The Novelty Wears Off

I make that 24 days now...

1. Min Pistyll & Llechau Mawr with Helen
2. Y Grisau with Magpie
3. Craig Y Merched with Coel
4. Y Foel Penolau with Emma
5. Ffridd & Moelfre with Emma
6. Col Crag with Tezza T and Coel
7. Ramp Crags & Foel Wen with Coel
8. Graig Isa with Pylon Kunt
9. Foel Wen & Colonel Jones Wall with PK, Stannerz and Jerry
10. Foel Wen with PK
11. Y Grisau & Llechau Mawr with PK and PeteJH
12. Father's Day Crag with PK and TT
13. Crawcelt on my own
14. Clip with Smelly Fox
15. Craig Bodlyn on my own
16. Craig Swn Y Nant with PK
17. Carreg Fawr with PK and TT (who got us hopelessly lost)
18. Llawlech with PK, Stannerz and TT
19. Ysgor Y Gwn with TT
20. Two Tower area with TT, PK, and Stannerz
21. Craig Bodlyn with PK
22. Bwchan Woodland Crag with PK and TT
23. Craig Galch with Coel
24. Carreg Y Saeth with Coel and Purkle

Maybe one can have too much of a good thing?? Even when it looks this good...

I was pleasantly accosted in the Ynys Etws CC hut the other week by various people who either knew me as "that Fiend guy off UKC" (no no, I'm his twin brother and not nearly as much of a complete arsehole) or had actually read this blog or both. Which was nice - good chat! During the course of the conversation on ethics, exploration, and everything, the sentence cropped up "no offence but I'm not sure I'd entirely trust your word on particular routes....". Honestly. Really! I was mortified. As if my route / crag judgement isn't entirely objective and scientifically accurate??

After all, what clearer indication of a climber's sanity and judgement than spending 24 days total climbing in The Rhinnogs, 22 of which were after extensive DVTs and most of which were while being based in Scotland?? Swerving past the reliable accessible honeypots of the Pass and Tremadog, dragging friend and foe through boulders and bilberries for the promise of some 10m hollow-starred hidden gem that Martin bloody Crocker soloed in the rain after shunting and then completely misgraded without the slightest concern for what it would actually be like for the mid-grade leader?? Exemplary evidence of a balanced perspective, surely...

In my actual defence, I do know when esoteric is esoteric, and it sometimes looks like this...

But the Rhinnog novelty might be wearing off. It was cool to explore there yet again, stumbling through heather, downgrading previously unrepeated Leo Houlding routes, etc. But the crags were a bit uncouth compared to some of the genuine gems I'd visited previously, and the feel of the rock and climbing was a bit less exciting. This may or may not have something to do with Carreg Y Saeth (above) having the worst crag base I've ever been to in those hills, and one of the worst sandbags - on the apparently solid-starred Koh-I-Noor, which must have been "confirmed" by someone either 6'6" or who thinks that Font 6B bloc is a standard finish to an E3. It also may have something to do with running out of appealing places to explore. Looking forward, Mur Y Tonnau, Y Clawydd and Craig Morwynion look amazing on paper but their Northerly aspect guarantees lichen, a plan to downgrade all of Williams & Kerr's 5m HVS at Cefn Cam has already be done by Tezza T who might be putting them in his bouldering guide, and errr, that's it?? I might be tempted by a return to the genuinely excellent Y Foel Penolau and maybe a solo recce along the ridge near Clip... Maybe TT will reveal some reliable gems. Maybe PK will persuade me to some wire brush nu-routing after he's had a good session belaying me on the Lleyn.

But maybe it's time to head back to somewhere legitimately great. Like The Range, of course...