Gales. Tent calamity. Crag swag. Underground. Climbing. Def Leppard. Climbing. Hostel. Rain. Scrambling. Hip-hop. Pretty much in that order.
Friday:
12:00 – The weekend approaches. Must be time to go to Snowdonia.
13:00 – I head home from work, my head buzzing with the thought of pushing the boundaries of trad climbing in the UK.
14:00 – Professional adventurer Phil Peel arrives in good time, and we head west discussing the glories offered by 300th ascents of VDiff mountain routes.
18:00 – We pull into the campsite at the bottom of Tryfan, and in a whirl of efficiency whip up our domicile for the weekend. Phil describes it as 'the beast'; it sleeps four and is probably big enough to hold a party in. It's getting a bit breezy.
Saturday:
01:00 – I awake to a slightly wobbly tent, and weather which has progressed beyond 'breezy'.
04:00 – I've now been outside to replace guy lines three times. Fortunately no-one else is around to see me in my pyjamas.
05:10 – A hefty gust snaps our four tent poles into seven, bringing it down around us. Phil's response is to open a penguin bar.
Is it supposed to look like that? We find the limits of the tent at five o'clock in the morning. © Haydn Williams 2011
05:30 – All gear and tent are transferred to the car. Sleep deprivation makes this amusing rather than irritating.
06:30 – We arrive at Tanygrisiau, gateway to the Moelwyns. I brew up in the car park, and nibble on a Thornton's Alpini bar for breakfast. Classy.
The advantages of a forced early start: watching sunrise over south Snowdonia while the kettle boils. © Haydn Williams 2011
08:00 – The proposed first route of the day seems to start up a slimy wet display of vegetation. We abort and walk around to route 2.
08:30 – This proves to be a good decision, as we find an awesome tunnel on an incline in the old mine workings. Phil discovers the first crag swag of the weekend – a Camelbak bottle which he refuses to take possession of, on the grounds that it might have contained something unsavoury at some point.
Tunnel on the line of an old incline, dropping all the way back down to Tanygrisiau. © Haydn Williams 2011
09:00 – The awesome tunnel leads to an awesome old mine with some awesome caves which we're too scared to fully explore.
A pretty hefty old working. © Haydn Williams 2011
09:30 – Finally get some climbing done. Phil leads Cave Arete (VDiff) in blustery conditions, including an exposed top section. Walkers across the Moelwynau hear his whoop of joy on topping out.
Phil wedged behind a flake on Cave Arete. © Haydn Williams 2011
13:00 – We return to the car via more exciting mines. Def Leppard subsequently ask us to pour some sugar on them.
14:30 – We sort out accomodation for the night, then head to Tryfan Bach for a bit.
17:00 – Arrive at youth hostel in Betws y Coed. Feel old when kids talk about Reef like it's something Noah drank on the ark.
Sunday:
06:45 – Woken by alarm of person in opposite hostel bed. Said person is not woken by their own alarm.
08:00 – Breakfast and rain assessment. Very wet.
09:00 – Head for everyone's favourite wet-weather walk, the east ridge of Moel Siabod.
I've shown it a million times before on here, but I still love it. Daear Ddu ridge on Moel Siabod. © Haydn Williams 2011
10:15 – Phil emits pleasing expletive on being confronted with said ridge, as per protocol for everyone I drag up there.
11:30 – Summit. Bearing taken from the summit to get out of clag, as per protocol for every visit I have up there.
12:30 – Discussion re: the merits of hip-hop, and which member of N.W.A. has been convicted of the most serious criminal offence.
13:30 – We get back to car. Decipher NLMC. Head home.
17:30 – Party splits at Loughborough station. Weekend assessed as very successful.
