Exploration of the Porth Ysgo area continues to bear fruit. Over the last year Owen Hayward and Andy Godber have developed an interesting cluster of dolerite boulders on the Porth Neigwl side of the Mynydd y Graig escarpment above Rhiw.

Clwt y Fiaren has a great setting overlooking Hell’s Mouth and combines well with a trip to the Fisherman’s View and Pants/Underpants boulders at Mynydd y Graig.

Andy first discovered the boulders last winter and was very taken by the obvious highball line on the top left block. He then introduced Owen who set about hoovering up most of the other lines. Andy returned with Si Panton in the summer and succeeded on the highball. Heli yn y Gwaed is a superb addition to the Rhiw circuit and went at 6C ish from stand up and 7A from a sds. Either way you have to brave the rather gripping finish!

The other grade 7 lines were climbed by Owen. The excellent Berrial 7A takes the obvious lip traverse into the hanging arête at the right side of the central boulders. Start sitting with your feet on the jammed block and make a series of tricky moves out to a drop-able finish. The arête can be climbed direct from a sds at 6C.

Just to the left is Te yn y Grug, a nice little 6A sds, which can be made into a 7A if you avoid the foot blocks underneath.

On the top right hand block Owen climbed a number of good lines. Gwefus Ddreiniog 7A climbs up the slim groove on the left then follows the lip down right and back up. Hardest and best of the bunch is the brilliant Berried Alive 7B, which tackles the shallow groove and overhanging prow before finishing as per Gwefus Ddreiniog. Start under the hanging groove/prow using an obvious undercut dish for the left and a tiny sidepull round to the right. Hard, tenuous moves gain the lip just above the tip of the prow. This is all quite morpho; Owen reckoned that it could be anything from 7A (taller than 5’ 9”) to 7C (shorter than 5’ 8”) depending on how tall you are.

Various other grade 6 problems exist on the boulders, but these are all fairly obvious.

To reach the boulders follow the path towards the Fisherman’s View boulders but from the second gate take the smaller path straight ahead and over a low point on the ridge. Drop down to the old stone barn at the right of the walled field enclosures below then following the wall right and down towards the sea. From the corner of the wall nearest the sea head right along the path for about 50m to a small boulder on the left of the path – the blocks lie just below this on the slope running down towards the sea. Gets bracken and bramble infested in mid-summer – take some secateurs and gardening gloves (or a strimmer) if you’re paying a visit then!

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