Cambrian Mountains Climber

Pembroke on Summitpost

2009-10-27T06:33:00.001-07:00

Lst week, I finally finished my big piece of work for the year, an area/range page for Summitpost giving a brief overview of the climbing in Pembrokeshire:

Pembroke is a land of contrasts, both culturally and environmentally. Perhaps the most obvious juxtaposition is that between the land and the sea, and where the two meet, the landforms this has sculpted. The beauty of area’s coastline defies superlatives and is the reason de etra for Pembroke’s wide renown. This scenery is as diverse as it is spectacular, displaying precipitous cliffs, delicate sea stacks, mighty zawns, cavernous sink holes, spectacular rock arches, windswept islands and golden beaches, all packed into the modest confines of Wales’ south-western headland. The coast’s cliffs and outcrops expose the area’s underlying geology, which is just as varied as the landforms it yields, abruptly altering between limestone, sandstone, grit and igneous lithologies, all within a stone’s throw of one another (pun most definitely intended). The geology also gives rise to the distinctly different landscapes displayed by the southern and northern parts of the area. The south is characterised by flat, fertile, largely arable land, which is bound by immensely steep carboniferous limestone and old red sandstone cliffs; while the north is a mixture of igneous rocks and grits which create a much wilder, hillier landscape, which overshadows the surrounding lowlands.

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Been around...

2009-10-13T15:37:00.001-07:00

Haven't had much time to write much recently, so rather than try and recap exactly what I've been doing over the last month or so, I thought I'd just show you some photos instead. Enjoy

Saddle Bay

Raming Hole

Mowing Word

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Curbar Edge

Porth-y-Ffynnon

Initiation Slabs

Cerrig Lladron

Cerrigmarchogion

Cerrig Lladron

Dinas Head

Eglwys St. Brynach

So as you can see, I've been getting around...

Crickmail Point on Summitpost

2009-10-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've just uploaded a new mountain/rock page to Summitpost giving a brief overview of the climbing at Crickmail Point:

The area between Mewsford Point and the Castle is admittedly home to fewer lithological icons than the remainder of the Castlemartin Coast, a fact that is perhaps responsible for placing it on the periphery of most visiting climbers consciences. This absence of attention is however completely unwarranted as there are many, many, fine crags and cragletts to be found here. One such crag, or rather collection of crags, is the small, inset headland of Crickmail Point.

The Point, sometimes known as B-Team Buttress, is home to a collection of surprisingly good routes, all of which take place on good solid rock and although there are no three star classics here, there is certainly enough to keep most discerning climbers happy for a few days. The most popular section of the headland, and justifiably so, is the Upper Tier of the South Face. Here, just a short abseil away, you will find such delights as B-Team Buttress (E1 5b) and Aeron (VS 5a), which lead the climber up a short, compact and beautifully exposed wall, and should be on any visiting climber's hit list. The rest of the climbing is split between The West Face, The Lower Tier of the South Face and the East Face, which although are marginally more difficult to reach, are also home to some interesting and worthwhile adventures.

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St. David's Head on Summitpost

2009-10-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

I recently uploaded a new mountain/rock page to Summitpost giving a brief overview of the climbing at St. David's Head:

For me Saint David’s Head, or Penmaen Dewi in Welsh, epitomises all that is great about Wales’ coastal heritage – a far westerly location, a steep and ancient cliff line, secluded golden bays, wild heather-clad hillsides, and the timeless edifices of an immemorial past. For the climber it also offers something special – clean and solid rock, a variety of route types, a mixture of tidal and non-tidal stances, and of course, those iconic surroundings.

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What I Did On My Summer Holidays

2009-09-01T03:58:00.000-07:00

Last week I was lucky enough to bag myself an impromptu week long holiday, which I split more or less equally between Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire. Since the schools began again on Wednesday, I'll recount my holiday in the spirit of my primary school essays of yore:

Day 1: Saturday

Met Dave in Carmarthen and headed for Range West. Couldn't work out where the hell we were most of the time, this and the poor weather dissuaded us from climbing. Went for an explore instead and took lots of photos .

Day 2: Sunday

Atrocious weather, stayed at home and ate scones.

Day 3: Monday

Met Hag and Tom in the Ogwen Valley where we set up camp. It was late so we decided on a small mountain to climb, our choice Mynydd Mawr in the Eifionydd, a nice little mountain as it turns out. Finished the day with some bouldering at Caseg Ffraith.

