Tamatert to Toubkal Refuge

I arrived in the mountain village of Tamatert in the dark on Saturday evening, during a violent electrical storm: the start of a brief trip to the High Atlas mountains of Morocco. My taxi stopped at the end of the rubble track up from Imlil (after driving from Marrakech airport, 39C even at 7pm). Heavy rain as we walked by torchlight down stony paths and alleyways, fat toads jumping around, mules braying, and found the tiny front door of my accommodation: a restored Berber douar. After a superb lamb tagine and other Moroccan specialities, all by candelight (no electricity in the house) I turned in. Next morning dawned perfectly sunny and clear: deep blue sky. After breakfast, I negotiated the alleyways of Tamatert and walked down the road to Imlil. From here, some guesswork is required to find the onward route to Aremd and the mountains. I followed old tracks past Berber houses and groves of walnut trees to a river crossing. Above this, a climb led to the superbly positioned hillside village of Aremd: on a steep slope with views up to Toubkal and beyond. Through the lower streets, all tiny alleyways and characteristic flat-topped houses, to gain the large dry river bed/floodplain at the foot of the higher peaks. Dramatic scenery ahead, with multiple spurs and side valleys leading to Toubkal dominating the view ahead: the sky still cloudless. Temperatures were hot but bearable. I had to ask several local Berbers about the onward route: none of it is marked, but it is well used by locals. Up to this point, I'd seen no foreigners at all. At a large boulder, I then made a rather embarrassing error, taking a small path above the river. This was obviously too narrow to be the main mule trail, but for some reason I persisted, thinking it might make an interesting short-cut perhaps. It soon petered out into a nightmare of mud, huge boulders and impenetrable vegetation. I tried to follow the river itself for a bit, but eventually decided I would have to seek a route up the side of the valley and hope to gain the main route. This I did, scrambling up a dry stream bed, and eventually spied a mule train higher up the valley side. I regained the main path by a shack selling drinks, so cooled down with an orange drink. The main track was far more comfortable, with spectacular backward views as colourful mule trains made their way up: beyond barren yellow hills soared upwards with a deep blue sky above. Soon, I reached the tiny settlement of Sidi Chamarouch at the junction of two valleys (Mizane and Tarharate, which cuts the steep side valley to the east). This has a white mosque hidden between massive boulders and is a sight of Islamic pilgrimage. It also has a few dusty shacks selling drinks, but due to ramadam most of the proprietors were asleep as I passed around midday. Above, the route gets much more physical: steep zigzags gain a long contouring path above the valley of the Mizane river. The path then makes a beeline up the valley, climbing all the way, with the views opening out towards Ouanoukrim (Ras) directly in front, although the Refuge du Toubkal stays hidden until the last minute. It began to cloud over, which made life a little more comfortable, although the altitude starting to kick in as I climbed towards 3000m (generally the level that I start to really feel it). It took almost three hours to reach the refuge, longer than I'd expected. I booked in and claimed a bunk, had a snack, and began to consider the feasibility of my original plan (which had been to nip up Toubkal in the afternoon). I had plenty of time and energy, but the obvious problem was the weather. It had clouded over, there was a hint of rain in the air, and a strong hint of an afternoon storm. Still, I had plenty of time to kill so thought I would at least reccie the route. This was pleasant, a little walk up to the river crossing, then up the initial steep zigzags leading in to the South Cwm (Ikhibi Sud). I was just beginning to think I might break into a run and continue all the way up to the summit when a loud clap of thunder sent me scurrying back to the hut for a mint tea (and later, a fine chicken tagine with carrot soup and melon).

Fairy Freckled Cow trail race

Race: Freckled Cow/Llyn Alwen trail race (11k)
Time/Position: 43.16 (6th from 119)
After struggling for a few months, it was a relief to feel reasonably fit today. I finished 6th, exactly the same position as when I last did this excellent race two years ago, albeit 14 seconds slower. Much more important, though, I actually enjoyed myself for a change and didn't fall to pieces half way round. Two years ago, several runners ended up in the recovery position with heat stroke - it was one of the hottest Welsh races I can remember. Today, intermittent sunshine was very pleasant on the outward leg along the eastern shore of the lake to the wild terrain on the edge of Hiraethog where you cross the lake at a small bridge and negotiate a very sharp climb to gain an exposed moor which leads down to more fire tracks and fast, undulating running to the finish. Very little of the race is actually flat, but the hills are never very long. It gives a great session: and some very heavy rain later on in the race helped cool us all down today.

Pen Trwyn climbing

Crag: Pen Trwyn, Llandudno
Routes: Green Flash (f5+:led), Planned Obsolescence (f6a+:led), Mumbo Jumbo (f6a+:led), Mumbo Jumbo variant (f6a+:sec), Tears as Souvenirs Direct (f6b:sec)
This is not a crag I've visited often over the years: too hard and steep for me. I have done a few routes here and there since the late 80s, but generally come away tired and demoralised. Today was only a slight exception to that rule, although I do feel a tad stronger at present, and we did get at least get a few routes done before the inevitable pump. Green Flash may be the worst route on the Orme, and is not a great warm-up. It heads rightwards over two small overhangs on big but polished holds: short and steep. We moved round to the Mumbo Jumbo area above the bouldering caves, and I led the newly bolted f6a+ line on the far left. This is short, and loose in places, but a better warm up, with a tricky initial move followed by easier climbing. Overgraded - probably 5+ or 6a. Mumbo Jumbo itself is an excellent line, an old E2 5c, now retrobolted, which cunningly weaves round to circumvent some large overhangs. A high first clip is gained after a steep but easy start, then steeper moves gain the orange slab at mid-height. Here the rock changes from soapy and slippery to quite rough pocketed limestone. A traverse right below a small roof leads to the first crux: steeply round the overlap with a pinch-grip. The route then stays steep. I clipped the bolt above the final roof with difficulty, then tried a version of the direct finish at 6b+: using the obvious chalked hold in a very draining position. It didn't really work, and Hayley later did a superb job of unlocking the indirect solution to the final move at 6a+. It goes much further left, then uses small footholds to reach arete holds which allow the roof to be circumvented. Good climb: we did it twice. We then bouldered out the bottom few crux moves of Tears as Souvenirs, a grade harder. Very soapy rock, especially in these hot conditions (beautiful day, 30C, so glad of the shade). This was energy sapping, not clean, and a bit of a battle. In retrospect, not such a good idea after two ascents of Mumbo Jumbo. It meant that we had very little forearm power for the harder routes we tried in the Deep Fix area overlooking the deep blue sea. Stunning conditions though, so we walked down to inspect the Sticky Mix wall above the sea. Clear blue sky, flat calm sea, orange rock: we could have been in the Costa Blanca, or Thailand.

Moel y Gamelin fell race

Race: Moel y Gamelin (10m/2000ft/AM)
Time/Position: 1.23.31 (9th from 49 [2nd V45])
Yet another race where I struggled to maintain any kind of pace and did not enjoy myself. Not bothered about getting slower, but would like to enjoy myself on races again - still waiting for a decent performance in 2015! I felt OK as we climbed Moel y Faen, and in the past I've paced this race quite well. But today I think I used too much energy just keeping a decent pace going over the summits of Gamelin and Morfydd in a strong headwind. A heavy shower made for bracing progress over the final summit, and stayed with us on the long descent over Bwlch y Groes and out over the lonely terrain further west. This long XC section is where I've managed to pick the pace up in the past, but today I just lost energy again and blew (yet again) on the gentle incline back towards the ridge. Then really suffered for the main climb back up the Conquering Hero bridleway to regain the ridge. I crawled back over Gamelin, losing three places as stronger finishers went past. I did get a second wind back over Moel y Faen but the damage was already done.

Maeshafn climbing

Crag: Maeshafn
Routes: Rambler (HS 4a:led), Wilkinson Sword Edge (VS 4b:led), The Minstrel (E1 5b:sec), Puppy Power (VS 4b:led), Flying Block (E1 5a:sec), Sling (HS 4a:led)
A heavy shower swept in just as we were gearing up at the base of the crag. So I changed plans rapidly and nipped up the easy (and overgraded) Rambler in the rain. I've been visiting this crag since 1988, so then deployed some local knowledge and sneaked off to the sheltered Wilkinson Sword Edge as the rain continued and black clouds swept in over Moel Famau. This route is hidden in the trees, and takes a vague arete of very rough limestone. One tricky steep move up to a huge jug at the start, then easy climbing up a nice flake: shame it's so short! The rain eased a little, so we did the classic E1 line of the Minstrel with rope above: rather polished now. The crag dries quickly, quicker than rock boots, so I led the now dry slab taken by Puppy Power in wet shoes. An intermittent line of thin cracks: nice climbing. I've done all these routes many times before, but it was a good choice today in this weather. Flying Block is a bit of a sandbag: E1 5c would be a more accurate grade. Indeed, a curious feature of Maeshafn is that the easier routes tend to be soft touches, while anything above HVS often seems undergraded. Flying Block has a very hard move after about 10ft, particularly in damp conditions. Very little for the feet, smooth and slippery, and a hard pull over a flake. Above, you are in balance and some nice moves lead less steeply to the top. Hayley and I both failed on the even harder Royal Plume: also polished and greasy, felt at least E2/3 6a. All this hadn't taken long (a short evening visit), and the weather was now clearing completely, so we nipped round to the Amphitheatre for the polished crack line of Sling, which I have done many, many times over the years. I was now fading fast, beginning to feel the after-effects of a 12 mile run over Hope Mountain and Pen Llan y Gwr first thing this morning!

Idwal run

A light mist was hanging just above Llyn y Cwn as I fired up the stove for a horribly early cup of coffee. The tent was down and my bag packed by 5am, as I had to get back home in time to see the kids off to school, and get to the office! I jogged down the path and emerged from the mist as I dropped down to Twll Ddu. From the shores of Llyn Idwal, the mist peeled away from the upper cliff of Glyder Fawr, reflected in the lake. A cloud inversion seemed likely on the ridge, but I had a range of different commitments: it was with some regret that I continued running back to Ogwen cottage and the car. Home by 7am!

Glyderau run and wild camp

Peak: Y Garn
Area: Glyderau, Eryri
An impromptu decision to indulge in a solo wild camp, as close to the summer solstice as was feasible. The day had dawned wet, windy and quite cold, but was starting to clear by the time I left work. After some bouldering (below) there was still a disappointing amount of black cloud around as I started to jog up the Idwal path from Ogwen Cottage at around 6.30pm, but there were signs that it might clear a bit. I made good progress past the slabs and Twll Ddu, and had the entire range to myself, as I'd hoped, as I gained the plateau between Y Garn and Glyder Fawr. I pitched on a perfect flat spot right next to the shore of Llyn y Cwn: a delightful site. I then jogged up Y Garn: sadly rather cold and cloudy, with a hint of drizzle in the air. A few clearances over the Llyn peninsula and the Irish Sea, shafts of sunlight. I went back for my rather spartan evening meal: some pasta on the stove, and a couple of mugs of tea, it was indeed an impromptu camp! I then ambled up to some scrambling on the steeper spurs coming down from Glyder Fawr as the weather started to clear around 9pm. Quite quickly, most of the cloud melted away and I sat in the sunshine near the summit plateau of Glyder Fawr relaxing and looking down to my tent near the lake. A few midges, but nothing too serious, and the temperature dropped as the sky turned lilac. I retired to the sound of grey wagtails and meadow pipits, and read the Sunday paper in bed before dozing off.

