Twll Mawr

Twll Mawr (pronounced something like 'toolh mowr,' I believe) is the quintessential slate pit, a deep hole in the ground, surrounded by steep, oppressive walls on all sides. It is also the home of some of the most serious slate routes, including the legendary "Quarryman" (line 36), one of Johnny Dawes' masterpieces, and Meltdown (line 37), another long term Dawes project that was finally completed by James McHaffie at 8c+/9a, the hardest route on slate. Unusually for the area, there are also a number of multipitch routes on the right side, including some fairly new developments.

If the immaculate Rainbow Slab is all about old-school trad and terrifying run-outs, Twll Mawr focuses on long, steep, sustained, and atmospheric climbing.

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Route List

1: Boooom, Blast And Ruin, VS 4c, I. Lloyd-Jones, S. McGuinness, 07/2013
2: Dark Side of the Moon, 7b, I. Lloyd-Jones, 07/2013
3: Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, 7a, I. Lloyd-Jones, 06/2013
4: Imagine Dragons, 6b, I. Lloyd-Jones, C. Lloyd-Jones, 06/2013
5: Lost in the Echo, E2 5b, I. Lloyd-Jones, C. Lloyd-Jones, 06/2015
6: Cam-Ikaze Corner, E3 6a, I. Lloyd-Jones, 08/2014
7: Champagne Supernova, 7b, I. Lloyd-Jones, 07/2017
8: Black Holes and Revelations, 7a, I. Lloyd-Jones, S. McGuinness, 2011
9: In the Line of Fire, 7c+*, S. Mayers, 1993
10: Supermassive Black Hole, 7a, I. Lloyd-Jones, S. McGuinness, 2011
11: Running Scared, 8a, S. Mayers, 1993
12: Black Hole Sun, 7a+, I. Lloyd-Jones, S. McGuinness, P. Dowthaite, A. Schofield, 07/2011
13: Black Hole of Calcutta, 7a, I. Lloyd-Jones, C. Nelson, 03/2015
14: Wolfhound, E4 6a, P. Hawkins, R. Deane, 05/1986
15: Birdman of Cae'r Berllan, E2 5c, P. Hawkins, R. Deane, 05/1986
16: Combat Rock, E1 5a, P. Trower, A. Howard, 04/1984
17: Rhyfelwr, E2 5b, I. Lloyd-Jones, S. Slater, 09/1989
18: Teenage Kicks, E4 6a, D. Lee, J. Warburton, 05/2005
19: The Colour Purple, E4 6b, C. Parkins, J. Smallwood, 04/1992
20: Purple Haze, E3 5b, P. Trower, I. Wilson, 04/1986
21: Cyclone B, E3 6a, F. Ball, C. Parkin, 04/1992
22: Lethal Injection, E2 5c, C. Parkin, J. Smallwood, 04/1992
23: Legal Murders, E3 6a, C. Parkin, F. Ball, 04/1992
24: Top Gear, E1 5b, C. Parkin, K. Robertson, 06/1997
25: Drunken Laughs, E2 5b, M. Pugh, M. Dicken, 02/2007
26: A Winter's Tale, 6b, H. Walmsley, M. Hounslea, 12/2016
27: The Hunted, E7 6c, C. Muskett, 2012
28: Fleur-de-Lis, E6 6c, C. Muskett, R. Greenwood, 2011
29: Beijquerio, E4 6b, J. Dawes, 04/1988
  A: Rome
30: Cœur de Lion, E8 7a, J. Dawes, J. Tombs, 03/1987
31: Blockhead, E7 6c, A. Wainwright, M. Thomas, 1992
32: King of the Mezz, E7 6c, J. Dawes, N. Dyer, O. Anderson, 05/2011
33: The Fire Escape, E7 6c, J. Dawes, 09/1988
34: Phil's Harmonica, E6 6c, J. Dawes, 04/1988
35: Mike's Trombone, E6 6b, C. Muskett, R. Greenwood, 09/2011
36: The Quarryman, E8 7a, J. Dawes, 09/1986
  A: London
  B: Paris
  C: New York
37: Meltdown, 9a, J. McHaffie, 07/2012
38: The Wonderful World of Walt Disney, E6 6b, B. Drury, J. Dawes, A. Popp, M. Thomas, 07/1987
39: Disney Pixar, E7 6c, C. Muskett, E. Twyford, 11/2015
40: The Dyke, E6 6a, J. Dawes, M. Raine, 04/1988
41: The Rock Bottom Line, 7b+, I. Lloyd-Jones, S. McGuinness, 10/2011
42: The Gay Blade, E6 6a, J. Dawes, B. Drury, 07/1988
43: Opening Gambit, MXS*, J. Brown, C. Davies, J. Smith, 04/1971
44: Taith Mawr, E4 6a, M. Dicken, J. Byrne, 2007-2008
45: Long in the Twll/The North Will Rise Again, 6c+, C. Struthers, H. Walmsley, 03/2015
46: Tân y Ddraig, 7a, I. Lloyd-Jones, C. Lloyd-Jones, C. Nelson, 05/2015
47: Hamadryad, E3 5c, J. Brown, C. Davies, 04/1971/B.Davison, A. Cope, 10/1988
48: The Desolation of Smaug!, 6c, I. Lloyd-Jones, C. Lloyd-Jones, 04/2014
49: The Punter's Retreat, E3 5b, M. Dicken, J. Byrne, 10/2007
50: The Antiquarian, E5 6b, C. Muskett, M. Dicken, 09/2014
51: Twll Love, E5 6a, M. Dicken, B. Ryle, 09/2014
52: The Baron, E5 6b, C. Muskett, M. Dicken, 05/2015
53: The True Finish, E4 6b, C. Dale, G. McMahon, 07/1989
54: The Razor's Edge, E3 6b, J. Brown, C. Davies, 05/1971/S. Haston, T. Carruthers, 07/1982
55: Burning Bush, E7 6b, C. Muskett, S. Long, M. Dicken, G. Lees, 07/2015

Sources

• “Llanberis Slate,” Pete Robins, Mark Dicken, Martin Crook, Simon Panton, Ground Up, 2011

• “North Wales Slate,” Mark Reeves, Rockfax, 2018

• “Hardest Slate Rock Climb in the World,” Adam Hocking, YouTube, 2015

• UKClimbing

Updates

Feb 4, 2026: Initial version.

Mar 11, 2026: Minor caption update