Day 4: Tuesday

We had planned to do a scramble in the Carneddau, but wind and rain prevented us. Climbed Snowdon by the Watkin Path instead. Had a look at the new summit cafe, it's better than its previous incarnation but I'm still not keen.

Day 5: Wednesday

Abysmal weather, a stream runs under my tent. Tom and Hag head home and I head for the cafes and outdoor shops of Bettws y Coed. I spend too much money.

Day 6: Thursday

Start the day early and go for a play on the Cromlech Boulders. I have the place to myself. Catch the Snowdon Sherpa at 9 and got off at Pen y Pass. Hiked out to the wild Cwm Dyli Boulders for a few hours solitude. Left for home at around three. Just outside Dolgellau I picked up a Breton hitchhiker bound for Cardiff, I gave him a lift all the way to Lampeter.

Day 7: Friday

Charlotte and I met Leanne and Tim in St David's. We arrived late and spent the evening in the pub.

Day 8: Saturday

Woke to glorious sunshine. Took everyone to St. David's Head for some climbing. Spent the rest of the day wandering.

Day 9: Sunday

The beginning of the end. Bad weather precludes any outdoor activities, so we wander around St. David's for a bit. In the afternoon we go to Solva and do a bit wandering. An evening in the pub is an inevitability.

Day 10: Monday

Weather still bad, Leanne and Tim shoot off early. Charlotte and I go for a walk and procrastinate for a bit. We eventually give in and head for home.

Rhinog Fawr on Summitpost

2009-08-13T04:28:00.000-07:00

The other day I uploaded a new route page for Rhinog Fawr to Summitpost:

“There are many hikeable routes that weave their way to the summit of Rhinog Fawr; all of which take place among subtly beautiful scenery, and better yet, all of which are free from the crowds that plague Snowdonia’s more popular areas. This particular route is perhaps the easiest to access, as it does not require the long drive around to the Rhinog Range’s less accessible western side. It throws in a little more variety than the mountain’s other routes too, beginning in the coniferous forest at Graigddu-Isaf, following a waterfall studded stream up the range’s fore-slopes, and then opening up onto the heather clad slopes of Rhinog Fawr itself. And by doing so, neatly shows off the best this little mountain has to offer.”

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Snowdonia Days

2009-08-13T04:20:00.000-07:00

Joe was back from Sandhurst for the weekend and not wishing to waste a visit to Wales, wanted to go and do a bit of climbing. I was in a Wedding on Saturday, but compensated for this loss of mountain time by taking Monday and Tuesday off work. So on Sunday we packed the car full of ropes, racks and guidebooks and drove to Snowdonia with rock on our minds. Neither of us had been climbing for a while, so we weren’t looking for anything particularly technical, just nice, long, atmospheric mountain routes and a friendly grade, with maybe a bit of bouldering thrown in for good measure.

We planned to spend some time on Tryfan, and so chose the Gwern Gof Uchaf campsite as our base. This is my campsite of choice when visiting Snowdonia as it couldn’t be better placed for the mountains of the Glyder and Carneddu Ranges, sitting as it does right on the footstep of Tryfan itself, and only a short walk from the mountain’s most accessible crags and boulders. Arriving in somewhat unsettled weather, we hastily erected the tent before opting for a bit of low altitude bouldering, away from the worst the weather could throw at us.

A short drive from the campsite, and back on the road towards Pen y Gwryd lie the RAC Boulders, a trio of large glacial erratics on the mountainside opposite Moel Siabod. The rocks offer a splendid location for a few hours of relaxing bouldering, having a good compliment of interesting easy to moderate problems, and being blissfully free of the crowds that often swamp the nearby Cromlech Boulders. Despite being relatively unpractised, I was quite pleased with my performance, dispatching problems that had previously eluded me and completing grades V1/2 with relative ease. Unfortunately, a slip at the top of a tapered crack had me slamming my left toe into the rock, which duly turned a disconcerting shade of blue. We left soon afterwards.

The showers had now ceased, and since my small but unfortunately placed injury prevented me from attempting anything too challenging, we decided to go and play around on Tryfan Bach, an easy angled and heavily striated slab, just a few minutes walk from the campsite. We played around on the easier routes, before making up our own, avoiding the cracks and playing on the blanker walls in-between.