Dyffryn Mymbyr bouldering

A quick evening bouldering session before running up to Llyn y Cwn for an impromptu solstice wild camp. I've been here a few times before, always finding the problems quite hard and polished. They were also rather greasy today, after morning rain. I did all the slabby routes first, then the left-hand version of the RAC arete: rather precarious with a polished start. Backside arete is very easy, but pleasant: more like a miniature VS than a boulder problem. Then some particularly enjoyable lines: the V0+ which moves up and right into a hanging groove is steep, positive and quite exciting. Another route at the same grade goes up the steep wall further right via a series of powerful moves on small but positive holds. At the end of the slabby boulder, I did the overhanging arete and the awkward traverse before heading round to Ogwen for the run up to my intended campsite at Llyn y Cwn.

Cwm Pennant Horseshoe fell race

Race: Ras Pedol Cwm Pennant (17m/5600ft/AL)
Peaks: Moel Hebog, Moel yr Ogof, Moel Lefn, Trum y Ddisgyl, Mynydd Tal y Mignedd, Craig Cwm Silyn, Garnedd Goch
Time/Position: 3.19.32 (11th from 36)
The cloudbase was almost down to the valley floor as we set off from a humid Bryncir at the base of this famous and beautiful valley. The field in such conditions was inevitably going to be fairly small: as it clashed with other events, and it was clear that navigation would be a challenge almost from the outset. Peter, Andy and I were looking forward to it. Last year, I had a reasonable run and thought it was a superb new race over some of my favourite hills: finishing just after Simon E in 8th place, well under three hours. A repeat was never likely this year, so I just adopted a steady striding pace up Moel Hebog in thick and humid mist. This was OK, and I found myself running with Noel from Eryri, same as last year, as we descended towards Moel yr Ogof in steady rain and very poor visibility. We followed the wall than ploughed up through the cleft in the rock to the checkpoint on top of the rocky summit of Moel yr Ogof. It was even harder to find the checkpoint on Moel Lefn, and we initially went past it - doubling back for the climb up to the summit. A much bigger error followed, however, as I drifted too far right on a bearing north, descending the wrong side of a spur. As often happens, a small error turned into a big one and we found ourselves well off course, too far east. A giant dogleg ensued (at least the error was quickly obvious) and a wall bisecting the ridge acted as a handrail to gain the path through the quarries to eventually gain Bwlch y Ddwy Elor: visibility dreadful throughout. We'd lost a lot of time, and Andy soon appeared having taken the direct route down from Lefn. He shot up the misty Trum y Ddisgyl to gain the main Nantlle ridge and it was as much as I could do to keep up initially. The highlight of the route comes next: the narrow and sometimes rocky ridge across to Tal y Mignedd. A spectacular clearance gave views down to Nantlle as the mist peeled away from one half of the ridge. Andy and I were equally matched over this section and took a direct scrambling line through the rocks. I went too far right last year from Craig Cwm Silyn, so we careful to stay left and pick up the main path to Garnedd Goch. It was nice to be moving at speed after losing so much time on the descent from Moel Lefn. The descent down Cwm Ciprwth is one of the hardest on any race: a blend of hidden rocks, tussocks and deep heather. No paths until you emerge at the checkpoint at the base of the cwm. From here I pushed on a little and felt quite good on the long road run in: although as I was a full 25 minutes slower than last year, it should have felt fairly comfortable. Wonderful race again.

Man v Horse

Race: Man v Horse Marathon (22m/4000ft)
Time/Position: 3.18.31 (82nd from 657)
This is another one of those classic events missing from my 'CV', but as with the Yorkshire Three Peaks in April I did not cover myself in glory today: just didn't have sufficient mileage in my legs to keep it going towards the end. In fact, the wheels fell off in time-honoured fashion when I still had five (rather distressing) miles to go. Light drizzle as Jez and I waited in Llanwrtyd Wells for the start: my first time here since doing the almost equally legendary Real Ale Wobble mountain bike loop 12 or so years ago. The rain stayed fairly light, but fell continuously all day. As a result, we kept cool but it was very boggy underfoot at times. A nice atmosphere as we left the Neuadd Arms and headed up the Irfon valley. The route is very complex and very varied, but is essentially a giant loop around the valley taking in some fairly wild mountain terrain at times. A sharp climb up a track after a couple of miles set the scene. It was followed by some narrow, boggy tracks high up on the eastern slopes of the valley. I felt pretty good, and went through the first checkpoint well up the field in just over 50 minutes. I was passed by two horses on a long inclining track, but didn't see any more until high up in the hills near Abergwesyn. I continued to feel pretty good through the second checkpoint, and although horses and relay runners were mixed up with the 500 or so doing the full distance, I felt I was well up the field at this point. However, with about five miles to go the distance and difficulty of the terrain began to take its toll: as did my old bugbear, an upset stomach. I hadn't had time to get my usual running food, so forced down a sesame bar which repeated on me very quickly. This reduced me to a walk on an interminable series of forest tracks where I really suffered. From here, it was all downhill - metaphorically if not always literally. Scores of runners, and horses, passed me towards the end, which was rather demoralising. The last couple of miles, through bog, then tarmac, then a deep river crossing, were not very pleasant and reminded me of the way I felt in my early marathons and early attempts at long fell races more than a decade ago.

Craig y Forwyn climbing

Crag: Craig y Forwyn
Routes: Anne (S 4a:led), Larks a Bumbly (HS 4b:led), Kiwi (VS 4b:sec), Arian (HS 4b:led), Arian Direct (HVS 5a:sec), Wall/Superdirect Finish (E1 5b:sec), Golden Gate (D:led)
The 'banned crag' which has always had a kind of mythical status in my mind: my local crag in many ways, but the supposed 'landowner' withdrew consent just before I started climbing in the late 1980s. Vic and I went there five years ago, after it was realised that only part of the crag was 'owned' by the awkward landlord, only to be shouted down from the classic HVS Sangfroid, on what we understood to be a legal part of the cliff by a quite unbelievably unpleasant individual (presumably the chap that claims to own the central section). It was so unpleasant that it's taken us five years to come back, this time to the left-hand section which, again, is not owned by the uncivil one. We had no problems today, which was just a brief taster of the short but enjoyable routes that characterise this section of cliff. Anne was a vegetated and slabby aperitif, up a narrow pillar of rock. We then both led the splendid corner/groove taken by Larks a Bumbly. This looks hard and very steep from below, somewhat reminiscent of Striptease at Tremadog. In reality, it's just a delightfully simple romp. Well protected moves up a superbly juggy, but steep, corner, lead to more jugs and a perfect footledge to sidle left away from the final overhang, to finish up a short arete. Great route, as was its companion Kiwi, a mild VS to its right. Again, this looks like it has an intimidating finish, but this is an illusion. A rising traverse left, below the bulges on big footholds, leads to a move to circumvent the steepness, then a finish trending back right up a steep exit on big holds. Really nice, interesting climbing at the bottom of the grade. Arian is the other classic on this section of crag: rather more polished than the others but again recently cleaned, giving really good climbing. Another interesting line too, up a steep right-trending juggy flake which begs to be climbed. Then a step left gains a short traverse, giving access to a clean groove which leads to the top. Again, solid and varied: no more than 20m, but packing a lot in to a small space! Vic then led the Direct version, which is steep and sustained up to the roof, which needs a butch move to overcome. Inferior to the normal route, I found it quite dusty and unpleasant. I continued up the more technical, nicely contrasting Wall Finish, using the left arete: the sunshine quite hot now, perhaps the hottest day of summer so far. From the crag top, great views over the most tranquil of valleys, very quiet indeed, with the rocks of Llanddulas further left. I had to finish early, so after abbing back down for fifth time, we donned our big sacs and I led out up a pleasant Diff, taking the outside of an obvious chimney, by way of a mountaineering exit route. Nice to sample another tiny slice of the climbing at this crag. It has always felt political to me, and still does: one day we will get access to the real classics!

The Beast

Race: Up the Beast fell race (4.5m/1500ft)
Time/Position: 48.01 (11th from 94)
I've done every one of these races (eight in total) and this is the first time I've finished outside the top ten. I was third overall not so long ago, but can't see that ever happening again. This is partly because I'm getting slower, but partly because I'm convinced everybody else is getting quicker! I was around a minute down on my best time tonight, although slightly quicker than last year: so not too bad given it was my first short fell race since Rhobell Fawr in November. As a result, recent road races made the early tracks through the woods quite comfortable, but the steep climb up the beast reduced me to a striding walk much earlier than previous years. It was a hot, quite humid evening, and the second climb back up Bryn Alyn is always desperately airless and sweaty. I saved some energy over Bryn Alyn in warm sunshine, then I did start to make up a few places, and finished reasonably strongly on the return through the woods.

Holmfirth bouldering

Crag: Holmfirth Cliff
Routes: Arsenic Slab (font3), Devs (V0), Scarface (V0), Bumbachum (V1), Crimp and Pop (font4), Riblet (font5), Left Crack (font3), Right Crack (font3), Problem 11 (font5+), Spiders (font5+), Crystal Crack (font4), Man Utd Arete (font4), Cock Over (font5+), Pocket Wall (V2), Fist-Sized Crack (font3).
Never my favourite discipline, the idea of recording short boulder problems has always struck me as slightly absurd. A few things were different here, however: first, the problems felt more like miniature routes at times; second, many of them were relatively easy; third, I really enjoyed this crag of quarried grit above the famous town of Holmfirth. It was particularly nice to get some fresh air after a day confined to one room in Huddersfield. Some sun peeking through the clouds and nice views out over town and valley as I located and climbed the four short problems on the left-hand slab. Quite delicate, particularly Bumbachum up the featureless middle of the slab. Really enjoyed going up and down the two easy crack lines further right, which felt like miniature grit Severes and warranted several ascents. The line up the middle was a more technical font 5+ on small flat holds, as was the thought-provoking Spiders, which took thin cracks up a greener wall up to a flat hold then escaped left. The routes further right were quite high, particularly Crystal Crack which was a good strong line but surprisingly dirty and vegetated. Further right again, I did numerous routes, including the high but easy Man Utd Arete, the short and intense Over Cock at font 5+, and the more delicate Pocket Wall, which was a good technical route up a pocketed black wall of friable grit but seemed a little overgraded. Various other routes too, but less obvious lines, and it was difficult to remember them all.

