Surely Sheep Pen has to be a contender for the best bouldering venue in North Wales; a title that would be helped massively if not for the lung-busting walk in. Even with the calf killer straight out of the car, the quality of the rock and the routes makes Sheep Pen a must for even passing tourists.
The Old Testament (the 2004 North Wales Bouldering Guide) contained four major boulders: The First Bloc, home to some excellent warm up problems and a couple of test pieces; Klem's Bulge, with a couple of good lines to keep you ticking along; the Pinch Bloc, with possibly the most famous hold in the area on the Pinch 7a+; and finally the Main Bloc, where all the major action goes down. On the latter, you'll have classics from 6c to 8b and everything in between, on a giant boulder that catches both enough wind to dry quick and shelters enough to keep you out of the biting wind on a cold winter's day.
The New Testament (the 2017 updated tome) doubles this number, thanks largely to the excellent work of local activist Owen Hayward, although sadly the quality simply couldn't be sustained. Nevertheless, the additions created a circuit that almost no climber could possibly contemplate completing in a day.
First timers would be advised to check out the classics:
🧗♂️ Toe Dragon
🧗♂️ Dog Shooter
🧗♂️ Kingdom of Rain and the link ups between them
🧗♂️ Jerry's Problem
🧗♂️ the Menace
and of course, the hugely iconic Pinch itself.
From here, the plateau is your oyster! Let the ticks roll on as you marvel in one of the best settings you could possibly hope to find yourself.