That night the weather took a decided turn for the worse as a frontal system pushed rain over the mountains depositing the worst of it on our very position. Much of the next day was therefore spent sitting in a café drinking tea. At around 4 o’clock a brief respite in the weather provided us with a window just long enough for a route. Our crag of choice this time was the Milestone Buttress, again just a short walk away, and our route the Ordinary Route (D), an 80 odd metre mini odyssey with some highly entertaining positions. Wet and polished it may have been, the climbing proved interesting throughout, the highlight being an exposed traverse at around mid height. We returned to the campsite just as the weather resorted back to its default setting and the gloom of the Snowdonian evening enveloped us.

The next morning we where woken by sunshine heating our tent and on exiting in search of fresh air a glorious blue sky was laid out before us. The perfect weather to quit the valley and aim for something a bit higher. We’d had plenty of time to mull over possible routes the day before and decided on a Tryfan classic, First Pinnacle Rib, a 186 metre Diff with an unusually technical crux – the Yellow slab, which comes in at 4b. The route requires one to first ascend to the Heather Terrace, a sustained slog over vegetation and scree, which is frankly, an ordeal in itself. The route itself is relatively straight forward, we took it in turn to lead, sometimes linking shorter pitches together. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this as it did result in considerable rope drag on occasion. We reached the summit in fine time, and after a brief interlude to admire the view, made out way back home.

Where have I been?

2009-08-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I’ve posted here, although since no one really reads this blog it’s unlikely to matter too much. So what have I been up to? Well… not a lot really. A combination of poor weather, visits to far off friends and music festivals, has meant that July has pretty much been a write off in terms of climbing.

This drought was broken last Sunday when I finally managed to exploit a window of fine weather, and in the absence of a partner, headed for the Rhinogs. I’ve had my eye on a scramble on Rhinog Fawr, in fact, only last June was I narrowly thwarted from climbing it by an untimely downpour that greased up the rock and scuppered my plans. This time there were no such problems, and I spent a great day clambering over the boulders and cragletts of its I have already written a page for Summitpost describing the route, so rather than repeat myself here, I’ll just direct you to that location, here’s a quick perview:

"Although the compact gritstone buttresses of the Rhinogydd offer plenty for the able rock climber, the discontinuous nature of their crags means that longer routes are few in number. This, combined with typically Spartan facets of said crags, means that long routes of an amenable grade are even fewer. There are however, maybe a handful of exceptions, and one such exception is the South Face of Rhinog Fawr. On first appearance this too appears too broken to yield anything of substance, but if you look for it, a perhaps somewhat artificial route can be made out by following a series of crags and boulders which rise from the narrowest point of Cwm Nantcol to the mountain’s western fore-summit. The route has the honour of being the range’s only true scramble, and weighs in at a respectable Grade 3.

For the most part the scrambling is fairly sustained, and only really suffers when crossing the wide slabby plateau that links the lower tiers with the final push to the summit. This however, can be easily forgiven, as the spectacular landscape it places you in is unique to this part of Wales, perhaps even, to the world. The rock is of mostly excellent quality and benefits from the friction one would normally expect from a lithology of this type. Despite this, care should be taken in places, as loose stones and boulders may spell trouble for anyone below you."

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Stennis Head on Summitpost

2009-07-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

I've just uploaded a new mountain/rock page to Summitpost giving a brief overview of the climbing at Stennis Head:

Of all the headlands in Pembroke, perhaps even in Britain, there are few that can match Stennis Head for its formidable concentration of outstanding climbs. This magnificent bastion of rock is one of the many gems in Pembroke’s jewel encrusted crown - the Castlemartin Range - and easily holds its own against its neighbours, those other two Pembroke paragons of climbing, Huntsman’s Leap and Stennis Ford. It boasts a combination of excellent single and multi-pitch routes, which populate every tier of its rock faces, and are almost without exception, accessible at all states of the tide. Easy access to its western flank is facilitated by a gradual rock ramp, while much of the eastern side can be reached either by abseil or, if the tide is right, a tricky downward scramble. The majority of the routes are in the mid to high grades, most of which are easily accessible and rise steeply from the non tidal platform on the headland’s western side. Here you will find such classics as Hercules (HVS 5a), Manzoku (E1 5b), and Cool for Cats (E1 5b), while around the corner, the Pleasure Dome Area ramps up the difficulty, giving the superb Pleasure Dome (E3 5c), Stennis the Menace (E6 6b) and Grey English Morning (E5 6a). Hidden below the western access ramp is another of Stennis’ not to be missed routes, the superbly positioned and extremely photogenic rising traverse of Riders on the Storm (HVS 5a). If you’re an able climber, this really is somewhere you must visit, and if the quality of the routes alone isn’t enough to persuade you to climb here, then perhaps the aspect will. Despite being a headland, the crags of Stennis Head are nicely sheltered by the surrounding coastline, and its western platform in particular forms an attractive sun trap making it an extremely comfortable venue, even in the depths of a cold Welsh winter.

