Weather pretty good and set off at 5am for the 6.5hr drive up to Snowdonia. Arrived just after noon, and not wanting to waste the day, parked up in the car park behind Joe Brown’s in Capel Curig and started walking. Headed up onto the ridge walking towards the Glyders and Tryfan. The top of the ridge is quite flat in sections and was a bit spongey to say all the dry weather we’ve had recently. Would not want to go up there after a recent rainfall! Kept walking gaining height up to Gallt yr Ogof. With the day wearing on, did not wait around there long and headed up towards Y Foel Goch. From here you get a nice view of the South East face of Tryfan and can see Snowdon in the distance. Carried on walking up to Gyder Fach, then a quick walk down to Heather Terrace and onto the footpath in the valley below following the Afon Llugwy back towards Capel Curig and the Car.
On Tuesday I organised to get out with one of my old teachers to go do some climbing, we decided on Kinder South as neither of us had been there. We where hoping for a cooling breeze and sharp dry grit, we where not disappointed with this moorland crag, with the routes being brutal, lots of thrutching and painful hand jams. We started on the Classic Upper Tor Wall HS 4b, me leading. Nice, and at times exposed climbing all the way to the top. Next I followed on Ivory Tower HVS 5b, which was also really nice climbing!
We both agreed that for moorland this seemed too nice, and agreed that whatever we climbed for the rest of the day the 40mins uphill approach was worth it just to climb these too. Next I picked something that looked straight forward following some pockets up a slightly overhanging slab using the crack systems on either side. The route was The Punter E1 5b. There was a lot of hand jamming involved and a lot of skin was lost, not realising it was overhanging till on the route, feeling very relieved when I topped out regretting my decision not to borrow the crack climbing gloves! The following few routes where all pretty much the same sort of stuff, lots of thrutching, hand jamming and nothing seeming easy, even when you dropped a few grades! Well worth the walk though, and will defiantly be returning.
Rained the rest of the week, but managed to get some bouldering in at The Works, but mostly just spent the rest of my time with my family.