Tremadog climbing

Crag: Bwlch y Moch, Tremadog
Routes: Christmas Curry (S:led p.1+2), Micah Eliminate (HS 4b:sec), Cynhyrchwyr (VS 4b,4b:led p.1), Borneo (VS 4c:sec)
To call Christmas Curry an old favourite is an understatement: I first did it in 1992 and last did it in April this year. After merging the first two pitches, Vic led the superior Micah Eliminate finish. We had Steve on board, hence our choice of this much travelled route, and we both simul-climbed with me able to give him a few pointers - as this was only his third or fourth experience of trad climbing. As a result, I had plenty of time to savour the moves and positions. A heavy shower made life a tad tricky, as did high winds when rounding the upper arete. After lunch, we moved right to try to find the obscure area around the ramp line of Borneo, recently salvaged from the vegetation. We had never climbed here before, and I led the wet first pitch of Cynhyrchwyr to begin our exploration. We've had a lot of rain recently, and this gets little sun: although it was easy and slabby, it was insecure. Two thin cracks, greasy and slimy, led to a drier and easier section. Above, glorious sunshine and easy padding to a gentle crack: this is possibly the top pitch of the neighbouring HS Rio, as it didn't feel VS. To the left, Borneo takes the obvious ramp line and is a route of some character. Most of it is slabby and easy, if a tad dirty. But there is a tricky slab at half height with technical moves up the corner then right to avoid a steepening. The crux comes at the end: a wet corner with undercut and interesting moves out right.

Wirral Multi-Terrain Series, Arrowe Park

Race: Wirral MT Series, Arrowe Park (Birkenhead)
Time/Position: 27.24 (16th from 207 [2nd V45])
Having missed all the other races in this series, this was just an inconsequential run-out to stretch the legs. I felt OK, but my time was way down on last year's time, and even further down on 2015, when I won my age category in this excellent series and did all four races. Having said that, conditions were much muddier today, with the opening field a quagmire and some other cloying patches. The second lap always gets quite dark in the woods as dusk gathers, giving the illusion of speed (illusion being the operative word with present form).

Chester Parkrun

'Race': Chester Parkrun (5k)
Time/Position: 18.12 (4th from 242)
Just an experiment to see how slow my legs are after a two week travelling lay-off, one of my longest ever. The answer was: very sluggish indeed. Conditions were dank and drizzly, which makes the double off-road section unhelpfully slippery. I felt fairly rough on the second lap, and finished well over a minute down on the Capenhurst time I recorded just over a month ago.

Poonagala run

Peak: Lipton's Seat/Poonagala (1950m)
Area: Haputale, Sri Lanka
A well known walk through the tea plantations from the Dambetenna factory above Haputale. It also lent itself to a running approach, although it was hardly the conventional way to do it! After taking the train to Haputale from Kandy yesterday, standing up for six hours on one of the world's best rail journeys, I spent the morning walking to Adisham in perfect weather, then got an ancient bus up through the mist to Dambetenna. From here, a narrow road twists through the tea plantations, incredibly scenic and atmospheric as the mist continually rolled in then occasionally lifted to show glimpses of distant hills and villages. It continues at a gentle gradient for 7km, perfect for running actually, and reaches the famed Lipton's Seat - supposedly the favourite viewpoint of colonial tea magnate Thomas Lipton. It was, inevitably, misty - which was why I'd taken advantage of the clear weather first thing this morning to go to Adisham (I would never have reached this point in time - the mist comes down very early). A tea shack was open on the summit of Poonagala: I had a wonderfully restorative cuppa and selected from a tray of Sri Lankan 'tapas'. Fresh warm rotis, sambal, and a selection of vadai. I was just pondering another roti when I spied a young Macaque monkey in the vegetation below. As I pondered how to protect the food, he immediately leapt over the wall and took the remaining three rotis: calibrating his jump precisely before I'd had a chance to cover the food. Admirable and ingenious. The ambience up here, at 2000m, was wonderful, and I spent some time enjoying the peace before the cold sent me jogging back down to Dambetenna and a chaotic bus back to Haputale.

Caernarfon 10k

Race: Caernarfon 10k (North Wales Championships)
Time/Position: 35.56 (8th from 156 [2nd V45])
Although I was quite pleased to dip under 36 minutes on this hilly course, in wet and rather windy conditions, it was a shame that I blew up completely in the last kilometre. Not surprising, really, given the obvious lack of speed endurance: plenty of slow endurance, and plenty of short speedwork, but not much suitable for the specific demands of a 10k. That said, I've done more than 50 10k's in the past, so should have some idea about pacing! The route was reversed, which makes it slightly easier, with a sharp hill at the start and a few more steep climbs heading west. A headwind at times, with small groups forming and breaking, then the fast descent going through 5k in 18.07. A cross-tailwind didn't have a great deal of effect on the fast run along the coastal path back to Caernarfon. I moved up into sixth place, finishing strongly (initially) before blowing right at the end where I was pushed back into eighth place, missing out on the category win by 6 seconds. I always enjoy this course though: must have done it 7 or 8 times in both directions.

Pot Hole Quarry climbing

Crag: Pot Hole Quarry
Routes: Grizzly (HVS 5a:sec), Major (HVS 5a:sec), Vetta (HVS 5a:sec), Ego Variant (E3:sh), Vetta Variation (E3 5c:sec), Ceba (E1 5b:sec), Canine Meander (E2 5b:sec), The Dog (HVS 5b:sec), Right Wall (E2 5c:sec)
Just the usual top-roped training workout on all the old favourites: the only differences being an eliminate version of Ego and a messy ascent of the very hard Vetta Variation. As ever, the two vague eliminate lines of Right Wall and Canine Meander now give the best climbing: much less polished, sharp holds and good friction.

Clogwyn Cyrau climbing

Crag: Clogwyn Cyrau, Betws y Coed
Routes: The Groove (VD:sol), Direct Route (VS 5a:sh), Pryderi (VS 4c:sh), Gwydion (VS 4c:sh), Wanderer (HS 4b:sol/sh), Sion (S:sol/sh), Sian (VD:sol/sh), Little Chimney (VD:sol), Siencyn (S:des), Groove Left Wall (S 4a:sh)
A few hours to myself after a night in Llandudno, so headed up to Clogwyn Cyrau for a bit of climbing. After romping up the simple Groove, I shunted all the routes on the steeper front face of the crag overlooking Betws: not entirely convinced I have done these before. They are nice routes, much cleaner and drier than the slimy and massively polished climbs further left. Direct Route is steep to start, and Pryderi and Gwydion both take natural lines - thin cracks, not too polished. A little light rain fell, but nothing serious, and after working through numerous short routes I jogged back down for a couple of hot pies in the park.