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Weekend on The Peak

2009-07-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

A bit of a change of scene this weekend, and instead of visiting a nearer Welsh crag, I met up with Paul and headed for Stanage Edge in the Peak District. For those unfamiliar with the geography of northern England, Stanage is the largest and most impressive of the Peak's gritstone edges, forming a six kilometre long wall of rock which crowns the hill to the north of Heathersage. It is an enormously popular venue, being home to a bewildering number of quality trad routes and bouldering problems.

Our first port of call was Stanage Plantation, where we whiled away a few hours of clumsy bouldering and watched on in awe as climbers far more competent than ourselves completed problems far beyond our modest capabilities. The remainder of the afternoon was spent trying our hand at a few much easier trad routes. I have extremely limited experience of grit and found the style of climbing here completely at odds to what I was used to. We spent the night in Robin Hood's Cave, a superb and atmospheric bivi site that has been used by generations of climbers.

After a poor nights sleep we woke the next day to a cool Peak morning, the view from the cave alone more than compensating for my mounting sleep deprivation. We spent the day lazily picking over some of Stanage Popular classics, including Heaven Crack (VD) and Hell Crack (VS 4b), both of which are undeniably outstanding for their respective grades. Home time came far too soon and by half nine that evening I found myself once again standing on the rain sodden steps of Aberystwyth railway station.

Barmouth Slabs on Summitpost

2009-07-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

I've just uploaded a new mountain/rock page to Summitpost giving a brief overview of the climbing at Barmouth Slabs:

When one thinks of climbing in the Rhinogydd, thoughts of arduous approaches and unfriendly, uncompromising routes abound. This however, needn’t be the case, because hidden right under North Wales’ climbing communities proverbial nose is a crag that offers a most satisfying combination of easy access and easy climbing. The crag is Barmouth Slabs, an outcrop of some 20 metres height, located just above the seaside town of the same name (minus the slabs bit of course). The crag occupies a glorious position above the Mawddach Estuary and sports a magnificent panorama encompassing much of southern Meirionnydd, the centre piece of which is the mighty Cadair Idris. Although located nearly 200 metres above sea level, the crag is quite sheltered and has a pleasant southerly aspect making it an attractive proposition even in winter. The routes are mostly at the easier end of the grading spectrum with a good compliment of Diffs, V. Diffs and Severes, as well as a single Hard Very Severe. However, despite initial appearances, many of the routes suffer from a lack of good gear, and are also quite polished in places. This adds an extra element of risk for anyone leading here. On he other hand, metal stakes have been placed at the top of the crag, and are a great aid for belaying or rop-roping. For beginners, new leaders, or anyone who’s just looking for a relaxing afternoon of climbing, Barmouth Slabs are absolutely ideal.

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Cambrian Mountains to the Castlemartin Coast

2009-06-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend was one of contrasts, with both days filled with climbing on markedly different rock, in remarkably different locations and of subtly different styles. Saturday was spent once more on the south Pembroke coast. It was the day of the MOD briefing for access onto Range West, which could've simply been summarised as “don't leave the paths and don't touch the bombs”, but took nearly an hour to explain. Unfortunately we had forgot to bring along an abseil rope and were unable to take advantage of our passes that day, so instead we made our way to Range East and onto Stennis Head. The crag is a great little sun trap, and today had attracted the attentions of some 20 climbers who were spread across its various tiers and buttresses. We climbed three routes – North Corner (VD), Quickstep (VS 4b) and Limbo (VS 4c), and spent the remainder of our time taking photographs.

Sunday's experience was quite a different one. Way back last January, with the combined effects of a debilitating hangover and atrocious weather confining me to the house, I stumbled upon an article on midwalesclimbing.com describing the recent exploration of some boulders on Pumlumon, the highest mountain in the Cambrian Mountains. The boulders are hidden in a remote valley far from nearest road, and a long way from what loosely passes as civilisation in these parts. They yield many low grade bouldering problems with huge scope for further exploration. I had to investigate and a week later I made my way across Pumlumon's bogs to Hengwmanedd, but on arrival found the boulders wet, greasy and impossible to climb. I decided to wait for a period of dry weather for my return.

