Cwm Silyn climbing

Crag: Craig yr Ogof, Cwm Silyn
Routes: Kirkus's Route (VS 4c,4b,4c,4c: led p.1,3), Outside Edge (VD: led p.1,2,5)
The superb weather continues, so we headed up to one of the classic Welsh mountain crags - a long drive beyond Penygroes for me, which is a partial explanation for why I haven't climbed at Cwm Silyn for 20 years. Mick and I treated the walk-in as training, ploughing along the gentle initial path in glorious morning sunshine, wonderful views of the two lakes, before heading straight up the scree with heavy sacks. We went for the classic VS of Kirkus's Route, which takes a highly appealing direct line straight up the right-hand side of the huge slab of Craig yr Ogof. I led the first pitch, which goes up blocky shelves to gain a rightward-trending diagonal crack. This gives excellent climbing up small, sharp holds, and sets the tone for the rest of the route. The trickiest section, possibly the crux of the whole route, comes towards the top but it is all quite easy. Mick then led through an easier second pitch, through a wet groove to gain an easy staircase to the obvious break. My third pitch required a bit of route-finding: indeed the entire route is remarkably unpolished. I wandered around a bit, to ensure I was on the right line, before enjoying superbly delicate climbing up sharp pockets. Perfect friction for a couple of moves over small overlaps. The sun was now upon us, and we began to warm up, but it was never desperately hot. I followed Mick up the excellent final pitch, big holds up another staircase to a beautiful clean slab. Delicate climbing up this allows for a higher pull over an overlap. An excellent route, with gently sustained easy VS climbing all the way, perhaps the most purely enjoyable route of its type in Snowdonia. We descended the Great Stone Shoot with surprising ease, then climbed out up Outside Edge after lunch. I did this route with Tim 20 years ago: it is, of course, one of the great easy Welsh classics (perhaps the best VD in Wales). I merged the first two pitches into one giant 45m haul, and our big sacs failed to spoil the fun of the easy groove followed by the superb rising leftward traverse. Probably steeper than Kirkus's, but huge holds ease progress. Mick led a 10m pitch to Sunset ledge before merging the final two pitches to the top. So, we almost managed the route in two pitches! Sunset ledge is a superb place, especially in this weather, and it was nice to linger there, lying down in the sunshine, as Mick led through: great views down to the lakes and the coast. I clearly remember being deflated by the final two pitches of Outside Edge when I did it - this was (I now realise) because we actually finished up the vastly inferior Ordinary Route! So I'd never done the top of Outside Edge before - it gives more excellent climbing in a superb position up ribs near the arete then up a tricky groove to a final pull over a bulge. I led a final pitch up the easy ridge before we walked along to the summit of Craig Cwm Silyn then down the ridge past hundreds of swifts and house martins to join the main path much lower down.