Gripped Magazine
Bold New Difficult Trad Line Climbed in North Wales
In October, Osian Parry made the first ascent of Llechan Lân (E10 6c), a bold new trad line at Dorothea Quarry in the scenic Nantlle Valley, North Wales. The climb, which Parry began working in February last year, offers around “7B or 7B+ climbing above a horror landing of a sharp blade of slate.” In North America that translates to 5.13c with a V8 boulder. Set amid the dramatic slate landscape of the valley, an area famed for its deep quarries and rich climbing heritage, the line stands out for both its technical intensity and its psychological demands. Initially considering bolting the route, Parry ultimately decided to keep it natural, creating one of the hardest trad routes in the region.
“When I first started trying the route, it was very far out of my league,” Parry admitted to UK Climbing. “I had never really done much trad climbing, and was definitely out of my comfort zone with just the height of the wall on top rope.” Early on, he even joked to a friend that it would be “E11 or something without bolts,” to which his friend replied, “keep it natural if you want an E11.” That playful exchange planted a seed, sparking the idea that the climb could go on gear after all. As Parry’s confidence and understanding of the moves improved, bolting it began to feel unnecessary, even wrong. “It had always felt like a shame to add bolts to such a clean-cut wall, and I was very happy that I wouldn’t have to.”
Despite his progress, Parry faced another major obstacle: his fear of heights. “It was one of the things that was worrying me most ahead of the lead,” he said. “I was not that scared at all while top roping it, but it was hard to know how I would react on lead.” With encouragement from his friend Gwilym Tossell and several successful toprope sessions, he finally committed to the lead when the conditions were right. “The thing that surprised me the most was the fact that while leading it, I had no fear at all, it was like my brain had just switched it off due to the seriousness of the situation.”
The crux of Llechan Lân comes almost immediately off the starting ledge, with “five hand moves and some hard foot moves” making up the heart of the route. “They are probably around 7B or 7B+ as a boulder,” Parry explained, “but you have to use some pretty small feet.” The most terrifying sequence involves a high right step and a delicate hand move that, if missed, could send a climber plummeting “directly onto the spike below, ass first.” For Parry, that move defined the mental challenge of the route, a mix of precision, courage, and control above the kind of landing that makes even the strongest climbers think twice. Llechan Lân now stands as a testament to Parry’s progression as both a climber and a bold new figure in Welsh trad. Follow him on Instagram below for more climbing.
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