Dinbren climbing

Crag: Dinbren, Eglwyseg
Routes: Sally in Pink (VS 4b:led), Astrola (VS 4b:sec), The Phoenix (S 4a:led), Nit Nurse (E1 5b:sec), Tower of Babel (VS 5a:sec), Babbling Arete variant (S 4a:led), Babel Face (HVS 5a:sec)
Although I rarely bother with trad limestone these days, this is a crag I have visited often in the past: I've been coming here for more than a quarter of a century. It has a lovely outlook over Dinas Bran towards Arenig, and the climbs are reasonably good. Sally in Pink is probably the route I've done most often in the entire valley: a nice, clean-cut groove and a strong line. It's not too polished, and the 'wobbly block' at half height is still there 26 years after I first put a sling round it! The dead yew tree is still there too. Vic then led the polished Astrola, before I nipped up The Phoenix, which again has a tree to negotiate but is a pleasant climb up a corner groove: couldn't remember bothering with it before. We took the opportunity to nip up Nit Nurse, a spicy E1 to the left. Nip being the operative word, as a technical wall of fine limestone leads to a steep, very powerful move over the threadable bulge to a juggy upper wall. Quite high in the grade, and a good, though short, route. The VS up the first 'tower' struck us as a tad overgraded, although the HVS led by Vic to its right is tricky - on rather fragile and snappy rock. Not well travelled, which is not surprising. I led up Babbling Tower, forgetting that the arete gives the better route, so switched to it half way up.