Trevor climbing

Crag: Trevor Rocks, Eglwyseg
Routes: Borderline (f6a+:led), Over the Wall (f6a:sec), Checkpoint Charlie (f6b:sec), The Great Escape (f6a:led), Lost Control (f6b:sec), The Fat Controller (S 4a:led)
Almost all these routes feel quite tough for the grade, very tough in some cases, in stark contrast to some of the newly bolted limestone on the coast. The Compact Wall at Trevor is by far the best section of what is a rather scrappy crag, so I went straight for Borderline, a semi-classic on the left of the wall which I have top-roped in the past. It's a very good route, technical and sustained when leading, but with decent rests: it keeps coming at you right up to a second crux at the top. Lovely moves on small positive holds, in delightful warm evening sunshine, lead to a puzzling section at mid-height. I was tempted left by a chalked-up flat hold, but actually the solution lies further to the right. I weighted the bolt for a second as I made the alteration: annoying. Moving right gains a vague groove and easier climbing up to a steep and equally puzzling finish on unhelpful fingery pockets and pinches. I failed on the 6c Margin of Error. Indeed, many of the routes further right are characterised by hideous starts: really hard lower sections, rather desperate for a few moves, but all are well bolted. Before we tried the other routes over 6b, Hayley led the very pleasant Over the Wall, a rising traverse line at a soft 6a which I've done several times before. With rope above, we both did Checkpoint Charlie. This is very technical low down, with only tiny usable footholds and fingery, sustained climbing. One or two finger holds at times: probably 6b+ or borderline 6c as a route. It gets easier towards the top, however. My next lead, the Great Escape, is the exact opposite. An easy start followed by a bulging crux right at the top, which I think I took too far left. Next, we did Lost Control, another f6b, with rope above. This is similar to Checkpoint Charlie, a really hard start using a sidepull with very little for the feet. This is similarly intense but eases more quickly. After all this technicality, we sidled off to the little trad wall further right. I led an easy Severe, done before, up a deep juggy groove and little roof, as the sun set beautifully over the Horseshoe Pass and the temperature dropped quite dramatically.

Idwal climbing

Crag: Cwm Idwal
Routes: Central Rib (HS 4b,4a,4b:led p.2,4), Wall Variations/Original Route (VS 5a:sec), Upper Staircase (D:led), Lava Slab Left Hand (VS 4b:led), Cneifion Arete (D:led p.1,3)
Another very enjoyable enchainement of routes up the slabs and walls of Cwm Idwal. I must have done six or seven of these big outings in the past, always deliberately choosing different variations and different routes up. For me, one of the most enjoyable days to be had in Eryri, especially if you move quickly. The morning had dawned sunny and relatively warm after weeks of unsettled, quite cold weather: and the weather stayed good. I thought I'd done all the routes on the slab many years ago, and had run out of 'different variations', but we found one gap - the line of Central Rib, which is slightly contrived but does concentrate on an obvious feature, the rib left of Hope (and right of the corner taken by Charity). Vic led a long first pitch which was quite delicate and entertaining in places. Slabby padding up the line of the rib led to a bulge which was taken on crystal holds and led to a belay on Hope. My second pitch traversed left to regain the rib, then a few more delicate moves to a crack. It then became impossible for anybody but the most fanatical purist to ignore the obvious thin crack shared with Hope - laced with beautiful nut slots! Vic's third pitch is without doubt the least polished stretch of rock on the Idwal Slabs! A surprisingly technical and delicate traverse gains the rib above the wet corner of Charity. This gives delightful slab climbing, absorbing and with good friction on unpolished rock: presumably the entire crag was once like this. I led an easy and wet fourth pitch up the quartz to the terrace. Vic then went for Wall Variations - an independent 5a eliminate on Original Route which straightens it out and basically gives a completely different route. Having done Original Route before, I think this is a better pitch: certainly more enjoyable with a massive sack on! A technical move right of the normal start, with a sidepull and small footholds gains a superb pocket, then another, and then the Crescent Slab shared with the original. Up this, then a traverse left avoids the thrutchy chimney. Instead a fun mantelshelf gains the easier but good upper groove. We were now in the sunshine, but continued upward progress, trying to move as quickly as possible Alpine-style. I led up the Upper Staircase, a simple Diff which takes the obvious stepped groove on big holds to the upper terrace. From here, prior knowledge allowed us to pick a very enjoyable scrambling line up and right, staying on rock almost the entire way and eventually bringing us out below the hard to find, very esoteric Lava Slab. Not easy to work out the two routes here, but a vague groove points to the two Lava Slab lines (further right, the slab is just too gentle to give proper climbs). I took the left hand line up superb bubbly holds, pockets and little pinnacles. Amazing friction, as these routes get hardly any traffic. Gear was notable only by its absence, a flake at half height gives the only meaningful placements. But the climbing is easy: VS 4a might be more appropriate. I brought Vic up in the sunshine and we walked a little way down Senior's Ridge to have lunch at a delightful lawn of soft grass overlooking all of Ogwen and Nant Francon. A fine morning's work. But we still had some time left, so took a short level amble along the base of sun-soaked Cwm Cneifion and romped up Cneifion Arete. I led the steeper first pitch, then Vic led through the groove, then we moved together up the pinnacles and slabs of the upper crest. I've probably done this route six or seven times in many different circumstances: always a delight. After 1,500ft of movement on rock, we jogged back to to the car in half an hour, branching down the path that leads above the Gribin Facet. Less than two hours from the top of the Gribin to my front door: in time to cook family dinner!

Birkenhead 5 mile

Race: Birkenhead Open Five Mile
Time/Position: 28.46 (17th from 212 [3rd V45])
This is apparently the oldest race on Merseyside, so it seemed an appropriate place to make my debut as a V45 after my birthday last week. It attracts a strong field of club runners, so the start was very fast. I kept to 5.5 minute mile pace and went through three miles in 16.30. It's a three lap loop round this very nice, historic park. I know the park well from the Border League route which I've done many times, but this race takes a completely different route, with fewer twists and turns but one longish gentle climb which really starts to sap the energy on the second and third lap. As a result, I started to lose time, but not too many places as a relatively warm evening caused everyone around me to slacken off at about the same pace. Around 50 seconds outside my PB, so not too bad given current lack of speed work.

Meall a'Bhuiridh

Peak: Meall a'Bhuiridh (1108m/3635ft)
Area: Blackmount, Central Highlands
Somewhat annoyingly, this was probably the best day of the week in terms of weather, but also the day we had to leave Skye. I tentatively suggested a run from the Cluanie Inn as we drove past, but this was rejected by the democratic family unit. Instead, we continued all the way past Glencoe then stopped for lunch at the White Corries ski centre. This gave me an hour to get something done and break the long journey more satisfyingly. I used mechanical assistance for the first time ever in the UK, taking the chair lift up to Coire Pollach. Above, an incredible scene for the time of year: a virtually complete snowfield leading up to the summit. I ran along the tracks then up the snow slopes in Mudclaws. Knee deep at times, until I found a line of steps. Several parties were on skis. The weather was cold, but the sun was starting to peek through. Blue sky and white snow: a late season reminder of the joys of winter mountaineering. I picked my way up more interesting snow slopes further west and gained the summit of Meall a'Bhuiridh shortly afterwards. I was very tempted to continue along the ridge to Creise but this would have been exceptionally badly received by the family. Instead, I enjoyed a truly superb glissade down the snow: perhaps the best I've ever experienced. This lead in a matter of minutes to the chairlift, and I continued the run down the rocky path all the way to the cafe: batteries recharged for the long drive home.

Glamaig (race route)

Peak: Glamaig (775m/2543ft)
Area: Red Cuillin, Skye
This peak was famously run in less than an hour by a Gurkha in 1899: it is now an annual race, and that record has long since been broken. I thought that an attempt to break the hour would make a nice pre-lunch birthday treat. In the morning, we enjoyed a truly memorable long family walk out to the tidal Oronsay island in constantly changing weather conditions and huge skies. From there, an ultra-strong Cuban coffee in Struan set me up nicely for an attempt at the race route. I started my stopwatch when I gained the path near the Sconser road car park opposite the Sligachan Inn (which is, I think, where the race starts). The level section up to the base of the hill was horrendously boggy: just one giant aquatic plod, knee deep at times. Gaining the steep slopes of Glamaig was a relief by comparison, but this is an extremely steep hill. Its shape echoes Mount Fuji, although it is a narrower cone. The angle is unrelenting and not really runnable, but I made steady striding progress up to the screes which start half way up the peak. This slowed me a bit, and the last section beyond a small forepeak was even slower. I gained the summit and stopped my watch on 42 minutes: slower than expected but great views as the weather had cleared again during my ascent. Raasey and Loch Sconser, Sgurr nan Gillean and Am Basteir, and the nearby Red Cuillin all impressive. I ran flat out back down the screes, superbly enjoyable, and plunged into the bog at the bottom, getting back to the car park in 22 minutes from the summit (64 minutes in total). A big birthday lunch at the Sligachan followed, setting us up for a walk up Coire na Creiche to see the Fairy Pools.

Duirinish coast traverse (Ramasaig to Orbost)

A memorable and wonderful run: the opportunity to do this from our cottage in Glendale was too good to miss, to the extent that I was prepared to forego a morning in the mountains for it. It is tricky logistically, as both roadheads are remote to say the least. But we were staying just a few miles from Ramasaig, so K and E dropped me off there first thing in the morning (then went back to their warm beds), and I arranged to meet them three hours later in Orbost (although it didn't take me that long as the route, although 'up and down', was only 23k). Some say this is the best coastal walk in the British Isles: it is certainly right up there and works brilliantly as a run. Ramasaig was very remote, just one farmhouse. I ran a couple of miles south-east down the ultra-muddy Lon Ban (a track churned up by farm animals) to the deserted (cleared in 1830) village of Lorgill and a lonely small bay. From here, the coastal path was extremely tenuous - the opposite of those found in Cornwall, for example. I followed sheep tracks above the sea to a diversion inland at the Scaladal Burn. A long and boggy run back towards the sea led to a narrow path at last. The rest of the run to the headland was just stunning. Wonderfully wild scenery with weather to match: and firm, springy turf underfoot. A strong cross/tailwind blew a few sharp showers in, resulting in a spectacular skyscape which magnificently complemented the landscape. The cliffs were split at regular intervals by pronounced river valleys, the first of which - at Glen Dibidil - was quite hard to cross after recent rain, but the climbs out were never that long. The scenic highlight came shortly afterwards, the stunning stacks and arches below Glen Lorgasdal, with a Skye speciality, a waterfall plunging directly into the sea. After this, a classic geo/zawn, and a view of the sea stacks known as Macleod's Maidens. Here, the path tracks inland for a bit, below the little hill of Steineval. I lost the path at this point, ending up crashing through a nightmarish terrain of gorse and deep drainage channels, reliant on deer trails to get me out. Lots of skittish red deer in this area. Eventually, exhausting bog led to Idrigill where I found the path. Excellent running in a very sharp hail shower led past Brandarsaig Bay, with views over Loch Brachadale, to conifer forests. The sun came out at tranquil Loch Bharcasaig, which also has its own private mountain glen attached. Almost warm by the time I got to Orbost and met the family for a late breakfast in Dunvegan.

