Lliwedd mountaineering, slate cragging

Peak/Crag: Lliwedd (2946ft/898m)
Routes: Slanting Buttress Ridge Route (D: led p.1,3,5,7)
Crag: Dali's Hole, Llanberis Slate
Routes: Mon Amie (f5b:led), Launching Pad (E1 5b:led), My Wife's an alien (f5:led), Captain Slog (f4c:sec)
An unusual, possibly unique, combination of routes and climbing styles. From route of the year (1904) to something a little more modern! Alwyn had also done Ras y Gader on Saturday so we were rather tired for the lengthy walk-in to Lliwedd. But the weather was truly stunning: amazing clarity, hot sunshine and not a breath of wind. Furthermore, we were early enough to find Lliwedd - notoriously hostile and north-facing - in the most benign conditions imaginable. So perhaps we should have been more ambitious. However, we wanted a mountaineering route so slogged up to Slanting Buttress on the right of the cliff. It's a great route despite its simplicity (only 3 or 4 'moves' in its entire 700ft+ length). Hugely enjoyable, surprisingly continuous, with an Alpine feel: perhaps PD+ would be a more appropriate grade. I led a very easy first pitch up the quartz slab, with Alwyn running another out to below the recess. I then led a merged pitch up to the recess, then good climbing up big flakes left to blocks - followed by the tricky gangway, with crack, which leads to another good ledge. Alwyn then led the very short 9m groove, with me getting the famously photogenic pitch up the a'cheval ridge. This was tremendous fun, still sun-drenched, up big holds to a horizontal knife-edge. Alwyn led the exposed but very easy traverse right to a stance below the big groove, which I then led. Quite polished climbing up to a pinnacle. Awkward pull to stand on top, then jugs lead right to a superb stance - cooled by a gentle breeze, looking out over Crib Goch and Llyn Llydaw, the crag below. An easy finishing pitch gains the top a little way below the summit - where we had lunch. The climbing was quick and efficient, taking just under two hours, so we descended to the car (a fair walk from the top of Lliwedd!) and headed off to the slate. I warmed up leading Mon Amie (f5b), a nice climb done before. Then had a bash at Launching Pad (E1 5b). This was splendid, although something of a soft-touch. Good climbing up the very well protected crack leads to excellent traverse moves on little edges left to the first bolt. Interesting climbing, fairly easy, gains the second bolt, before an enjoyable finish up a slanting crack leads to little jugs and the top. A pleasing lead. Finished with two scrappy newly bolted routes. A really good day: ultra-varied!