Weekend Review – 18th -19th March Tremadog Festival

Well instead of heading out for a late Friday night, I was persuaded to rein it in and leave for an early Sunday morning. After spending most of the week cooped up indoors I was going a little crazy, I needed out. However like the rest of us I wasn’t too hopefully with the current weather. Thankfully, it cleared up greatly and the forecast looked good fro the entire weekend. We made plans to head up Sunday morning early, and then camp over at Eric’s.

Out of complete boredom on Friday, I had the kit packed, food sorted (like chopped and grated in little bags) and the car packed up, fuelled and ready to go. As you can imagine I was pretty god damn bored. I spent the rest of the day discussing rationing and food with my grandma whilst waiting on Claire.

0615, later than my usual waking point, but since the car is packed and there is nothing much to do where on our way for 0645, me and Claire that is. We rock up to Toafs’ house and notice his car isn’t actually there. This obviously triggered alarm bells and a few phone calls later we discovered he was still in Bewdley and had not actually got up. Never mind. We were only going gardening for the day. Brews followed and Toaf eventually returned home and we where on our way to wales!

We took a different route to Tremadog, basically one I haven’t travelled on before. We took the B4410 just after Pentrefos (for those who want to know). It tracks right though a wilderness of the welsh upland plain. The place was fantastic with this little road winding in and out (and up and down) of the landscape. There were tracks disappearing off everywhere but there never seemed like anywhere they could be going. Anyway it convinced me that I need to suck it up and get the Myinondd guide book and start exploring Wales some more.

Anyway we ended up at Eric’s Café at about 11 and bumbled around unsure of what to do. For those who haven’t been it’s a pretty simple set up. There a list of routes that need clearing and you pick one within your grade, climb it and clean it. We gathered our gardening equipment around us and set off the do battle with Belshazzar (HVS 5a/5b, depending on the variation taken). Toaf took the first pitch and me and Claire, diligently hacked away all the ivy and brushed off all the lichen from the route. I then took the Second pitch and decimated some ivy. Then took the 5b variation and sat belaying on some sun kissed rock. Guide plates are the best thing in the word I decided as I slowly brought up Toaf and Claire whilst they cleaned and brushed the pitch.

The final pitch was Claires lead, but as to where exactly it went meant Toaf just bombed up some easy ground and anchored to the top. He brought up Claire and then left me to literally dig out the final pitch, which proved quite fun. After half an hour’s good effort, the final pitch is now obvious. That said the route still needed a good brush off so we went to commandeer a broom. As it happened all the brooms where out and the BMC guy told us we’d done a good job and just to have some fun and climb anything.

After much lazing in the sun and indecision we settled on Salamander (HVS 5a). A long ramp to a stepped belay then a loose block (big enough to squish Claire!) and a thin crack to the top. This happened to be steep Tremadog climbing at it’s best and defiantly worth the 5a for the second pitch. The route felt insecure but run out’s weren’t bad. Also there proved a thank god hold on the final section (I’m sure I would have been off if it had not been there). We quickly dispatched this route, and then headed down as we where all ready late for the festivities.

After leaving the bags dumped outside the car, where managed to catch the end of the raffle (Toaf got a Lakes map, me and Claire got nothing!). We puzzled a while over how to get at the free beer. After watching several empty glasses go into the barn over the road and coming out full, me and Toaf headed over to investigate. As it happened the guy with the pint glasses was at the table we where originally standing in front of and I chipped in for the bolt fund and got a few. Thankfully we got taught how to use the kegs (I’m sure ale would have gone everywhere otherwise) and started knocking them back. Needless to say, I’m still not sure how many we had (or at least I had). A whole day in the sun with little water meant we were all knocked for 6.

The we started bouldering. The beer barn had a bouldering room and I’ll happily admit I achieve nothing! (other than some handjamming) as I was drunk. Managed to cut my hands up as well. After a good laugh falling off we headed to up the tents up and get some food. Some corona and food followed and we all fell happily and drunkenly asleep in out tent after watching (and grumbling about) the giant bon fire.

Sunday rolled around and again we where greeted with excellent weather. We puzzled a while about where to go, especially since none of could remember where we planned to go the night before whilst we where drunk. We headed for Craig Yr Gesail, but as we passed the parking for Craig Pant Ifan’s Upper Tier, I made a driver over-ride decision and we parked up. Mindfull of the Plas-Y-Brenin bus, but spured on by the lack of other parked there we headed up. We had an aim for the day. Meirionydd is a E1 6a testpiece, which both me and Toaf wanted on lead. The walk up as steep but beautiful, and we arrived to find only a few people on the crag and the brenin top roping some routes. The instructor happily greeted us, whilst hanging around taking photos and said if they where top-roping anything we wanted to lead, then they’d move. He was really nice and welcoming, needless we settled under the shade of some trees beneath Meirionydd and nursed our hangovers.