Quiraing walk

This is one of the most unusual and spectacular landscapes in the British Isles. I have wanted to explore Trotternish for many years, and we took a risk today - hopeful that the forecast rain would hold off until we'd finished our Trotternish tour. From the top of the Uig-Staffin road, we all set off towards the magical landscape of spires, crags and meadows that is recognisable immediately as the unique Quiraing. Black clouds flirted with the top of the crags, but some sunshine lit the meadows and lent incredible definition to the views. Behind, the rest of the Trotternish ridge stretched away towards the Storr. In front, the sea, Rona and Applecross. I think the children were quietly impressed, despite M's insistence on listening to a podcast! They didn't complain anyway, and we made good progress along the path at the foot of the crags to reach the Prison, a tottering crag which forms a kind of gateway with the very slender Needle to its left. This gives access to a gentler section past a little lake towards Loch Hasco. E and I continued along to the ridge that doubles back to the summit above Coire Mhic Eachainn. We varied the route back, below the Prison on soft green grass, and arrived back at the col hungry. No problem though, as we chanced on a remarkable Indian takeaway in the tiny village of Brogaig: freshly baked nan, homemade curries and basmati rice as we looked out over Staffin Bay.

Sgurr a'Mhadaidh

Peak: Sgurr a'Mhadaidh (918m/3012ft)

Area: Cuillin, Skye
Unlike all our previous trips to the Highlands at this time of year, weather luck was not with us this week. It was far from a washout, but it was cold: too cold to execute my plans to explore the bits of the Cuillin ridge that I missed in 1993. This was apparent again this morning. I planned to do a big chunk of the ridge, and got up very early to do just that. But after parking in Glen Brittle and running up to Coire a'Ghreadaidh (again quite gentle so very quick progress) it became obvious quite quickly that the weather would force a downscaling. From the top of the lower corrie, a steeper rise leads to a river crossing then a pull into an upper cwm. Atmospheric again, with mist swirling around the crags above and a few teams already on their way down! I decided not to go for the traverse of Mhadaidh, opting instead for the safe option of the steep screes that lead to the tiny pass of An Dorus ('the door': very similar to the kind of narrow 'breche' you see in the Southern Alps). The wind howled through this gap, and I grappled with all my spare clothes. The route out of the gap was tricky initially, soaking rock and a windchill (according to the mountain weather forecast) of -15C! It was cold on the fingers to say the least, but above this little pitch the route to the summit eases considerably to a series of ledges which then led to enjoyable but cold and wet scrambling to a very windy summit (73 minutes from Glen Brittle). At that moment, the wind tore a hole in the mist revealing superb views of a black and forbidding Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh, and Sgurr Thuilm. I had my winter climbing gloves, down jacket and waterproofs on, and was still cold. My ancient fell running shoes were OK on the wet gabbro, not so good on the wet basalt, but nothing is. The little pitch to An Dorus was tricky, and an abseil rope was in situ on the Greadaidh side. It was raining too, so I decided to abandon even my worst case 'fall back' option and not bother with Sgurr a'Ghreadaidh. Instead, I beat a prudent retreat from An Dorus back to Glen Brittle. Very good, fast running: back at the cottage in Glendale before 11am in time for a venison platter at the Red Roof cafe.

Am Basteir

Peak: Am Basteir (934m/3064ft)
Area: Cuillin, Skye
This peak is an impressive blade of rock when seen from Sgurr nan Gillean and also has an alluring name which has traditionally been translated as 'the executioner'. On my last proper visit to Skye, in 1993, I clearly remember a 30 second clearance in an appalling week of weather as we sat on the tiny summit of Gillean. Am Basteir looked good then, but it's taken me 22 years to come back (it rained continually that week in 1993!). This was just one of my usual short early morning outings, adopting a lightweight running approach with small sack and fell running shoes. The weather wasn't great, a cold north-westerly put the air temperature at 1C on the ridge, with a considerable windchill. Not ideal for scrambling. The path up towards Coire a'Bhasteir from Sligachan is just gently inclining and superbly runnable. I made very rapid progress, gaining the spur in 20 minutes. This broad spur is not easy to negotiate, with tenuous paths running between small crags, but it leads below Pinnacle Ridge to the atmospheric Coire a'Bhasteir. In these conditions of drizzle and swirling mist, it borders on intimidating. The onward route is a little tricky, and I had to downclimb a gully at one point to pick up the main path which is obvious once you are on it. This leads via long scree zigzags up to the Bealach a'Bhasteir: a tight col between Gillean and Am Basteir. Visibility was quite bad and the rock was soaking as I embarked on the East Ridge of Am Basteir. This is easy, just shattered sloping shelves and scree, but quite neatly defined, and leads to the 'bad step'. This is steep on the crest, and I had no wish to reverse what looked like 4b moves on wet rock in my damaged Mud Claws. I traversed sloping and soaking gabbro shelves to the left sounding out a feasible descent, eventually locating an easier downclimb about 20ft below the crest: steep but with good holds. It's then just a short jog up a fairly narrow continuation ridge to the top: very cold, shifting mist with the odd view of the Bhasteir tooth emerging from the mist and rain. It was nice to be on the main Cuillin ridge in these conditions: nobody around. A quick descent, very easy to reclimb the bad step, led to the bealach. Then good scree running down to a cold and wet corrie floor. Fine running all the way back to Sligachan: less than three hours in total, so back at our cottage before lunch.

Beinn Odhar

Peak: Beinn Odhar (901m/2956ft)
Area: Tyndrum, Southern Highlands
An ideal way to break the journey north, this Corbett rises above Tyndrum and lends itself to a short, sharp run. After a night in Dumbarton, we had breakfast at the Real Food cafe, then I set off from the A82 in perfect sunny conditions, ploughing diagonally up the steep slopes (too steep to be runnable) above the road to eventually pick up the broad south ridge much higher up. There is a semblance of a path up this, but this hill is another illustration of the pull that Munros exert. It is only just below the mark, extremely accessible, but I had it to myself in stunning weather. After a short narrowing of the now runnable ridge, a lochan is gained, before steeper boulder fields lead to the summit. Great views over Beinn Dorain, its more illustrious neighbour (which I ran up in torrential rain this time last year). Indeed, the views across the entire Southern Highlands were excellent: Ben Lui, Cruach Ardrain and Ben Cruachan were particularly notable. I had one hour (in total) at my disposal, so ran flat out down the south ridge to the West Highland Way, treating the subsequent run back to Tyndrum and the family as a mini speed session.

Nant Ffrancon climbing

Crag: Craig Braich Ty Ddu, Carneddau
Routes: Decameron Rib (VS 4a,4b,4a:led p.1,2), Cuckoo Groove Direct (VS 4c,4a:led p.2), Route 2 (S:led p.1)
This collection of crags has never been popular, even though they are not far above the A5. I did a few routes here with Tim in 2002, and did the scramble up the broken face above a few times as a teenager. As so often, the routes are good but it's a downward spiral: they get left out of selective guides, nobody goes there, the paths fall into obscurity and the routes get vegetated. Meanwhile the polish on the classics gets worse. I always like doing something different, so persuaded Vic to join me for the awkward traverse over multiple shallow heathery gullies to get to Decameron Rib, probably the most obvious and eye-catching line here (although the vast majority of visits to this crag are for Pinnacle Ridge). Rather cold, cloudy and windy as I started the first pitch, up an awkward crack splitting the rib left of the deep groove that marks the route out from below. There are actually numerous options for this first pitch, but I enjoyed this way, which seemed the cleanest and most frequently travelled (all relatively speaking, however) - up to a pinnacle, then a tricky move up to a long flat hold and a couple of saplings to a small stance below the roof. Vic led off up pitch two but didn't fancy the move below the roof. So we swapped leads and I edged along good footholds to a committing move round the bulge below the roof. A perfect little sidepull and a skip right allows for another sideways move to gain a little ledge in the bottomless groove. Good gear here, but the continuation crack was sadly vegetated and dirty: very likely the first ascent this year. Straightforward climbing, bridging to avoid the plantlife, led to a dodgy pinnacle, then more interesting climbing to a small stance (too low, but I was keen to avoid drag). Above, the third pitch takes a very pleasant slab up to a huge sculpted flake and a finish up a pinnacle - in the sunshine now, warm and welcome. A nice VS, deserves far more traffic than it gets. We abbed off down the gully to the right for a sunny lunch, enjoying superb views over Nant Ffrancon to Y Garn and Foel Goch. A slog up another gully, wet and unpleasant, led to the next buttress up. I'd been here before, for Route 2, but we went for the eye-catching line of Cuckoo Groove. As it happens, a cuckoo was calling (and flying around) as Vic led the first pitch. The crux comes immediately: a good 5a move, awkwardly stepping off a flake on to a very steep, slightly impending wall. Small holds and smaller footholds until a finger crack can be grabbed. Then good climbing to a stance in the groove. My pitch was supposedly 4b: it led down and right on excellent rock, but the gear was sparse. I made two committing moves up to a footledge, got some small wires in behind a thin flake, then made another move into the groove above. It looked very committing indeed: reasonable climbing but all the cracks are hopelessly shallow seams. Basically no gear, and the arête above looked similarly committing. Reminded me of the second pitch of Grey Arete: far too early in the season having led virtually no trad pitches all year! So after a rather harrowing downclimb, I continued up the direct version of the route. This isn't in the old guidebook, presumably because it makes the route too disjointed (indeed, the HVS line is a bit contrived as it seeks difficulty by moving away from the main groove line). But the continuation groove still gave a nice pitch of about 4a, up quartz holds and good flakes. I assume this direct line up the groove was not a first ascent! We finished with the excellent Route 2, which I did with Tim in 2002. It's one of the best Severe pitches in Eryri, but completely unheralded. I led a short pitch one over blocks and pinnacles, then (tired after what had gone before) followed Vic up an awkward crux, which involves a very steep thrutch to stand on a pinnacle, then an off-balance reach to exit a wide crack. Above, the delightful upper wall runs to superb jugs and flakes on immaculate rough rock.

Rhyl 5k

Race: Rhyl 5k (North Wales Championships)
Time/Position: 17.57 (6th from 104 [2nd V40])
The fact that no runners went under 17 minutes this evening suggests that the headwind in the last 2k must have made a bit of a difference to the times. I was almost a minute slower than I'd hoped for, and over a minute down on my PB. After jogging round the junior race with E (this is an ideal family event for me, so close to St Asaph), I set off in a small group of around 10 lead runners out to the west, then around for a long run along the prom with tailwind to the turn near Rhyl golf course. I made up a few places on a difficult run-in, with quite a strong headwind. Felt sluggish throughout, but enjoyed the race - my first 5k for quite a while.

