Dinbren climbing

Crag: Dinbren, Eglwyseg
Routes: Trailer Trash (f6b:led), Laughing Gnome (VS 4b:sec), Goblin Girls (HVS 5a:sec), Ash Crack (HS 4a:led)
Not the most successful climbing trip of the year. Time was very limited, so I immediately got to work on Trailer Trash, a 6b, in cold and windy weather, wearing a coat - not ideal for a route at my current technical limit. It is steep to start, but a line of holds moves left to the second bolt before some easier climbing gains a good foothold and rest. Above, the footholds remain good and allow for a few rests, while the handholds are small but generally positive. The cold wind made life difficult, however, and although I did the route entirely clean and on-sight I fear I moved too far left for the very last move. After this, we moved to the left-hand wall as the sun finally came out. Vic backed off the undergraded Yale, and we also found Goblin Girls moderately stiff for the grade, although it has a fine steep finish on huge holds. This section of crag, on the lower tier at the left-hand end of the crag, is short and undistinguished, and remained very windy this afternoon. A couple more scrappy routes, rather painfully shabby after our Austrian exploits, little wonder that we hadn't been to this section of the crag before, and it was time to go.