That day was now here, and when I arrived, the boulders were dry and very climbable indeed. Although a little vegetated in places, the grit-like rock is superb, offering great balancy climbing and some interesting crackline affairs. This is truly wild climbing, which takes place amongst the vast open landscape of the Cambrian Mountains. I repeated most of the problems described on midwalesclimbing.com, before the midges came out and forced an early retreat. When I return again I shall put up some problems of my own, and who knows, if I can persuade someone to come with me, maybe a few trad routes too. I'll keep you posted.

Barmouth Slabs

2009-06-23T07:59:00.000-07:00

Another Monday and another night on the rock, this time though in Snowdonia, and this time on something far more akin to terra firma (see last Monday’s debacle). I’d been working in north Ceredigion all day, and since I was already half way there, I’d arranged to hook up with Pete and head for somewhere in southern Snowdonia. Our crag of choice was Barmouth Slabs, a wall of smooth, striated igneous rock on the outskirts of the Rhinogydd; chosen for its mix of easy access and profusion of easy routes. After last week I was looking for something a bit friendlier.

The crag occupies a magnificent position, sitting high above the Mawddach Estuary and sporting a lush panorama that encompasses much of southern Meirionnydd, the centre piece of which is the mighty Cadair Idris, tonight shrouded in its usual cloak of perpetual cloud. In the warm evening light the view had an almost Mediterranean feel, even if the temperature didn’t quite match what it promised. Pete took the first lead up a series of indefinite cracks on the right hand side of the crag (V. diff). Although initially it looked promising, there was very little opportunity for gear, giving the climbing a slightly nervy edge. Of course, this being an easy route, he reached the top without incident. The next lead was mine, and I chose the meandering line of Zig-zag (V. diff), a great little route with just enough protection to make the climb a comfortable one. By this time a light shower was falling in the valley and I climbed against the backdrop of a glorious double rainbow. Pete scolded me for pointing at it; he’s strangely superstitious for a man of science.

We spent a little time bouldering on the crags of the upper tier before top-roping Main Slab. It’s only a Severe, but the lack of gear elsewhere was enough to put me off leading it. I needn’t have worried, both Pete and I completed its delicate, balancy moves with ease. By now a swarm of ravenous midges had decided on us for lunch; this combined with the rapidly fading light was enough to persuade us to quit the crag and head from home.

Craig Llong on Summitpost

2009-06-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

I've just uploaded a new mountain/rock page to Summitpost giving a brief overview of the climbing at Craig Llong:

With its rough and wild position, and battered by the relentless waves of the Irish Sea, there are few crags in Wales that can match Craig Llong (Ship's Rock) for raw atmosphere. Reputed to be the finest crag in northern Pembroke, it's home to a series of gravity defying overhanging buttresses of hard igneous rock, which sport one of the highest concentrations of three star routes anywhere in these parts. The routes are generally in the higher grades, however, easier breaks can be found in-between, providing something for the less experienced climber too. To it's south is a second promontory known as Trwyn Llong (Ship's Nose), or Fisherman's Ridge, which offers further routes, mostly in the mid grades. Be aware though, the easier routes are prone to friable and loose rock, adding an element of danger to what should be relatively straightforward climbs. The gem of the area is almost certainly the Asteroid Wall, a massive 50 metre high celestial beast of pillowed rock, which gives the some of the most sustained, committing and technical climbing anywhere in Britain. This quality, coupled with its largely non-tidal nature and sheltered southerly aspect, make it an ideal winter venue, especially for the discerning expert.

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Rhinog Fawr Hike

2009-06-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

With all my climbing partners busy, I was forced to find my own entertainment today. I decided to head for the Rhinogydd with the aim of climbing Rhinog Fawr via its southern face (a grade 3 scramble) followed by some bouldering on the small crags on its northern side. Unfortunately, as I drove north, raindrops beating heavily on my windscreen, it became abundantly clear that I was going to have to change my plans. As is the case with most sedimentary rocks, when wet, the Cambrian grits of the Harlech Dome become very slippery and are impossible to climb. I decided therefore, to take the safe option and go for a walk instead.