Penmaenbach climbing

Crag: Penmaenbach, Conwy
Routes: Big A55 Arete (f6a+:led), Pendulum Corner (f5+:sec), Agent Orange (f5+:led), Y Clip Aur (f6a:sec)
We replenished some of the energy lost on this morning's long run over the Carneddau with bacon sandwiches at the Aber cafe. It was windy at the Sychnant pass, and this crag is rather exposed, so probably not the ideal choice particularly as the lines we started with are the highest in the quarry, with great views over the sea and Orme. I'd tried to find the A55 arete line last year, but ended up on the 6c+ Whole of the Law instead! Steve, Hayley and I loosened our legs from the morning run on the longish walk over to the crag, and found the true arete line easily. It gives a lovely 22m climb, but as is often the case with the easier coastal sports routes, was overgraded. Nice moves over an overlap give access to a delicate and absorbing tapering slab. I stuck religiously to the arete, which might make it almost f6a, but it would very likely get 5+ at the most in Provence (certainly not the f6a+ or even f6b given). A great crux at the top on little holds, shuffling out to a sloping foothold on the arete itself. The wind was a problem, given the delicate nature of the climbing, and my fingers were very cold. Hayley seconded then led the obvious corner line of Pendulum Corner. Steve followed, and I went up with the rope above. Another strong line, a very enjoyable juggy romp with some light bridging as it steepens towards the top, although dramatically overgraded again (f4+ at the most if it was in France). We were getting cold, but the weather stayed dry (despite black clouds and a few spots of drizzle) so I led the obvious steep slab which runs below the A55 Arete. This gives another excellent easy route. Elegant climbing, even in the wind, with delightful moves up the steep slab on sharp holds and ledges (f5). We tried to get out of the wind on the smaller slab where we'd climbed last summer. I went for the 6c crack line by way of an appropriate finale to a long day. This goes easily up to a hard crux which was rendered desperate by the cold wind. I couldn't feel my fingers, which was a real problem as the crux depends on little finger jams and tiny two finger holds. Just ripples for the feet. I made two attempts, and reached the crucial flat hold to clip the final bolt on the second attempt. But my attempts to smear failed, and I slipped again. It should go reasonably easily in warmer and calmer weather though. We finished with the easy f6a to its left instead. A varied, enjoyable and tiring day.

Carneddau traverse

Peaks: Bera Mawr, Carnedd Gwenllian, Foel Grach, Carnedd Llewellyn, Carnedd Dafydd
Area: Carneddau, Eryri
A really enjoyable jog over the first half of the 1000m peaks race. I've done the race three times and it has always been one of my favourites. I did the old route (avoiding Glyder Fawr) in 2008 and 2009 (when I came 8th in appalling conditions: it made the BBC news that day!), and the new route (when I had a much better 4:45 run) in 2011, my Welsh Champs year. Simon and Steve invited me along for the reccie alongside Andy and Hayley. It was a great convivial crowd, but sadly I was unable to remember some of the micro route details after we'd run from the coast to the path above Aber Falls into Cwm Afon Goch. I couldn't recall which gully to take, so we went slightly too far up the cwm and headed up the hillside direct to Bera Mawr emerging just above the shallow valley which I recognised from the race. So, no harm done. From here, we crossed between Bera Mawr and Bera Bach into a strong headwind with the mist down. This was good for the reccie, typical conditions and challenging navigation: we ran on a bearing through this famously featureless terrain, just under the new checkpoint at Yr Aryg, skirting Carnedd Gwenllian summit, then picking up the main Carneddau path to the shelter on Foel Grach. After a bite to eat and some extra layers, we ploughed onwards into a strong and cold headwind all the way to the summit of Llewellyn, one of my favourite places. The mist cleared briefly allowing views over Ysgolion Duon and beyond. Very cold for the time of year. Superb running, enjoyed by all the crew, along the ridge to Dafydd, pointing out the 'racing lines' where I could. A steep descent down to Bodesi and our 'second car' in Ogwen completed an enjoyable morning outing. We replenished some calories in the excellent Hen Felin (Aber) cafe before embarking on the second part of the day: climbing at Penmaenbach.

Llanddulas climbing

Crag: Llanddulas Cave
Routes: Mind Light (f6a+:led), Karmic Wind (f6a+:led), Karmic Wind Direct (f6b:sec), Poet Lariat (f6a:led), Not Runout Groove (f5+/6a:sec), Runout Groove (f6b:sec)
After our brief rain-soaked visit here last week, I realised there was some untapped potential so headed back there with Vic in high winds on a brief evening visit. Gusts up to 40mph, so we hoped that the cave and north-east aspect might protect us. It worked a treat, and it was largely calm as I led Mind Light, the first of two longish (20m) routes at f6a+ left of the main cave visible from the A55. The rock is a rather smooth white limestone, mottled with lichen. It runs to rather flat holds and the climbing is quite a bit harder and steeper than it looks from below. Mind Light takes a vague groove heading diagonally right on reasonable holds. Nice flowing climbing up to a good rest on a big footledge. Then steep moves go straight up to the finishing crack, where the position of the lower-off means that the crux is right at the top. I had to leave the crack and make a move or two on small holds up the smooth wall at the top to reach the chains. Satisfyingly smooth lead and a good route. Its companion, Karmic Wind, is a bit harder as it has a distinct crux at half height. After easy, quite juggy climbing low down, I misread the route and went too far right. It actually goes up to the left: a nice sequence of long reaches and small nicks for the feet. Had to steady myself as I moved across to the right line but did the moves cleanly and quickly. Easier and enjoyable climbing leads to the top. The direct route seemed easier, despite the grade, and I continued through with rope above on a private little eliminate of my own making: good training. The weather was clearing nicely, so we headed to the sunshine on the west-facing lower crag (Forgotten Sun area). Sadly, this meant we bore the brunt of the wind, although it was easing slightly. I've done a few routes here before, so led a 6a that I haven't ticked. It was a poor route. Flat holds and awkward climbing up to a mantel to a grassy ledge. Then more sloping handholds and polished footholds lead to a tricky finish. We finished off with the two lines up the groove. The indirect, which I've led before, is awkward and not very good, and takes a weird circuitous line to gain the obvious 'HVS' groove above. Runout Groove itself may be more technical, and gets a 6b grade, but feels easier and takes a more logical direct line up to the groove on small but less polished and more positive holds.

Penmaenhead/Llanddulas climbing

Crag: Penmaenhead, Colwyn Bay
Routes: The Long Run Home (f6a:led), Go with the Flow (f6a:led), Statement of Twilight Years (f6b:led), Fixe Inox City (f6b+:sec*)
Crag: Llanddulas Cave
Routes: Lemon Crunch (f5:sec)
A frustrating evening dodging heavy showers. It had been dry all day in Colwyn Bay (but raining in Chester). Arriving at the crag, that all reversed - a heavy and prolonged shower saw us sheltering under trees then waiting for the routes to dry. Luckily, they dry quickly so we headed up to the Expressway wall. The 6a on the far left is even closer to the A55 than the other routes: to the point that you can't hear yourself think! It was a bit damp in places, but gives nice climbing up a steep wall on small juggy holds to a badly placed second clip which I shamelessly steadied myself on. From here, easier climbing up the arete leads to big flat holds and the finish. Nice rough rock, but not quite as good as the routes further right. We moved through the mud to the Flowstone Wall, where Hayley backed off the slabby 6a (Go with the Flow) in damp conditions. I led through, finding it more technical than I remembered from previous ascents, perhaps because of the damp (and associated muddy feet and hands). The crux involves a pinched little stalactite and the rock above is hard to read from below, but leads to a great pocketed hold. I was keen to push the grade a bit as the rock was drying, so went for the 6b (Statement of Twilight Years) further right. Very muddy at the base, so cleaning the shoes and hands became an issue. Some damp hindered progress too, all of which wasn't ideal as the first clip is a long way up. From a ledge though, some good holds and long reaches lead to the clip, then some excellent technical and fingery climbing often involving high steps and intricate footwork. It is never desperate or overly strenuous, just off-vertical and lowish in the 6b grade. A satisfying onsight lead up small positive edges and flat holds, moving right to the lower-off. I took the opportunity to try the 6b+ to its right, which goes quite easily to a desperate final move which spat me off. A far more disjointed line: not as good as the easier but more sustained and continuous 6b. Hayley then led the f5 as the rain started again, so we left the crag. It was very early, so we parked in Llanddulas and walked up to the cave, a venue I've only visited once before. It was wet, even the subterranean routes inside the cave were seeping. Further right, the wall of white limestone looked extremely inviting but was damp, bordering on wet. Hayley picked her way up Lemon Crunch at f5, an absorbing task in these conditions - wet and slippery all the way up, but well bolted for a change. I had a look at the steeper routes further right, but they were far too wet and by now it was raining again so we slithered down the muddy paths back to the car.

Thurstaston MT race

Race: Thurstaston Multi-Terrain Challenge (6m)
Time/Position: 38.38 (15th from 143 [3rd V40])
I blew up disastrously on this race last year, really suffering in the last mile having got the pacing wrong. A complete contrast tonight: thoroughly enjoyed the excellent course, but started far too slowly, found myself well off the pace and finished 90 seconds slower than 2014. Perhaps next year I will finally pace it correctly! It's a great race, genuinely multi-terrain. A heavy shower passed over just before the start, but a very strong cross/headwind made life predictably tricky for the initial two mile run along the beach. Black clouds billowing over the Dee estuary and the Welsh hills. I was very conservative along the beach, but it is good fun skipping through the stones and deciding whether to opt for the wet sand. The route heads gently uphill through a housing estate before dipping into the woods and a rollercoaster ride along twisting paths and steep steps. All good fun. I was feeling pretty good, but this was probably just a result of my slow pace. After another tarmac section, the finish is along the seemingly endless Wirral cycle path that heads back to the reserve centre via some fields. Picked up a prize for 1st V40 but only by default!

Eglwyseg climbing

Crag: Pinfold, Eglwyseg
Routes: Toccata (VS 5a:sec), Phallic Tower (HVS 5a:sec), Marnie (HVS 4c:sec), Heloma Durum (f6a+:led), Calefaction (VS 4c:sec), Auto da Fe (S 4a:led)
I rarely do trad limestone these days, so Pinfold is not the ideal venue. But it is a lovely silent valley and I have happy memories of trips here in the early 90s (when it was a bit less polished). It's still a quiet place though, and we had the entire valley to ourselves on this Bank Holiday. Vic led old favourite Toccata to begin. I remembered this as a rather stiff VS, and my memory proved reliable! A polished and insecure start on slippery footholds leads to a jutting block in the crack. Overcoming this is supposedly the crux but actually gives an easy move on big holds. Phallic Tower had an insecure start, with all the action taking place at ankle damaging height, as is usual on this crag. So I was happy to remain passenger. Once the phallic tower is gained, the route goes easily up blocky limestone to the top. Marnie is top end HVS, not far off E1 5a. A hard start up an awkward wall leads to a step right into a lovely looking clean hanging groove. Once established in this, the route becomes easier - but the crack in the rather smooth groove is thin and not especially helpful. Very strong line though, and good climbing. Further left, beyond the gully, I led a semi-sports climb (two bolts) up the smooth wall right of the old HVS Exostosis. This was short, and lacked independence, but had a neat and quite technical (f6a+) move up the steep wall by the second bolt. A steep VS, Calefaction, held no memories for me, rather surprising. Quite tough for the grade, it goes up a crack to a small overhang. From a big undercut, you reach up for a nice jug, then expect to find another higher up. Instead, you have to make do with a flattish hold. I finished with a lead of an easy Severe up double cracks that I have done before.

