Ruthin Area
Devil's Gorge
Maeshafn Pot Hole Quarry Minera Quarry
World's End
Craig Arthur
Twilight Area
Pinfold
Monk's Buttress
Dinbren
Trevor Area
Pandy Outcrop Llanymynech
Pontesford
The huge rampart of Craig Arthur looms impressively
over the upper end of the Eglwyseg Valley. At around
40m it is by far the tallest of all the cliffs along the
escarpment. The quality and length of the routes - both
trad and sport - makes it a crag of national importance,
with a number being multi-pitch offerings, adding a
welcome dimension to the area that is otherwise dominated by shorter single-pitch climbs.
The crag is mostly vertical but frequently crossed by horizontal bands of overhangs,
especially in its upper reaches, making for some very exciting finishes. The rock is mainly
composed of good-quality weathered white and grey sheets, seamed with some strong
crack and flake lines. Some of the less frequented lines still have loose sections and can be
a little vegetated. The crag's location is both spectacular and beautiful with expansive views
above a base clear of vegetation. Its scree slope shelves away steeply making the exposure
felt from the first moves on most routes. Many of the routes, both trad and sport, rely on
fixed protection from pegs, threads and bolts although a full rack and double ropes are also
required for the trad lines. A clip-stick may be useful as a number of the initial bolts on the
sport climbs are fairly high.
Access
A restriction because of nesting peregrine falcons and ravens is in place on
Rubberbandman and Sunnyside Areas between 15th February and 15th July (inclusive).
This restriction is variable and may be applied to other sections of the crag. It may also be
lifted early - see UKC or BMC RAD. The banned sections are delimited by markers at the
crag base - see photo on page 28.
Conditions
High, exposed and west-facing, Craig Arthur can be very hot in the summer and bitterly
cold in windy conditions, but on calm days it is superb. The tree under the Nemesis Wall
provides shade and some shelter from rain but not the wind. The rock dries very quickly
after rain but one or two small spots suffer seepage for longer periods.
96
Craig Arthur
Le Chacal Area
p.98
Manikins Area
p.100
Digitron Area
p.102
Ten Area
p.104
Survival Area
p.106
Descent
No
star
1 2 3
Mod to S / 4+
-
-
-
-
HS-HVS / 5-6a+
6 2 -
-
E1-E3 / 6b-7a
21 20 6 3
E4 / 7a+ and up
2 13 14 13