Neither me or Toaf have lead or seconded a 6a outdoors before. Toaf went off the start soloing severes whilst I lazed and mentally prepared myself for the route. It’s a boulder problem start, but with the crux high enough to damage an ankle but there good gear, if you can hang around to place it.

Claire set out to belay me and Toaf took this opportunity to practise his photography (for once!). Anyway I headed up, placing a few bit of gear early on. I’m happy to admit that it spat me off a couple of times and I decked out (the gear sort of caught as I hit the floor) but eventually I got the sequence sorted and went to the jug. Now this jug was just big enough for 3 fingers to hang off. As I got it, but feet popped of their holds (or smears depending on how you look at it) and I thought I was off again.

I wasn’t and I got my feet back on and powered up to the ledge. From there I arranged some good gear and headed up the final slab. This was run out and badley protected at about 5b+. But it seamed easy after the start to I bombed up this to finish. Not bad for my First 6a I thought.

Claire seconded this, with Toaf photographing again and we relaxed on the top for a while, enjoying the cool breeze and planning our next objective. This happened to be Rammer’s Route (VS 5a) and I started up just as one of the top ropers had finished it. The instructor politely (and cheerfully) enquired as to whether I minded if photos where taken. Of course I didn’t and carried on up the route while he snapped away. At the top while I was bringing Claire up, he offered to bring up Toaf on the other rope (he was being impatient down the bottom) and I asked him if he could send me the photos. He told me he’d put them on his blog, lifeinthevertical.blogspot.com. (For those of you who don’t know this is Mark Reeves blog, a mountaineering instructor based in n.wales, bolter and bolt replacer of the slate quarries and Local BMC guy). As it happened it was him and we all had a good talk about the weekend and climbing in general, He seemed like a great guy. Later we checked and he had uploaded some photos of me and Toaf onto his Blog.

After this we looked over Goop, noted as 6b in the guide (ascend the old peg crack) after Mark had told us where it was, and warned us about the crap landing (UKC added an E4 to this grade). We bouldered the start a little, discussed what gear we would need (a variety of small cams, and a good deal of hope) but didn’t have, and then decided it was defiantly a project for another day (once Toaf had brought a bouldering mat for the crap landing).

We journeyed back to our encampment at the base of Meirionydd settling to enjoy some lunch and muse over the guide book. Claire decided some leading was in order, but after much faff, I ended up heading up Myomancy (HVS 5b). This I majorly floundered on, and thoughts of escape onto Madog went through my mind. Instead I rested on a bad hold and finished up the final crack onto the eaiser ground, arriving to find the belay in position of someone else. We chatted for a while till he brought up his partner and relinquished the belay. We then headed down and flaked the ropes for Claires’ lead.

She choose Mistook (VS 4c) which took an area of amazing bubbled volcanic rock, with little striations for protection, leading onto a slanting hand jam crack to finish. Claire sailed up, sinking in protection and paused at the crux (jamming crack). She’s not much a fan of hand jamming, and this route required committing to a solid jam and moving up on it. She back up her protection, looked down nervously and then headed up, with no problems I may add. After a long while she called she was safe and brought up me and Toaf, and I arrived last, festooned with her placed gear, revelling in the fantastic jamming on the crack. Toaf headed off left to collect the gear from at the base of the route, and me and Claire headed off right, to meet Toaf below Meirionydd. He’d decided to lead it.

So we found ourselves at the base of Meirionydd with Toaf tying onto the rope, Claire standing ready to belay, and me spotting. He headed up (skipping placing the two low bits that I had had in, they’re so low you deck out anyway, and I was spotting him) and place a good wire. Then came the crux and we all spent a while reworking out how to do it after each fall. Claire seemed to have her head screwed on most and eventually Toaf pulled it off and shakily carried on up. At the belay I met him and congratulated him and he set about bring up Claire and Me. Claire sailed up with no problems (probably her 2^nd redpoint), I however faffed and couldn’t work out my sequence!. Eventually I topped out and we sorted the ropes out and lay on the top.

Fancy a Beer I asked as I pulled three chilled bottles out of a clump of grass near by. Claire laughed at me doing this and we sat on the top drinking cold beer in the strong evening sun. A guy topped out next to us, and I’ve never seen such a look of jealously as us three drinking beer on the rim after a great day out.