Sussex run

Staying in Eastbourne for a wedding, I left the hotel on the seafront for a morning run to find distinctly unusual south coast conditions of driving rain and strong wind. I ran along the seafront into the headwind, dropping down to a tree-lined gravel path directly above the sea for a while. I continued west to pick up the start of the South Downs Way. I entered the mist after a few feet of climbing and felt at home - I might have been in the Moelwyns above Blaenau Ffestiniog rather than Beachy Head. I ran along the grassy clifftop path for a while but was wet and couldn't see a thing, so sprinted back to the hotel for a mini speed session.

Three Peaks fell race

Race: Three Peaks fell race, Yorkshire (38km/5300ft/AL)
Peaks: Pen y Ghent (691m), Whernside (728m), Ingleborough (723m)
Time/Position: 4.08 (258th from 1000)
As I'd only done a couple of two hour runs in training, having concentrated (as usual) on short road runs all winter, I knew my options were limited today. Given the lack of mileage and recent weeks away from running, my only chance was a slow, steady plod all the way round, which is exactly what I did. Great training for the forthcoming hill running season though, and a classic route which marked its 61st anniversary this year. I last did the famous circuit in early May 1988, as an 18-year-old student hillwalker. It took me over eight hours (which I seem to remember being quite pleased with, as the normal 'challenge time' for walkers is 12 hours!). So despite my shamefully slow pace today, at least it was half my teenage time at well over double the age! After several weeks of perfect spring weather and unbroken sunshine, it was particularly unlucky to be starting in steady rain from Horton in Ribblesdale. A gentle plod up the runnable tracks to Pen y Ghent, then we were into the mist and bitter windchill as we climbed above 600m. Dibbed on the summit checkpoint, then an excellent descent - first grass then tracks across Horton Moor led to a very long almost level run over several miles of open country to High Birkwith. Heavy rain at times on this section, with the second peak Whernside largely obscured by mist but disconcertingly distant. More very runnable terrain led to wet cobbled tracks, now in the Ribble valley, and eventually a long road section to the Ribblehead viaduct. It did occur to me how good this would have been if I was in marathon training and had the legs for it. As it was, a slow plod had to suffice. The infamous slog up Whernside was something of a relief as a result. In fact, I started to make up some places and really enjoyed the very steep finish up the eastern slopes. Felt good for the long descent to Chapel le Dale. This is probably the most scenic part of the run, and despite the rain and mist, I vaguely remembered it from 1988. It had been very cold on Whernside, so it was nice to have warmed up again. A long trot past various caves and sinkholes, classic limestone scenery, led to the very steep climb up a rocky staircase to gain the east ridge of Ingleborough. Again, I found this a relief from the running and made up some places. On the ridge, the weather closed in: a very cold wind blew in a heavy hail shower. This turned to wet snow on the summit plateau. My face froze as I ran into the headwind, which turned into a helpful (but cold) tailwind for the very long (4 mile+) descent via Sulber. This is tough on the legs but my snail's pace earlier in the day allowed me to keep the same slow plod going to the finish back in the village. A classic route, shame I couldn't do it justice. That said, the slow pace rendered it much more enjoyable than any attempt to race would have been.

Penmaenhead climbing

Crag: Penmaenhead, Colwyn Bay
Routes: Ryan's Route (f6a+:led), Clwyd MC (f6a+:sec), Big up the Lizard (f5+:sec), Tan y Lan Kids (f5:sec), Richard II (f6a+:sec), Snowdrop (f6a+:led), Retirement Day (F6a+:sec), Tunnel Vision (f6a+:led*)
A period of superb spring weather: clear skies, cherry blossom, cool nights. But few opportunities for getting out climbing and exploiting any latent 'form' (I use the term loosely) I may have after Spain. So this evening trip - perhaps my fifth trip to this crag below the old Hotel 70 Degrees in Old Colwyn - was a brief bonus. Went for the Expressway wall, partly because I haven't done any routes on it before but also because a group of teenagers lurked below the other walls. It is a strange place to climb, directly above the A55, but the routes are pretty good and the setting sun lit the crag to perfection as I started out up Ryan's Route at 6a+. This turned out well: a nice route, neatly sustained at the grade. Some technical moves up the lower half of the wall, small finger ledges and good friction, led to a long reach and an awkward rest. From here, the route steepens into a groove with good holds which leads to a juggy finish. Good climbing, the grade bang on at 6a+. The route to its left lacks independence but gives good climbing: more sustained than its partner and quite high in the grade. Hard moves away from the second bolt - quite technical and thought-provoking. A good start, so we moved down to the flowstone for Hayley's lead up the 5+ which I've done a few times before. She polished this off comfortably, and we did all three routes. Richard II has a particularly hard move by the second bolt: at least f6b briefly, moving right blindly on tiny holds. The rest is easier - too disjointed. I then led Snowdrop, another f6a+, on the Railway Tunnel Wall, with the sun dipping behind the Orme. This packs a lot of varied climbing into 11 metres! Up a flake crack, quite easy, to ledges and jugs. All going well until I went right after the final bolt, falling from the small crimps. Left is steep but considerably easier - nice positive crimps to the lower-off. Good route, especially given its brevity. A couple of other routes at a similar grade: disappointed to find my strength failing at the top of Tunnel Vision - we found the top move baffling at the grade.

Wrexham border league

Race: Wrexham 4m+ (Border League race 7)
Time/Position: 22.32 (18th from 268)
Five weeks since my last race, with little or no speed training, so I was quite concerned about whether I could maintain any kind of pace tonight. I'd also been suffering from a bit of jet lag since coming back from Japan, but last night slept solidly for the first time so had few excuses. I had a flier on this course two years ago - and was unsurprisingly over half a minute down on that time tonight. Nevertheless, I felt quite good: starting very conservatively, worried I might blow at any moment, but then gaining some confidence and picking up the pace for a decent last two miles. Finished second V40 for the season, for the third or fourth (and final, before moving up a category) time! More importantly, Buckley won the Veterans trophy after coming in to this final race with a very slender lead over Wallasey (and we finished 3rd in Division 1, same as last season).

Inari hill run

A criminally brief visit to Kyoto, the epicentre of Japanese culture. Sadly, the torrential rain that started last night in Kurashiki continued today: all day. Still, I was determined to make the best of it so headed to Inari and the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha. Despite the rain, large numbers of tourists were at the lower temple, and the lower part of the famous and very photogenic alleys of torii - the traditional orange gates that continue all the way up the mountain, tens of thousands of them all with Japanese inscriptions. After the first few hundred metres I could tolerate the tourists no longer and found a side path through the woods. This was runnable and led past wonderful bamboo forests and a number of shrines to a plateau: no people at all! It took a while, and the rain stayed torrential, so I dropped back to the torii path and continued upwards. The volume of people soon dropped away after I reached a small lake. From here, steep paths (still flanked by the orange torii) led up Mount Inari. Good, if unconventional, training for the fell running season. I descended by a different route to Inari station then had a long walk round the eastern hills, lanes and temples of Kyoto. The rain stayed relentless throughout.

Yufu mountain run

An attempt to run up Mount Yufu from the delightful Kyushu hot springs resort of Yufuin during a week-long visit to Japan that began on the southernmost island. The conventional way up the peak involves a bus journey up to a higher launch point, but the mountain is such a handsome objective from the town's main street that I tried to go direct from the station. The plan was to get up and down the twin-headed summit before my return train. This was far too ambitious, and I didn't make the top in time, but I had a great run nevertheless. I jogged through the town and out towards the open countryside and the hill itself, finding the path with surprising ease. It was clearly not the standard way up Yufu, as I was alone and the path was narrow and even a tad overgrown in places. All the signs were in Japanese but the route was clearly heading up in a direct route for the peak. I passed a shinto shrine temple in atmospheric woodland after a few hundred metres. From this point the path past a steeper sided valley then headed up directly for a while before reverting to steep zig zags: all good, as I gained height very rapidly. The sun began to peek through the clouds and unfamiliar bird song filled the air: these things make me happy. After passing through a section of fallen trees, the path emerged at some wooden signs and a great view of Yufu directly in front. It was obvious from this point that I wouldn't make it in time. Still, I was on a broad plateau/sub-peak and was enjoying myself. Some cloud passed over the summit and the wind picked up. The weather was on the change. I scampered back down to the town and within 45 minutes it was raining steadily and the entire mountain was hidden behind dark clouds. Another lovely train journey back to Fukuoka completed the day: past fast-flowing rivers, densely wooded hills and waterfalls. Exactly what I expected rural Kyushu to be like.

Pot Hole climbing

Crag: Pot Hole Quarry
Routes: Un-aided (VS 4b:TR), Grizzly (VS 4c:TR), Grizzly Eliminate (HVS 5a:TR), Major (HVS 5a:TR), Canine Meander (E2 5b:TR), The Dog (HVS 5b:TR), Right Wall (E2 5c:TR)
Another short outing, immediately after a long (2 hour) run. Just up and down a few old favourites for training purposes, with Vic and Hayley. The two eliminate style E2s - Canine Meander and Right Wall - nowadays give the best climbing here, as they are considerably less polished than the natural lines like The Dog and Major (which were polished when I started climbing them 25 years ago!). Nice little pockets, positive with good friction, make them feel much easier than the grade from a purely technical perspective (admittedly with rope above!). After our Spanish cragging trip, and the wall visits, I am getting some strength back, comfortable again on steeper rock and smaller holds: bodes well for summer.

Clwydian run

More last minute training for the Three Peaks fell race: squeezed into a couple of early morning hours as the superb spell of weather continues. Blue skies and birdsong as I plodded up from Llanferres to Foel Fenlli summit, then over to the top of Moel Famau. From here, I climbed back over the shoulder of Foel Fenlli via OD path, then continued on OD to Clwyd Gate and up to the north side of Moel Gyw. Unfamiliar tracks then led east over Cefn y Fran to Ffynnon y Berth farm and back to meet Vic at Pot Hole.

