Holyhead Mountain climbing

Crag: Holyhead Mountain
Routes: The Wandering Primrose (S 4a:led), Stairs (S 4a:sec), Teenage Kicks (S 4a:led), Laceration (VS 5a:sec), Sump Direct (HS 4b:led), Andover (VS 5a:sec), Tempest (S 4a:led), Tension (VS 4b:sec)
Always an ideal venue for an early season shakedown, with its varied routes and friendly aspect. We just concentrated on mileage on this short, late visit, with the weather less-than-ideal yet again (ironically, the London marathon weekend was by far the hottest of the year so far). It was cold and very windy as I led the Wandering Primrose, which takes a slab to an overlap with a delicate step to gain a spike. Then easy climbing up nice pocketed rock to the freezing top. After Vic led Stairs, I took the arete to its right (as ever, I was trying to tick routes I hadn't done before). Teenage Kicks starts up the gully before pulling onto the arete which gives nice airy climbing to join the upper Stairs slab. I've done Laceration before, a pleasant VS, and followed this with Sump Direct. I don't think I've done this before: a nice juggy corner leads to a vague and easy ramp, before a steep and slightly thrutchy finishing chimney (not ideal with a right elbow entirely skinned after my marathon fall, raw flesh scraping rock). Nice route, varied: light rain throughout, but it cleared to blue sunshine as we moved across to the Quartz Wall and Vic led Andover. This is a fine pitch, new to me, steep but superbly juggy, as with most of the routes on this wall. An overlap after 10m is taken on wonderful quartzy holds and the rest stays interesting. On the way down, I spied the attractive groove taken by Tempest and nipped up it: a short but worthwhile Severe and a very obvious line with a steep finish. Finally, as more cool weather moved in, Vic led the old favourite Tension, which I've led in the past: a delightful VS which looks tricky but is actually delightfully simple from start to finish, superbly positive holds throughout.