Life at the end of a rope: Wales and new routing again!

I know I should have updated this earlier but I've not. I've been having tourble actually getting things written down recently and on top of this my laptop has decided that the fan wanted to stop working and therefore it's been overheating an dying on me. As you can imagine I've not been too pleased.

But there is good news. I've finally managed a draft of the miniguide I've been toiling away at. At the moment it's full of spelling errors and formatting problems but that doesn't matter because at least the information in down on paper and in a reasonably concise format! All that needs to be done now on the guide is some tarting up and moving of things around... and completing the routes we've got left to climb!

On the mention of new routing I've been away again to Wales, on a couple of occasions actually. Working in a school means that I get long breaks which I take advantage of to go climbing in. This was no different. The first weekend saw me bouldering at Churnet with Rachel and exploring some of the buttresses that we've not visited before. I can now say I have a project (the 7a and 6b for that matter traverses) at Ousal Dale. It's nice to think I've got something to go back and complete, or at least try to complete. It is starting to worry me how much I'm into my bouldering at the moment.

Then Rachel went away for a weeks residential, with my car. The plan was as she was already half way to wales she would then meet me there at the weekend. The weekend was the annual easter trip to tremadog, which is something I enjoy because I get to see a lot of my friends. However my lift was in stoke, so all my kit went into my 120 litre haul sack and I plodded across B'ham town centre in the rain to the train station. I got more than a few funny looks along the way, but in thier defence I did look like a big walling himalayan climber... who was lost in a big city. One person did stop to ask if I was carrying an inflatable dingy though. Thankfully my time as a scumbag climbing bum (sat in the vestibule of the train, trying not to get in anyones way and failing) was reasonably short lived and I soon found myself at the house of my friend Edd, enjoying a brew.

The plan was to bivi out (because it's cheap) under the Cromlech boulders. This is always a good laugh because whenever I've done it I've been with someone who hasn't bivied before. This time it was Scotts turn to be a bivi virgin. Considering that we're virtually car camping and are only using the rock because we're too lazy to put up tents I don't think that it should be too bad an experience. Nature it seemed had decided to make life a little more interesting for us though... it dropped the temperature. The picture on the left is of Dinas Cromlech, taken on a 15 exposure (I can't take it for any longer sadly). It wasn't exaclty artic conditions in the pass that night but there was snow down to Dinas Mot and the wing was blowing up. We even too the time to rebuild and repair the wall. In the end it was a pretty magical night, not sleeping under a rock with four guys but the moon was full so from my sleeping bag I could see the mountains and snow all night.

A cold clear night can only mean one thing, a cold morning! The early start we had planned wasn't exactly early, but then again it never is but several cups of coffee later and a short car journey later we were setting up the tents at Eric's Cafe and enjoying the sunshine. Seeing as I was currently living in a bivi bag I had little to do other than piled my kit where my tent would be when it arrived and gear up for a days climbing. Me and Tim teamed up together and started off with Merlin Direct. Tim led pitch 1 and I took pitch 2. There not much to say other than it really is an excellent route. On the descent (down Belshazzar Gully) I noticed oxover buttress for the first time. This is where returned and managed to do Bloodsucker (E2 5c), Oakover (VS 4c) In one pitch and Heartlines (E2 5c). Considering I must have bypassed this buttress so often I can't believe how go it was. It just goes to show that Tremadog is full of surprises. Then Colin and Toaf arrived and I managed to get another route in with the two of them and we ticked off One Step in the Clouds (VS 4c). So not a bad day at all.

My second day saw a trip into Tremadog to get some wool with Rachel before me and Toaf did Legslip (E1 5b) in one pitch and narrowly managing to avoid the rain. Before the day was up but this time getting caught out in the rain I did Valerie's Rib (HS 4b) with Matt Snell before spending the evening hiding under a tarp rigged between 3 cars and several large sticks.

The final day was spent travelling home as lack of sleep and cold nights had taken their toll on me. This did however give Rachel & I chance to drop in at the Osprey thing, thats near tremadog. Apparently the same mating pair have been coming back for nine years and thier siblings have been found returning to the area as well. They hunt all up and down the coast too so I'll be keeping a look out when I'm climbing on the Lleyn in future!

Then it was back home for a day to dry off, clean all the kit and head back out to wales with Soames for another bout of new routing. After seeing the weather report I was a little sceptical that we'd get any climbing done but Soames has learnt how to use a computer and more importantly apply 10 years worth of local weather knowledge (for living in wales) to the met office's marine weather website. I was assured that we'd get good weather, at least for some of the trip which was good enough for me!

The drive over was reasonably relaxed. We spent a lot of it exploring unclimbed rock across england and wales on the journey there. We spent along while trampling through the woods outside Betws-y-Coed finding the tubes, so I'd know where they were for some summer fun later in the year (and with the way things are going drought wise, it looks like the tubes'll make for good sport), before descending on Anglesey. With the tent's erected before we set off for the crag and my new found love of all things tarp like we nipped down to the cliff.

I say nipped and what I mean is is that we sat in the car while it blew a small gale and rained for 25 minutes. A break in the weather meant that would could make it to the crag, if only to get some more pictures and scout out more opportunities. What we found when we got there was a low tide and dry rock so we geared up and put up a couple of routes before it got too dark. I took some parallel cracklines in the main wall that we've been looking at since we got there and it produced a HVS 5a called For the girl who makes hats. Soames then put up Rhino (VS 4c) before we went back for some food.

The next day was really productive. We didn't have an early start but that didn't matter. We got loads of routes on Submarine Walls done and I managed a few good photos for the topos. It's quite hard to explain what we did and where without giving away where an flippin' crag is so instead I'll leave you with some pictures: