Maeshafn climbing

Crag: Maeshafn
Routes: Rambler (S:sec), The Minstrel (E1 5b:sec), Royal Plume (E2:sec*)
The final day of a record-breaking spell of warm winter weather. Stuck in the office all week so took advantage of two free hours to indulge in a short training session at Maeshafn. Steve led Rambler, as he learns to place gear, then we trained on the two steep cracklines to the right, including the crag classic of The Minstrel.

Clwydian Sheeptracks

Race: Clwydian Sheeptracks fell race (27k/AL)
Time/Position: 3.33 (40th from 129)
The incredible weather continues, which both helped and hindered this event, hovering somewhere between mountain marathon and long fell race in tone. It is a great concept: revealing the checkpoints in advance and allowing competitors to reccie the best lines at leisure. One small problem: unlike most of my fellow local runners, for various reasons I hadn't reccied it (apart from three of them). Quite rightly, I lost time as a result in numerous obscure parts of the Clwydians, even though I always knew broadly where I was! As the race name suggests, the fastest lines took trods and hidden sheeptracks - most of which required some prior knowledge, few of which were normal paths. My legs felt a bit tired throughout, but I went reasonably well initially - from Cilcain over Moel Drws y Coed and the shoulder of Moel Arthur down to checkpoints above Nannerch. It was hot, absurdly so for the time of year, and I adopted my normal approach to the weight/water trade-off. This is always risky, and this time I lost: dehydrated towards the end and not taking on food. On the way back from Pen y Cloddiau, I took the slower direct route over Arthur, then got the next two checkpoints bang on before making a stupid decision to drop down to the Vale of Clwyd side for CP13, all the way up Nant y Ne and then the debilitating direct climb reversing my own Hotfoot race route! This finished me off, and I made another bad route choice round the back of Foel Fenlli before limping home dehydrated. Only two weeks after Brecon-Cardiff, so perhaps I was paying a bit for that towards the end.

Castle Inn climbing

Crag: Castle Inn Quarry
Routes: Line One (f4c:led), Smartie (f5c:sec), Appenzeller (f5c:led), Line Two (f5c:led), Rosecomb (f6a:led), School Mam (f6a:led), Cakewalk Direct (f6c:sec), School Mam Original (f6b:sec)
An unusually early start to the Welsh rock climbing year, with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine. Worrying from a planetary perspective, but it seemed wise to take advantage with an opening salvo at a venue I've been visiting for nearly 30 years. Despite the temperatures, there was a strong wind blowing, and we kicked off with a couple of newly bolted routes at the sheltered far right of the crag (I think I've done every route here - with a couple of hard exceptions). These were new, however: an easy line up the crumbly right-hand arete, then the two delicate 5c's that I'd done before. Then came Line Two, another similar 5c, and a slightly harder line (tricky start) on the left that is given 6a. These are all short routes, though, so after a bite we headed across to the windy main face where I led old favourite School Mam which is probably f5 by the most logical line up the cracks. We then upped the grade considerably, for training purposes, with rope above. Cakewalk Direct has always been one of the harder routes at the crag, big numbers for February, but to my surprise I managed to despatch it cleanly (although I have done it before). It has some technical moves on tiny edges and flakes to gain the overlap: crux moves over this, very powerful initially with an awkward side-pull, gain the chain. After the slightly easier line to the left (still technical) this felt like a good start to the year.

Purple Mountain Traverse

Peaks: Purple Mountain (832m), Tomies South (757m), Shehy Mountain (762m), Tomies (735m)
Area: Macgillycuddy's Reeks, Kerry, Ireland
This miniature massif probably counts as the most notable feature of the Killarney skyline, rising above the lake and occasionally living up to its name when the light is right. We could see it from our hotel on the Muckross road and it gave a delightful outing, the perfect 'airport day'. After another full Irish breakfast, we drove the short distance to Kate Kearney's Cottage and set off in yet another heavy shower along the narrow road which leads up to the Gap of Dunloe. This is famously picturesque, and did not disappoint. It was quiet, and we thoroughly enjoyed the flat walking up to Coosaun Lough, then the Black Lake, Cushvally and Auger lakes as the road climbs through the ever narrowing valley. Towards the top of the hairpins, the pass takes on a Llanberis feel - black crags and a distinctive Celtic atmosphere. I felt entirely at home, just like Dingle yesterday (although in the height of summer, I imagine this road feels very different, a tourist hotspot). Above lies the Head of Gap, and a small path climbs steeply up towards Purple Mountain itself (it must be at least 8k to this point from the cottage, a long walk-in). The weather had cleared by now, and we had some of the best views of the trip as the cloud lifted from the Black Valley and eventually Cnoc na Peiste and the main Reeks ridge. Stunning scenery on all sides, and even the novelty of sunshine. After skirting little Glas Lough, however, it started to rain again - and this turned to heavy sleet as we gained the ridge with views over the other side to the Upper Lake and Mangerton. The path weaves around to gain boulders leading to the summit of Purple Mountain, perfectly timed as the weather cleared again. These were the first real summit views of the trip, and they were worth the wait, as Purple Mountain occupies a perfect position between the Reeks and Black Valley on one side, the green valleys of Kerry to the north, and the Killarney Lakes directly below. Wispy shower clouds were lit by the sun as they tracked slowly across Ladies View on the Ring of Kerry. The views of Lough Leane and Ross Castle got even better as we walked over the subsidiary peaks of Tomies South and then out on a limb to Shehy Mountain, which is poised directly above Killarney and Lough Leane. A very enjoyable ridge walk which was worth savouring, so we took our time to contour round to the short final climb up Tomies. Here, we just sat for a while, watching the ever changing play of light on the lakes and Reeks ridge, now covered in light snow. Shower clouds and rainbows tracked across the valley bottom. There was still a fair way to go back to the cottage, so we jogged down the steep slopes of Tomies Rock to gain the twisting path back to the car. Then, after a quick shower, it was back to the airport via Macroom and a swordfish supper in Cork.

Mount Brandon

Peaks: Brandon (952m)
Area: Dingle, Kerry, Ireland
One of the finest mountains in the British Isles, Brandon rises directly out of the Atlantic at the end of the wild Dingle peninsula. I've wanted to come here for years, but ran out of time (and weather) on our last visit to Kerry in 1999. This morning, we drove from Killarney to Tralee then along the coast of Dingle to the Gaeltacht and finally Cloghane in constantly changing weather under huge skies. This remained the day's theme, although we had glimpses of the upper ridge as the mists shifted in and out, particularly early on, as we set off from the small Faha car park above the sea. Hail, sleet and rain swept in for the initial contouring slopes to gain the spectacular 'paternoster' lake valley which marks the entry into the wild upper reaches of the mountain. Behind, wonderful ever-changing light as showers swept over the Slieve Mish range from the Atlantic. As we got higher, the path kinks towards the upper cwm, a superb hanging valley, and a spectacular hailstorm swept down - backlit by the sun over the two lower lakes of Lough na Lice and Lough Cruttia. The terrain changes at this point, and the route reminded us of the Pyg track in the sense that it picks through moraines and rivulets before climbing the headwall, which looks steep from below but actually has a zigzag path up it. The rock scenery is tremendous, with the Faha ridge above and the tiny lochans hidden between boulders and ridges. Rain showers kept sweeping in, then disappearing equally rapidly. There seemed to be blue sky above, so we hoped for a Fohn effect clearance, but it never came. We emerged above the headwall into another predictable galeforce westerly and an immediate and complete change of scenery. Indeed, Brandon is famed for its east-west contrast: the eastern approach is rocky and dramatic (the route we took), while the west is just a grassy slope. We ploughed up to the cold and windy summit, before taking our time back down to the notch - hopeful of a clearance and even taking a very wet and cold lunch sheltered from the wind just below the notch. Finally, we were rewarded with a brief clearance and misty views down to the Atlantic crashing onto the beach 2500ft below. It was only a matter of seconds, though, and the weather then closed in for almost the entire descent: steady rain and thick clag. The changeable theme continued as we drove to spectacular Brandon Point: stunning play of light and shade with rainbows and showers tracking in off the ocean and Slieve Mish appearing then disappearing in minutes. A quick coffee in Mullally's Pub, then back for another pleasant evening in Killarney.