Snowdon walk

Peak: Yr Wyddfa
I had been threatening to take the offspring up Snowdon for some time, but a certain lack of enthusiasm on their part had delayed it! The weather had never quite been right either, but today (Easter Monday) we decided to brave the crowds and go for it: as the weather remained stable, sunny and unusually clear. After an early start I dropped them all off at Pen y Pass and drove down to Dyffryn Mymbyr to park. I ran back up the pass to meet them (I also employed this tactic when climbing on Lliwedd a couple of years ago: it works well but is a bit tiring). We started up the Pyg track with superb views of Crib Goch in front. I broke the ascent down into three stages to help with morale, and we rested at Bwlch y Moch after the first stage! Great views of Lliwedd and, finally, Yr Wyddfa itself. Superb clarity of light, still snow in the gullies (you could almost have climbed all of Central Trinity on a narrow strip of neve this morning). After the level section, morale started to flag a bit on the zigzags, which were getting predictably crowded. But after some infusions of sugar, we gained the tourist route and were soon on top enjoying great views of Eryri, Llyn and a bank of sea mist over towards Ireland. A pleasant lunch, unhurried for once. Ironically, however, the children were eager to descend, so we retraced steps down to the junction with the Miner's Track and headed down the steep path to Glaslyn (many years since I have taken this myself). Glaslyn was sundrenched and friendly: uncharacteristic but wonderful. M and I relaxed with nuts on the cropped grass by the shore of the lake while we waited for K and E. A long ramble back, with a few complaints, to PyP. Then I ran down the new path to PyG and the car in Mymbyr. Perfect weather throughout, and nice to finally get them up a proper hill.

Castle Inn climbing

Crag: Castle Inn, Llysfaen
Routes: School Mam (f6a:led), The Cakewalk (f6b+:led), Cakewalk Direct (f6b+:sec), Finale (f5:sec), Indian Summer (f6a:sec), Happy Return (f4+:led)
Just a short outing to keep things ticking over after the Spanish trip. After warming up on the 6a School Mam, a route I have led many times over the years, I decided to test my finger strength on The Cakewalk at f6b+. This is one of the best routes here, but I haven't led it for many years (20+ probably). As with many UK sports climbs, I consider it a tad overgraded: it would get 6b at the most in Spain or France. It gives excellent technical climbing and is a very satisfying onsight lead, remarkably unpolished given the popularity of the venue (dozens of climbers here today, Easter Saturday). Above the first bolt the route gets rather thin with excellent moves on small but positive holds. It is all there, but does take a bit of reading from below. This style of climbing suits me fairly well, and a few more moves on pinch holds and small ledges eventually gains an uncomfortable finish up unhelpful flat holds. A pleasing lead. I took the opportunity to take in the similar Cakewalk Direct to its left, but avoided the final crux move due to the pendulum (keeping the grade at 6b). Vic then led the now polished Finale, and we moved round to the Fine View wall as the sun broke through the clouds. Warm rock and blue skies: shame our time was limited.

Fox and hounds hash

A novel and enjoyable club outing from the bottom car park below Penbarras. John M had set the course out, following sawdust signs on a tortuous route which weaved in and out of the fire tracks. We made steady progress, and Steve, Jez and I pushed on a bit as we rounded the top of Moel Famau down to the Vale side in a thick mist and steady rain. We caught the route setters twice on the eastern slopes! This allowed us to do a bit more training (trying to maximise the climbing with the imminent Three Peaks race in mind). Eventually we all emerged at the 'fox' in an obscure locale deep in the woods. I extended the day by taking the steepest climb back up to a wet, windy and misty summit with a long run back to the car: maybe 14 miles in total and a lot of valuable climbing.

Sax climbing

Crag: Sax, Alicante, Spain
Routes: Blanes (f4+,4+:sec), Andurina (f6a:led), Tupungato (f5,5+:led p.1), Carrasco (f5:sec)
This was our 'airport crag', but as the flight home was so late it gave us plenty of time to sample yet another superb venue. Quite different in atmosphere to the more mountainous crags further east, Sax is essentially a group of high pyramids of impeccable pocketed limestone. It felt rather like Tremadog in scale and feel: although the views stretched out over a baked yellow valley dotted with almond orchards. The routes are relatively long, often two long pitches. We took the classic Blanes to get a feel for the climbing: the easiest and strongest natural line on the crag. Dave led a long pitch up a slabby rib, with a short bulge overcome with a steep but positive crack. Vic then led up a steep wall, followed by a long series of wide grooves to the top. I stayed as middle-man for this route. The descent takes a narrow and briefly exposed ridge down to a steep chimney, quite entertaining. After a bite to eat, Steve, Dave and Vun arrived. I went for the harder line of Andurina, which looked technical to start. It was indeed: a steep slab gave some great sequences and thought-provoking moves to a hard crux over a mild bulge. This involved a perfect shallow finger pocket and tenuous smears: felt 6b at least. Good friction helped as there was very little for the feet, even with high steps. The route eases at 15m, but stays interesting as another bulge has to be overcome before gaining superb honeycombed rock and big jugs at the upper wall. Another long, excellent pitch. The second pitch is less interesting, so I lowered off. This gave us time for Tupungato, which the other party had done but only to the cave stance. I led the first pitch, which went at a mild f5/VS 4c but was an abolutely superb pitch up slabby rock to a glorious upper red slab on little incut holds. Just wonderful relaxed climbing, absorbing and continually interesting as it slanted rightwards towards the big cave, but never difficult. I brought Dave and Vic up to the cave, and Vic then led the steeper and dramatically contrasting top pitch. This went via exciting moves left of the overhang at the top of the cave to gain a second cave and another pulsating move round a small overhang. Above, a very rough slab with holds like shards of glass (reminiscent of parts of Chateaudouble) led in another big 40m pitch to the top. Another three star classic HVS/E1. After another descent to the base, we were tiring. But light cloud made it cooler in the evening air, and there was just time for Dave to lead one last pitch. He went for a big one: a monster 40m route up the detached pinnacle that rose from an intriguing giant cleft right of the main face. This was an old route, Carrasco, which picked its way up a fairly intimidating piece of rock. It gave yet another excellent pitch, but was at the outer limit of a feasible lower-off (with our gigantic 80m rope!). A steep initial wall was exited by way of a sharp flake crack up to the right. A long slab then gained an upper wall which was climbed on more painfully sharp flake holds and pockets. A long and awkward lower-off into the depths of the cleft. There were other mouth-watering routes on this section of crag, but our stomachs demanded a trip to the town of Sax, where cheap pork steaks and chips fortified us before the drive to the airport.

Echo Valley climbing

Crag: Val de Guadar/Echo Valley, Costa Blanca, Spain
Routes: Espolon Alderlon (f4+:sec), Romero's Birthday (f4+:sec), Synovial (f5:sec), Phalanges (f5+:led), Marian Jones (f6a:sec), Sin Chapa (f6a:led), Pro-Wire (f3:sol), Regalo por Ali (f5:sec), X.M.A.S. (f6a:sec), Phantom (f5+:sec)
It seemed prudent to opt for a single pitch venue after yesterday's monster outing. Scouring the guidebook, Echo Valley seemed to offer a number of advantages: it wasn't far away from our cabin, and seemed likely to offer relaxed and unpolished routes. After breakfast on the fringes of Benidorm, we headed up to the valley: another extraordinary oasis, beautiful tranquility just minutes away from the bustle and unpleasantness of the coast. Echo 1.5 is a newly bolted venue, offering modestly graded routes and the kind of soothing climbing we needed. The lower crag was very short, so we headed to the upper crag and were pleased to find a nice sweep of limestone, rather like a smaller version of Sella but without the polish. It was still a good 30m/100ft high, though, and looked much better than I'd expected. The views over the huge neighbouring crags of Ponoch and down to Calpe and the Med were magnificent. The weather was getting progressively warmer: 22C today and not a cloud in the deep blue sky, but with occasional sea breezes it was quite delightful. Two easy climbs on the left gave a good warm-up, before I seconded Dave up the pleasant Synovial at f5. I opted for Phalanges, a grade harder at f5+, and to my surprise it proved a magnificent outing. A steep slab, just my cup of tea, with superb small incut holds and tiny pockets, led to a small ledge 20 metres up. Sustained and technical up to this point, with some reachy moves, but solutions were always there. Above, the route steepens, but the bulge is overcome on gigantic holds. Superb jugs lead to the lower-off. A tremendous pitch for the grade, as good if not better than anything else on this trip: three stars would not be an exaggeration of its quality as single pitches go. Dave then led the 6a further left: this had a scrappy start, slightly dirty, followed by a short layback leading to technical crack climbing. Low in the grade and not quite the same quality, but worthwhile. I then had a bash at Sin Chapa, a 6a+ and a bit of an eliminate. This was in a similar vein to Phalanges, sustained climbing on small holds and smears. It went well to the top ledge but I didn't fancy the crux 6a+ move from the ledge (mainly because the bolting meant I would have landed on the ledge if I'd fluffed it!). So I used the lower chain to get down. After some excellent tuna and onion empenadas, we moved down to the lower tier as the sun began to sink behind the mountains further up the valley. This was nowhere near as good, but the f5 up the obvious shallow groove, which Vic led, was good. Two soft touch short routes at 6a and 5+ pushed the count to ten, and we retired to the cabin for salmon, lentil and chorizo stew, and kebabs.

