The Little Gap

From South Wales Bouldering Guide Wiki

Description

This series of rocks is tucked away in the woods between Goitre Coed Rocks and The Gap. For the want of a better name it is currently named after its contour height. At present there a number of good problems and the potential for more. Often they a fairly to very dirty and a wire brush is essential. The area surrounding the rocks for most of the year is open but in the summer it becomes a semi-impenetrable mass of ferns and brambles.

This area has also been documented my James Maddison and is available as a PDF document. However this document is of the same area as below so there will be some overlap. This area will be consolidated into one topo soon. In the meantime Jamie's document is available here.

James has also got a shot video of the area.

Approach

As for "The Gap" but immediately after passing over the A470 instead of turning right for The Gap park just after the bend on the left. Walk along the road away from The Gap and note a vegetation filled quarry on the right hand side of the road. At the left end of the quarry fight through brambles and ascend the left bank of the quarry ,over a fence and traverse horizontally 6 metres to the left then directly up to:-

The Warm Up Wall

A low leaning wall with lots of crimps.

Above this are the right hand side of the main rocks. They are described from right to left.

The short and narrow arete on the far right

Problems

1. VO 5a The right wall of the arete CR
2. Russian Disco V1 5b The nice arete starting with a pinch. CR Feb 03

To the left is a buttress with a cave and two obvious crack lines.

1. The Language Test V3 5c The obvious undercut rounded arete to the right of the two cracks using the horizontal break. DW June 03
2. Jump From the Window V2 5c The sharp undercut prow on the left of the buttress CR Mar 03

The Berlin Wall

Continue across the hillside past other buttresses with potential. On the hillside above an obvious flat topped block is The Berlin Wall a low leaning wall. All have sitting starts.

1. 4b Left crack CR Feb 03
2. 4b Right crack CR Feb 03
3. 5b Left to right traverse finishing on the cleaned slab CR Feb 03

Adjacent to the flat topped block is another wall with a deep quarried section on its left hand side. To the left of this is the next (and last problemss) on an undercut wall.

1. Turkish Tom Cat V2 5c SS by red paint mark. Directly out over roof via slight groove/notch. CR Mar 03
2. V2 5c Directly up the centre of wall to the left. CR June 03
3. V1 5b SS. The left hand arete. CR Mar 03

DW = Dave Wakley CR = Chas Ryder

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