Reeks Traverse

Peaks: Beenkeragh (1010m), The Bones (959m), Carrauntoohil (1039m), Cnoc an Toinne (845m), Cnoc an Chuillinn (958m), Maolan Bui (973m), Cnoc na Peiste/Cummeenepeasta (988m)
Area: Macgillycuddy's Reeks, County Kerry, Ireland
Although I've been up a few Irish hills over the years, in disparate parts of the country from the Mournes to Donegal, Dartry to Achill Island, lots of gaps remain. The most obvious being down in the south-west, where all the highest and most interesting peaks are. So this winter mini-break was a great way to kick off what I intend to be a fruitful mountaineering year, alongside Huw and Steve. After flying into Cork last night and driving to Killarney, we set off from Cronin's Yard into a strong headwind thundering down Hag's Glen. Intermittent rain added to the mix, although the cloudbase wasn't too low - around 800m - so we could get an idea of our surroundings. The plan was to head alongside the Gaddagh River to Lough Gouragh at the end of Hag's Glen. Here, the surroundings are dramatic, with mist swirling down into the impressive cwms below Carrauntoohil and Beenkeragh. We contoured the hillside above the lake and headed for the cwm on the right, before traversing left towards what was obviously an interesting ridge, marked Stumpa an tStaimh on the map. I believe this is known as the Hag's Tooth ridge, and we joined it at the top of the eponymous feature, a rock pinnacle. This was all wonderful, just picking our way through unfamiliar terrain: my favourite thing of all. The ridge was wet, of course, but good rough sandstone which gave nice (although generally avoidable) scrambling, with the odd steeper rise in places. After it eased, a misty trudge to a deserted Beenkeragh summit. I took a bearing to get established on the Beenkeragh ridge, which leads to Ireland's highest mountain: Carrauntoohil, and is a delightful route somewhat reminiscent of Striding Edge although the scrambling is extremely mild. We had it entirely to ourselves, and the strong winds eased a little - blocked by the ridge ahead. Occasionally the mist shifted to reveal the rock features and views down to Coomloughra. The ridge narrows at various points, and can be taken direct with good rock - over 'The Bones' for example, akin to an Alpine gendarme but counted as a subsidiary peak. A final slog leads to the top of Carrauntoohil - and the full force of the wind (as well as the weekend crowds, although still no more than 15 people). The gusts were ferocious, and the nav fairly tricky from the summit with lots of routes in all directions (similar to Yr Wyddfa in that respect). All good fun though - and we popped out of the clag at the broad col above Devil's Ladder (the normal route, a scree slog). The wind blasted over this col, but we had views on both sides with glimmers of light lower down. The ridge then becomes grassy although still well defined, and a tailwind blew us over Cnoc an Toinn to the higher peak of Cnoc an Chuillin (we finally managed a bite to eat nestled in a sheltered couloir on the lee slopes). There are few easy escape routes down to Hag's Glen from this ridge, and the weather closed in again: heavy rain, gale-force gusts, thick clag. We crossed over some subsidiary summits, then located 'The Bone', one the descents, before deciding to continue to the final major peak: Cnoc na Peiste (also known by numerous other names). From here, there were two more peaks along the final short section, but Huw wanted to finish so we plotted a route down the steep NW ridge - this took a careful bearing to avoid the crags, and we emerged above Lough Cummenepeasta then continued down steeply to a wild cwm above Hag's Glen opposite The Bone. A bog trot led down to the circular loop along the valley base and eventually the main path back to Cronin's Yard.

Brecon to Cardiff

Race: Brecon to Cardiff Ultra Marathon (70k/43m)
Time/Position: 7.33 (51st from 390)
Another blend of rural beauty and urban grit: in that sense, this race had some similarities with my last ultra, round Rotherham in October. I was also entirely reliant on that event for distance, as I haven't really done anything long since (apart from a few 18-20 milers). The usual 'car bivouac' in a floodlit retail park at Nantgarw, then a pre-dawn bus ride through light lying snow to Brecon Theatre, where we set off along the Monmouthshire canal and Usk valley to Talybont. This was a lovely gentle start in sleety drizzle, which petered out as we started the gradual but very long climb south-west up a cobbled path to tracks above Talybont reservoir and up into the Brecon Beacons proper. I have been up this valley before, getting lost in icy mist on the Tour of Torpantau fell race a few years ago. This is the way the Taff Trail negotiates the barrier of the Beacons, reaching its highpoint below Pant y Creigiau, the snowline just above but well-timed sunshine breaking through the shower clouds at the most scenic part of the whole route. Then the race finally heads south (and downhill!) after all the kinks, along the the reservoirs to take in wooded paths above Pontsticill reservoir and CP2. Then, after an annoying detour, quiet cycle paths buried in the valley below Gurnos, Morlais and Trefechan to finally gain CP3 at the Cefn community centre in Merthyr. A blissful change of shoes (Innov8s into road shoes with fresh socks) then a complete change in surroundings for the second half of the race. Over Cefn Coed viaduct through the middle of Merthyr and then following the line of the Taff more closely - through Merthyr Vale to pass through famous valleys villages like Troedyrhiw and Aberfan (CP4). Continually interesting industrial scenery, with the flat Taff Trail weaving alongside. The valley and route takes another bend below Treharris before the endless final leg. At this point, there are inevitably some rough patches. The trick is to push on when you feel OK, typically after a feed, then dig in for the bad bits. After a heavy shower, the track was under a foot of cold water before the final checkpoint at the Trallwn working mens club. After a final feed, I ate all my carried food and pushed on for the final 10k south-east along the edge of Pontypridd through the housing estates above the Taff to a rather cruel finish, going beyond the visible finish, with a final kink as the route emerges at the main Caerphilly road above Nantgarw.