Espolon Central

Peak/Crag: Puig Campana, Costa Blanca, Spain
Routes: Espolon Central Direct (uD+/VS 4b f3+,4+,3+,3+,1,4,4,4+,1,4+,4+,4,4: led p.1,3,5,7,9)
This was the route we wanted, and the one that persuaded me to come out here for a few days. The Puig dominates this part of the the Costa Blanca and towers above our 'home' village of Finestrat. The most striking line, Espolon Central is a fairly easy climb, but gives a notoriously long and tiring day (450m/1600ft and 14 pitches), so an early start seemed sensible. Not early by Alpine standards though, so after a substantial breakfast we drove the short distance to the start of the walk-in (we could see part of the route from our cabin east of Finestrat). It was cool, around 7am, and we made excellent progress along an indirect (incorrect?) line, part of the mountain circuit, before heading direct up a shallow valley to the base of the direct start. Less than 40 minutes to the start, rather than the guide time of an hour, which boded well for a reasonably quick ascent. As a rope of three, however, progress would inevitably be slower. We used a single 80m rope, alternating leads with one man in the middle - planning to swap the middle man at the 'lunch ledge', nine pitches up. It was a good plan, and worked well. I led off up the first pitch of the direct start, placing wires for the first time in many months - quite a route for a trad shakedown! Good rough limestone, not polished. Dave's pitch was a little harder, and went up a groove briefly before traversing left to the arete. Nice moves to the belay. I continued up the third pitch, up slabby grooves and tubes, great rock and surprisingly continuous climbing. We'd polished off the Direct Start (a three pitch route in itself!) in around an hour, so things were looking good for an efficient ascent. Dave then led a long traverse up a series of slabs and grooves to a gully, and I continued across the gully to finally gain the base of the long and slender ridge itself (five pitches in!). It was still a little cool as we were on the shady side of the narrow ridge. The route gets more exposed quite quickly as the ridge begins - Dave led pitch six up blocky rock, giving me the next pitch as the route becomes spectacular for the first time, and develops a real mountain ambiance. I moved right up steep but wonderfully juggy rock, over a lot of space, then straight up the front of the ridge: superb relaxed climbing up big flakes and large holds. Excellent nut protection with threads and slings where needed. Great easy pitch, but eclipsed by the next pitch, which leaves a perfect flat ledge to traverse left to gain a long groove/chimney. This is much easier than it looks - a bit of thoughtful bridging and searching for holds helps - and gives continuous interest to the big 'lunch ledge', which we reached at 11.30 after less than four hours climbing. I then switched to the middle of the rope and led a short scramble to the base of a large and complex wall that gives access to the upper (final section) of the ridge. This gave a splendid VS 4b/c pitch, quite slabby with a granite/Ogwen feel to it. A crack slanted left then right with small positive holds giving way to more blocks and jugs. The stance was spectacular, a little ledge poised above the ridge - the views were now stupendous. Warm sunshine, crystal clear, deep blue skies: the Med was directly in front with the tower blocks of Benidorm a constant, but distant, feature. All the local peaks and crags were visible: Sella, Castellets and so on, with Finestrat directly below. Vic then took the lead, which we prudently split given the shortness of the rope. A short horizontal ridge to a belay below a deep fissure. This was easily the crux of the route for me, partly because I'd taken over ownership of the heaviest sac as middle man. It dragged me outwards for the horrible thrutch at the top of the deep groove, flailing for pinch holds on the outer walls. By far the most polished rock of the entire route too: it was all eerily reminiscent of my experience on the crux pitches of the Grand Parcours at Sainte Victoire. Indeed, in its length and general 'feel', that route (done with Vic in 2012) was an obvious point of comparison (this route was less technical, slightly shorter, but far more sustained). Above, another spectacular stance - a small ledge poised above 1000ft of ridge with the Mediterranean directly in front. The next pitch was good again: a steep start followed by a twisting crack complete with perfect hidden jugs - superb, varied pitches. A giant platform at the top, and the end was in sight! The final pitch (number 14!) took a deep groove, awkward at the start, and led to easier ground with one final steep move round an overlap. From here, scrambling led to a tree and some welcome shade. This made a nice lunch spot, as we'd taken almost seven hours on the route (not too bad for a team of three). The descent is notoriously long and complex: but it was tremendously satisfying and added hugely to the overall experience. A long system of exposed ledges, with thin cables in places, led horizontally over a series of steep gullies to eventually gain a few chimneys which led to a levelling. We were now above the final wide descent gully, but the route finding and interest still wasn't over. Small holds and tricky edging down a limestone slab led to more good scrambling down a weaving and intriguing line. Eventually, we gained the screes and took an efficient line down to gain a broad spur which led towards the car. Superb backwards views of the route: a stunning and striking line, equally notable from the streets of Finestrat below. A long day in the saddle: almost 10 hours door to door. But the early start gave us plenty of time to refuel with an authentic paella later on.

Sella climbing

Crag: Sella, Costa Blanca, Spain
Routes: Cartugal (f5+:led), Deja Vu (f5:sec), Marion (f5+,4+,5:led p.1), Mister Pi Direct (f6a+:sec), Martxa d'aci (f6a:led)
A famous venue indeed, which seemed a logical choice for the first day of our brief cragging trip to the Costa Blanca. A shakedown day was inevitable, as I haven't climbed outside since last summer. Although I have done a lot of general mountaineering in Spain - in the Pyrenees, Picos de Europa and Sierra Nevada - I haven't done much pure rock climbing in the country. But while I had anticipated quality routes, I wasn't fully prepared for the sheer beauty of the terrain just a few miles inland from the urbanised coast. Sella was no exception, and after breakfast in Finestrat we drove up the enchanting valley to find this most famous of crags completely deserted. The weather had cleared after several days of rain, and we had hit the jackpot after a cold night in our log cabin in the hills below the Puig Campana: stunning clarity of light, crystal clear far-reaching cloudless views, and warm sunshine. I kicked off with a lead of the three-star Cartugal: a delightful, if rather polished, 5+ on the popular Sector Marion. This was a good choice, and seemed to indicate that my 2015 plan to train a little bit and climb indoors for the first time in a quarter of a century of climbing had paid off. It was a bit battered, but gave thought provoking and quite delicate climbing on pockets with shuffles left and right: a satisfying lead, very comfortable. After seconding Vic up the slightly easier Deja Vu, we then decided we should take advantage of the emptiness to bag the classic Marion. This is the best known route here: a longer three-pitch affair which takes the obvious arete and is very photogenic. It is a popular route, notoriously polished, so I was unsurprised to be faced with an off-balance boulder-problem start despite the lowly grade. After the first steep blocky moves, easier climbing leads to an awkward belay with lovely views over the valley. Just great to be out here with the sun on our backs. Dave then led the very long middle pitch - gentle but sustained and absorbing climbing in an increasingly exposed position. We all lowered off from the end of the difficulties on the tricker third pitch - a tough job to strip the gear from the route. Whilst in this area, we took the opportunity to try the direct version of Mister Pi, which gives good intricate moves over a tough bulge. Considerably harder if (as we did) you avoid the obvious crack further right: fingery and technical crux. As the sun dropped, we headed over to the Competicion sector, with its immaculate sweep of (rather polished) limestone. It was also my kind of terrain, just off vertical, delicate and semi-technical, so I pushed the grade up a tad with a lead of another well-known classic, Martxa d'aci. This is fingery and very sustained in its lower section. Small positive holds and pockets led to a technical section with one long reach, a hard and distinct crux. I was tiring now, and used the lower off right of the final groove. Great pitch - but long and sustained again, so we thought it best to retire for beer and pizza with a very long and tiring day in prospect tomorrow.

Mold border league

Race: Mold 5.5m (Border League race 5)
Time/Position: 29.12 (21st from 242 [4th v40])
Not a great outing: felt tired as soon as we turned onto the familiar hill up to Nercwys. Never really recovered, and couldn't get anywhere near Jez's small group that pulled away on the hill. Just hanging on towards the finish, feeling quite drained of energy: at least 40 seconds down on my best times for this course. Very little running last week, but only returned from Portugal yesterday, so general tiredness may be to blame.

Lisbon run

Just a short early morning pre-conference jog from my hotel near the Jardim Botanico up the hill to the top of the Edward II park. This gives magnificent views over the city to the Tagus beyond, and I did a few laps: steeply up on one side, relaxing downhill slopes on the other (mild hill reps!). Lots of walking round this delightful, hilly city.

Clwydian run

A belated attempt to push the hill mileage before next month's Three Peaks race in Yorkshire. This was a very enjoyable solo outing, and an attempt to replicate the race on our local hills (the 'three peaks' for training purposes being Moel Famau, Moel Arthur and Pen y Cloddiau!). Parked below Cilcain then took the race route down to the Pump House then up the steps to Famau: nobody around this early in the morning. The glorious running along the ridge before taking the steep diretissima up the front of Moel Arthur. Cloudy and cool throughout: ideal conditions. I extended the day considerably by heading out to distant Pen y Cloddiau, then back over the shoulder of Arthur to pick up the track down to Pedair Groesffordd and Cilcain. Two hours for the round: steady, gentle and enjoyable for a change.

Prestatyn border league

Race: Prestatyn 8.8k (Border League race 4)
Time/Position: 30.08 (16th from 248 [4th V40])
Felt very weak on Friday, to the point that I even backed off the usual jog up Moel Famau. A mild virus going round. As a result, it was a relief to feel OK as we set off in dreadful conditions, icy rain and cold wind, from Ffrith beach. This course was a change from the usual Prestatyn borders course: essentially two laps from Ffrith to the Nova centre and back via some waterlogged paths. With the wind at our backs, we made good progress eastwards, then struggled into the headwind back to Ffrith. Jez and I were neck and neck the whole way, working well with Craig and others into the headwind at a steady pace: a great mini-peloton! Jez sprinted away in the final 200m, but I held off the rest of the group to finish in my usual average BL place.

Pot Hole climbing

Crag: Pot Hole Quarry
Routes: The Watzmann (VS 4b:sh), Treffynnon (VS 4b:sh), Unaided (VS 4b:sh), Grizzly (VS 4c:sh), Major (HVS 5a:sh)
Just a few shunted evening routes in preparation for the forthcoming Spanish cragging trip, now the evenings are getting a little lighter. I haven't touched rock since August, but after several visits to the wall (breaking the habit of a lifetime) I was hopeful of some strength improvements. I was on my own, but the sun broke through and mitigated a cool wind. I've done all these routes dozens of times and have been visiting the crag since the 1980s. Went up and down a few old favourites, using different variations and avoiding the bigger holds: felt quite good, which is more than I can say about the subsequent run from Cadole.

Anglesey Half Marathon

Race: Anglesey Half Marathon
Time/Position: 1.23.04 (27th from 1299 [4th V40])
A weekend in Henllys booked a year ago and, by sheer coincidence, the Anglesey half marathon headed past the front door (almost). As I always do a long run when on Anglesey, I entered it with a few weeks to go. Sadly, that meant very little time to get some mileage in my legs so it was with some inevitability that I started to struggle soon after getting to Beaumaris - even with the wind at my back from the superb and memorable start on the 'mainland' side of Menai Bridge. Over the Straits was a real treat on a sunny St David's Day, and the road was closed to traffic giving excelllent scenic running past the family in Henllys (through 10k in 37.11). Then comes a long and familiar climb through Llanfaes and Llangoed before the homeward leg into an awful headwind. This became fierce along the front in Beaumaris, just as I became vulnerable to fatigue given current lack of mileage. Lost a lot of time, but not too many places, on the hilly homeward leg to Menai Bridge into the headwind. Slowest time for years, but a great course: and very nice to be back relaxing in the pool before 11am.

Parbold Hill Race

Race: Parbold Hill Race, Lancashire (6.75m)
Time/Position: 46.33 (17th from 464 [4th V40])
This famous race was celebrating its 45th birthday this year, making it three months older than me. It tends to clash with the Wrexham half marathon, which is some explanation for the fact that I have never done it before. It is a real cracker: which hovers some way between a fell race and a trail race in tone. A frantic start, dashing round a field, leads to a long road section through Bispham village, then off road on a fell-race style climb to a quarry, surprisingly steep. From here some fields lead eventually to the road at Parbold and a longer climb on the main road (A5209) to the top of the hill. I fell headlong on one of the muddier sections, but a soft landing meant no harm was done. I gained three places on the climb and pushed on a bit for the superb running along fields and tracks at the top of the very broad 'ridge' which leads to some kind of summit. I slid under a stile with a mile to go, painfully scraping the skin from my shins. Hobbling a bit, my ankle still fragile, I slowed for the leap over the hay bale then the plunge into the stream just before the finish: and lost the places I'd gained.

Alsager 5m

Race: Alsager 5
Time/Position: 28.47 (77th from 896)
Despite the fact that recent intervals sessions have been close to my best, this was a rather disappointing minute slower than the time I'd targeted (I haven't done many flat 5 milers so hoped to get under my PB of 28.00). Alsager is a fast course and a well-known competitive race which attracts an elite field from across the UK, but despite that I struggled almost from the start. I went through the second mile well over my target time of 11 minutes, then fell back further as the route switches back from the town centre to a long run-in against a fairly brisk and cold headwind.