I parked at the Craigddu Isaf car park to the west of the range, with low cloud hiding the mountains in front of me. I set off through the forest and by the time I had reached Llyn Du on Rhinog Fawr's northern slopes, the cloud had cleared, treating me to panoramic views all the way to the summit. On my way back I decided to check out a few crags for a bit of bouldering, unfortunately the rock was still very wet, and so, I set off back to the car just a little unsatisfied.

Blockhouse Buttress on Summitpost

2009-06-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've just uploaded a new mountain/rock page to Summitpost giving a brief overview of the climbing at Blockhouse Buttress:

"Although often overshadowed by their neighbouring headlands, the cliffs between Mewsford Point and The Castle offer a number of interesting propositions for those who climb in the mid to high grades. Blockhouse Buttress forms one such cliff and is home to a number of enjoyable multi-pitch climbs which reach some 60 metres in height. The routes are fun and steep with excellent rock on the lower pitches, which slightly declines in quality higher up the cliff. The buttress can be identified by a large landward slanting slab at its base and it is from this slab that most climbs begin. The base of the cliff, which is tidal in nature and only exposed at mid to low tide, can only be reached via abseil, making climbing here quite a serious affair. "

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Craig Llong

2009-06-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

Last week I’d arranged to take Matt climbing, he had only been once before and was eager to give it another try. So yesterday evening I met him in Newport and headed for Craig Llong near Trefin. Craig Llong is reputed to be the best crag in northern Pembroke, and a quick glance over the guidebook revealed that it was home to a considerable number of three star routes, all for which were in the mid to high E grades. Now given the fact that Matt’s still pretty inexperienced and the fact that I’ve never even followed anything harder than E2, let alone lead it, we wouldn’t be going anywhere near these. However, there were still a good number of easier routes to keep us busy.

A very pleasant approach along the coastal path bought us in view of our goal, and the steeply overhanging buttresses of Craig Llong beckoned. On reaching the crag I immediately regretted my choice of footwear, sandals are no good if the approach is a blanket of thick gorse and stinging nettles. We descended to the bottom of the crag with the aim of warming up on Trainer Slab (S) before the tide came in and covered the starts of the seaward routes. Now I’m unsure if I perhaps picked the wrong slab to climb, but the rock soon started to disintegrate into a flaky mess, which required every hold to be checked repeatedly and every move to be carefully executed lest I drop a shower of broken rock onto Matt below. Shortly I found myself some 10 metres up, with the only piece of protection placed uselessly some 9 metres below me. This was not my idea of fun, and so spotting a weakness I decided to bail, making my way to a grassy ledge to my left. Although I was able to place another piece of grear before making my move, this course proved to be little better and I found myself desperately scrambling to reach some exposed bedrock above me. After a precarious struggle up the vegetated slope I found myself in a better position, the rock above me had proved more solid. However, I didn’t want to belay Matt up behind me as I had only placed one piece of gear on my traverse left (and I wasn’t overly confident that the rock would hold), and in the event of a fall he would have been swung violently over some scary looking sharp rocks. Instead I decided to abandon my second piece of gear and made my way to the top.

Although a little discouraged we thought we’d give another route a go, deciding on Corkscrew (HS 4a) as a good option. The first pitch was a breeze, rising gently to a grassy recess from where a belay was possible. This was followed by awkward moves to a weakness above where I was greeted by a large volume of loose rock. A boulder the size of a television teetered precariously where I needed to place my feet, and so with great care I made my way to easier ground above. Matt followed easily, knocking off big piles of rock as he climbed, and we ended the day there in the glow of the setting sun.

I have to say my brief experience of Craig Llong was not good, but since I didn’t go anywhere near the harder climbs I’ll not challenge the Climbers Club’s assertion that this is the best crag in this area. I imagine the overhanging nature of those harder routes means that there is very little loose rock on them, and the rock that remains should be pretty solid. Perhaps when I’m leading in those high grades I’ll return, which given my slow progress and cowardly nature won’t be anytime soon.

Blockhouse Buttress

2009-06-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

After nay on two weeks of being confined to the climbing wall the weather finally turned, and so I met up with Dave and headed for Pembroke to get in some much needed rock. Our crag of choice was the Blockhouse Buttress, a 150ft headland located around halfway between Triple Overhang Buttress and The Castle, and somewhere I had not climbed before.

As it turned out the weather was perhaps too good, and the combination of heat and general lethargy meant that we only managed to get two routes done, Trucker's Delight (VS 4b) and Sheer Delight (HS 4b), the latter of which certainly lived up to its name. The rest of the day was spent watching some choughs fight a sea gull; I love the summer.