Craig Dinas climbing

Crag: Craig Dinas, Betws y Coed
Routes: Gull's Nest Crack (S 4a:led), The Nurgler (VS 4b:sec), Main Wall Climb (VS 4c:sec)
The final part of a long but very intermittent campaign to visit the most obscure crags around the Lledr and Conwy valleys. As is often the case, this venue's unpopularity is slightly baffling. It is quite impressive, faces south, has good rock reminiscent of nearby (vastly more popular) Carreg Alltrem and is only a short walk from the car park. But a bushwacking ascent through head-high ferns and thorn bushes confirms that not many people come here. The classic of the crag is The Nurgler, a VS that takes a good line right up the most impressive part of the cliff. Gull's Nest Crack, my lead, is an earlier climb up the crag's most obvious feature, and also forms the first pitch of The Nurgler. It's a strong line - a wide and fairly steep crack between the main face and a semi-detached pinnacle. Some vegetation, but good rock and nice climbing. The second pitch weaves up the face via a fun traverse over two ribs: this enables an obvious overlap to be overcome. Then comes a bit of vegetation before a slabby and exposed traverse leads to an obvious finishing groove further left. Nice climb. We abbed off and climbed Main Wall in temperatures nudging into the high 20s: felt like one of our Provencal trips. Main Wall Climb felt a little like a first ascent. Sadly the rope jammed as Vic pulled them in, so in effect I was soloing for the first 20ft - which contains the hardest sequence of moves on the route, steep and thought-provoking. I released the rope, then enjoyed a juggy romp up to a tricky move through a bottomless groove. Another good climb, with more opportunities to savour the superb views (some of the best in Eryri) down the Lledr and across to Siabod, although our very limited time (2.5 hours) was now over.