UKH

Is it possible to access the anchors at Trial wall (rhosilli) from above? I'm planning on taking a couple beginners top roping, but as they can't belay I can't lead the route to set up a top rope. Thinking it could work if I could access the anchors and then rappel. Of course I'd set up our own top rope anchor to not wear out the in situ gear.

Thanks for any advice

Beginners? You know the average grades there?

Granted that Adultress is sought after as a tick from being the guidebook cover shot. 

From memory I would say no, the top is pretty chossy and vegetated. But it's been a while so I may be wrong

Ps I thought adultress was massively overrated.

What's your plan there? Do you mean trial wall or the scattered stuff around it? Unless these 'beginners' are some kind of hero, a clipstick will get further up trial wall than they will. Have you thought about taking them.... not there?

From memory, it would be difficult, though it been a while for me too, same as ebdon. It's probably possible if you ab in. Though why you would want to, when there is a whole swath of beginner friendly climbing off of the sand below you?

On the subject of the sub-thread, I have in memory that Adulteress was a 1* route in the guidebook from my youth, with it on the cover...? I could be wrong. Either way, I remember it being that rarest of things: a soft-touch Gower E-grade! 

Photogenic, but certainly not the best the gower has to offer. 

Yeah, former guidebook cover shot, in 90s.

Sorry, by "trial wall" I meant "trial wall area" as titled in the guide. I'm looking at places like black buttress with 5s and 6s.

Is this the kind of area you're thinking as an alternative?

It'd be great to do something off the beach, but I think if I can't access the anchor from above then it's not possible, no one can belay me to set up the top rope

Ok yeah those would maybe more likely be reasonable. As for getting to the anchors though, I can't really remember. I think maybe some of them, depending on how you feel about quite sketchy scrambling.

I don't think you can reach the anchors in this area as they are generally below the tops which are loose and chossy.

Rumoured to have been the cover shot as it was Rob Parker and the SWMC were hoping that they would get freebies at Undercover Rock (Rob was the owner). 

Read up boiler slab, routes, parking and access, it meets all your climbing needs. 

Yeah, would say that's not a goer. Got rained off there the other week, and there was nothing at the top to make an abseil anchor from to rescue our kit, and the top of the crag is a relatively steep grassy bank leading to the rings, which I 100% wouldn't go down without some protection. 

I don't think there's anything there suitable. As Gethin mentions the tops are loose and chossy.

Have you got trad gear and are you competent setting up anchors with it? Would be a better shout round Gower for top-roping if you're the only one that can belay.

Thanks all, decided to scrap that idea and swim instead

King wall,Fall bay,you can easily set up anchors from the path under Lewes catle with a few long slings. Wedgie wall you can probably reach over the top to access the belays. Mermaid wall,lots of easy routes you could probably solo or risk a joke belayer. Clipstick your way up to the belays eg at Mermaid but watch the tides or you will be taking that swim.

Why don't you spend a few minutes teaching them to belay? It isn't that hard to do and then you are good to go!

Chris

It will probably be full of people from dynamic rock toproping the hell out of it because it's not quite polished enough already, also parking can be problematic if it's busy.

King Wall is an excellent call, I have set up a top-rope or two there before. Also for beginners you can set up top ropes on many of the routes at Three Cliffs fairly easily. While down at Three Cliffs/Great Tor area you have Odin's Wall, Little Star Wall, and Little Tor - all of which have easy scrambling access and a host of great little routes in the lower grades. And you're climbing straight off the sand, which is lovely. Just check the tide times before going - you only get a 5-6 hour window.

https://swcw.org.uk/wiki/Odin%27s_Wall

https://swcw.org.uk/wiki/Little_Tor

Certainly all are easier and safer to setup than scrambling around the loose topouts of the Rhossili crags (which is one of the reasons why the area has been bolted).

PS Like gethin_allen I don't recommend Boiler Slab, for the reasons he mentions, though if the tides aren't convenient then it is an option.