The March BotM feature prompted local climber, Chris Davies to dig out a fascinating historical image and write in to NWB headquarters:

Dear NWB.com, seeing last month’s superb Boulder of the Month feature I realised that I had an old black and white shot of my great, great grandad, Gwydion ap Dafydd bouldering on said boulder back in the 1920s. He was a keen climber, and early exponent of the art of bouldering.

In the pic he is climbing the right hand line on the Marchlyn boulder – quite advanced for the time I’m sure you would agree, especially in the primitive footwear which would have been available back then.

I believe he also spent some time hanging around in Parisella’s Cave, in fact I think it is fair to say that he would have climbed all of the lines attributed to Jerry Moffatt et al in the early 80s. I swear I can feel his presence in there sometimes.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share that with the NWB.com readers.

Hwyl,

CJD

PS Tell Big G to keep up the good work, one day he might find some of my secret boulders!

“In the light of this revelation I think it is high time that the bouldering history of Wales is reassessed. Everything that we once took for granted i.e. the great Welsh bouldering lineage which runs from Oscar Eckenstein through Menlove Edwards, Brown and Whillans, Al Harris, Redhead and Towse, Moffatt and his Ormes based cohort and right up to the modern breed of activists needs to be adjusted. NWB.com will be contacting Chris in the hope that more details about Gwydion’s bouldering exploits can be ascertained. Watch this space for the full expose, I sense some shocking revelations – for example should we talking about Gwydion’s Roof rather than Jerry’s?” commented a very excited Simon Panton, site editor of NWB.com.

Relevant links:
      March Boulder of the Month feature