltered	Mostly

Climbing Type	Normal
Midge Problem	Moderate
Seepage	Never
Crags Within 5.0 km
Cilfrew Main Crag, Cilfrew Outlying Areas, Cilfrew Ravens Cliff, Drumau Road, Dyffryn Woods Crag, Inn Crag, Llandarcy, Neath Abbey Quarry

Cilfrew Outlying Areas
Trad Grades
<= HVS	20
E1 - E3	7
E4 - E5	0
>= E6	0

PREAMBLE

A few sections of crag that are smaller than the main edge.

THE ROUTES

Hamburger Buttress

Approximately 100m left of the main edge and between two wet areas is a tall buttress with a bald green slab at its centre. Best approached by going directly uphill (passing over stream bridge) from the top car park.

Alternatively if you are at the Main Crag, follow the cliff top path left until you meet a rocky step down, at a small stream, the crag is below you at this point.

Wiener Schnitzel - E1, 5b
Centre of short wall up gulley on left. Small friend, rock 2, 3 essential. Small wobbly sapling assists top out or fix a sling on it to lower. Top now cleaned, tree wobbled, top out may be changed. 10 m.
Pulling Pork - V Dif
The ledgy left wall of the chimney wimping out of the roof by a scrabble on the left. The roof might be a goer once the mud and moss dries.
Meatballs For Treehuggers - S, 4b
Easily layback the left hand crack in the gulley then move right as late as possible for the "treehugging moment". Exit as for the next route. The holly tree is a pain but 'in'.
Dire Tree Requirement - HS, 4b
Left hand arête of buttress. The holly tree is unquestionably 'in'. 11 m.
Burger Me ! - E2, 5c *
The centre of the buttress. The crux rock up is short and sharp, and it feels bold thereafter. 12 m.
Meat Feast - HVS, 5a
The right wall of the buttress. Finish up the steep hand crack. 11 m.
Meat Locker - VS, 5a
blunt rib, tricky rockover onto slab, exit into bay as for next route.
Chippolata - VS, 4c
Short problem arête, then finish up Meat Feast crack from the veggie bay.

The Mushroom

About 20 m right of Hamburger Buttress and just right of a fallen tree is a mushroom shaped buttress and a series of bouldering walls.

Dub War - E3, 5c **
The slightly overhanging orange wall with a stubby blade and capstone. 8 m
Reverse Giraffe - V Dif
Start as Dub War but traverse the low break rightwards to the slab and exit right of the capstone. 7 m

Will Calvert, digging out his gritstone head, high on the slab of Heart Pump.

TRACKSIDE

Trackside

A crag for the peacocks amongst you. Expect admiring glances. From the top car park, walk left instead of right. After 100 m are a series of buttresses adjacent to the track.

Routes are described from right to left, as approached. The first two climbs are on a clean square wall above a half height terrace, immediately right of 'Heart Pump' .

Vinnie Banh - E1, 5b *
The centre of the terrace wall. Start on a head height wide break, pull up to slopey holds and reach right to small jug on the arête. Traverse a break left into the centre of wall and climb it. 5 m.
Full Flower Moon - E1, 5a/4c *
Start on the terrace, right of the tree. Climb the wall for a couple of moves to the right side of arête, a break, then the upper arête. Good climbing with protection that may hold a fall. 5 m.
Heart Pump - E2, 5b **
The absorbing slab, right of the off width. 15 m.
Chicken Nuggets - V Dif *
The off width is great fun, where else in South Wales do you get to chicken wing? 15 m.
Chinese Fire Drill - HVS, 5a *
Wall left of the off width. Micro wires are very useful. 15 m.

A few metres left is another cleaned buttress.

Trackside Left
Ashes of the Wake - E2, 5c *
Starting in the centre of the buttress, climb easily to a good wire and cam nest. Move up, slightly right (possible No.3 wire), to reach the 'big' slot. Up and left is a 'small' slot in which to place a crucial (or maybe not) Friend 4. From the centre of the big break above find a way to pass the small right facing flake (peg). 14 m.
When Good Dogs Do Bad Things - HVS, 5a *
Starting as for previous route, place gear in the nest and move leftwards across a sloping ramp, until it is possible to pull up, wires on left and Friend 4 slot to the right. From the left side of the big break, exit with care. 14 m.
Open Project -
The odd looking left side of the buttress. 14 m.

Door 121

A series of buttresses and boulders are present on the slopes above the Trackside and Trackside Quarry.

Before reaching Trackside, a path near a picnic bench leads uphill. At the top of the path is a bench and another path which, if followed rightwards passes above Burger Buttress (two streams) and eventually the top of Cilfrew Edge main cliff. However, if you follow the path left for 50 m, there are three beech trees, the middle of which has a small door near its base, door number 121. Look downslope and you will see the routes, follow a short gully down to reach them.

Right of the gully (facing the cliff) is a buttress with a grassy ledge at half height and contains the following two routes.

Door 121 - Gully
Photo: Matt Woodfield

Candiru - VS, 4c *
Wiggle up the slightly diagonal chimney to a wide ledge. Head up the slab and vertical wall. 10 m.
Placobdelloides Jaegerskioeldi - V Dif
Squeeze up a flared chimney to the wide ledge and follow the obvious crack to a tree. 10 m.

To the left of the gully, and past some bouldering is another buttress with two distinctive cracks on its right hand wall. Routes are described from right to left (as approached).
Carcosa - VS, 5a/b
Square arête of the buttress. Crux low down so best solo'd. 6 m.

Door 121
Repairer of Reputations - VS, 5a *
The right hand fist crack (Friend 4). 7 m.

Alan Rosier on the First Ascent of Baphomet - (Peak) HVS, 5b.
Baphomet - HVS, 5b **
More fisting fun. 7 m.
The King in Yellow - HVS, 5a *
Left side of arête. The flake takes small wires, but these are tricky to place. 8 m.
The Great God Pan - Sev, 4a/b
Left side of the high slab. 8 m.
Two Black Bottles - V Dif, 3c
The leftward rising fault line, pull out between the oak tree limbs. Good threads. 7 m.
Compound of Perception - VS, 5a
The undercut slab, passing a stubby blade. Pull out left of the oak. 7 m.
Thing
Is it an off width? Is it a slab? Who knows, but it's an open project.

The next route is about a 50 m jungle bash right of Door 121.
Lowkey-Ahmed - V Dif
Climb up juggy wall to ledge, traverse right below ledge on arête to a slab with an arcing right hand arête which forms the left side of a chimney. Gain chimney and climb into its depths to finish by a tree. 10 m.

Nik Goile on Repairer of Reputations.

PENSCYNOR POOL QUARRY

Level with the lower car park and picnic tables is a wall enclosed stream which feeds the waterfall plunging into the former penguin pool of the now defunct zoo. This short quarry has a small number of sport routes. The local children have trodden a narrow path through a breach in the fence, pool reached in 2 mins, below the road.

Left of waterfall

Proj 1
Left of arête. Only worth bolting in combination with the right side. 4 m.
Proj 2
Right side of arête. Looks great, but will it ever dry out? 8 m.
Proj 3
Wall right of the arête. Unlikely to ever dry out. 8 m.

Right of the waterfall.
Monkey Business - Fr. 4+
Arête right of waterfall. 6 m.
Penguin Pool - Fr. 5+
Wall to right. Belay bolt not installed yet (battery died), tree available. 6 m.