Clogwyn Du'r Arddu
Encyclopedia
Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, on the north flank of Snowdon
, is considered by many to be one of the best climbing cliffs in Britain
. It is north-facing and comparatively remote (700 m or 2,300 ft above sea level). The name is Welsh
and probably means "black cliff of the plough". It lends its name to Clogwyn Station on the Snowdon Mountain Railway
which overlooks it.
Climbers who have contributed to the many high-quality routes on the cliff included John Streetly Jack Longland
, Ron James, Colin Kirkus
, Joe Brown
, Don Whillans
, and Johnny Dawes
.
on Ben Nevis, but unlike the Scottish cliff maintained a continuous record of having the most difficult climbs from the 1930s to the 2000s.
The cliff attracted the leading climbers of many eras, from the Abrahams through the peerless sequence of Kirkus, Harding, Brown, Whillans, Crew, Edwards, Ward-Drummond, Redhead and finally Dawes. No other cliff in the world has such a continuous and unbroken sequence of serious climbs climbed by the finest technical rock climb of its era.
Snowdon
Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain"...
, is considered by many to be one of the best climbing cliffs in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. It is north-facing and comparatively remote (700 m or 2,300 ft above sea level). The name is Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and probably means "black cliff of the plough". It lends its name to Clogwyn Station on the Snowdon Mountain Railway
Snowdon Mountain Railway
The Snowdon Mountain Railway is a narrow gauge rack and pinion mountain railway in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. It is a tourist railway that travels for from Llanberis to the summit of Snowdon, the highest peak in England and Wales....
which overlooks it.
Climbers who have contributed to the many high-quality routes on the cliff included John Streetly Jack Longland
Jack Longland
Sir John Laurence "Jack" Longland was an educator, mountain climber, and broadcaster.He was educated at the King's School, Worcester, and Jesus College, Cambridge. He lectured in English at Durham University from 1930 to 1936. He then served as Director of Education for Derbyshire for 23 years,...
, Ron James, Colin Kirkus
Colin Kirkus
Colin Kirkus , was one of the most influential climbers Britain has ever produced.Jack Longland described the greatest rock face in Wales, Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, as "Colin’s Cliff"...
, Joe Brown
Joe Brown (climber)
Joseph Brown, CBE is an English climber, born the seventh and last child of a family in the Manchester suburb of Ardwick. He became famous for climbing during the 1950s, and was a member of the Valkyrie climbing club and founding member of the Rock and Ice climbing club. An early climbing partner...
, Don Whillans
Don Whillans
Don Whillans was an English rock climber and mountaineer. Born and raised in a two-up two-down house in Salford, Lancashire, he climbed with both Joe Brown and Chris Bonington on many new routes, and was considered the technical equal of both. He was an apprentice plumber when he first started his...
, and Johnny Dawes
Johnny Dawes
Johnny Dawes is a British rock climber. He is famous for his dynamic style and often very bold ascents. His influence on British climbing was at its peak in the mid to late-1980s...
.
First Recorded Ascent
The first recorded climb on the cliff was the 1798 ascent of the Eastern Terrace by the Reverends Peter Williams and W. Bingley, botanists looking for alpine plants. The latter wrote:- I believe it was the prospect downwards that determined us to brave every difficulty. It happened fortunately that the steep section immediately above us was the only one that presented any material danger. Mr Williams, having a pair of strong shoes with nails in them, which would hold their footing better than mine, requested to make the first attempt, and after some difficulty he succeeded … When he had fixed himself securely to a part of the rock, he took off his belt, and holding it firmly by one end, gave the other to me: I laid hold, and, with a little aid from the stones, fairly pulled myself up by it. After this we got on pretty well, and in about an hour and a quarter from the commencement of our labour, we found ourselves upon the brow of this dreadful precipice, and in possession of all the plants we expected to find.
General History
The north facing cliff is regarded as the premier high-grade traditional mountaineering crag in the United Kingdom. "Cloggy", as the cliff is known, combines the steepness, size, seriousness and quality of rock which it shares with the likes of Carn DeargCàrn Dearg
Carn Dearg is the name of several mountains in Scotland:*Càrn Dearg — a 1,221 m peak NW of Ben Nevis* Càrn Dearg — a 1034 m Munro north of Ben Alder*Càrn Dearg — a 1,020 m peak SW of Ben Nevis...
on Ben Nevis, but unlike the Scottish cliff maintained a continuous record of having the most difficult climbs from the 1930s to the 2000s.
The cliff attracted the leading climbers of many eras, from the Abrahams through the peerless sequence of Kirkus, Harding, Brown, Whillans, Crew, Edwards, Ward-Drummond, Redhead and finally Dawes. No other cliff in the world has such a continuous and unbroken sequence of serious climbs climbed by the finest technical rock climb of its era.