Progress Map


A map of all the routes and our progress so far

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Misplaced Confidence - Savage Slit

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In a fit of optimistic arrogance, or perhaps arrogant optimism, I set off from Cairngorm mountain car park in my soft walking boots, intending to climb in them so as to not have to carry excess weight up (we were doing a circular walk from the top, rather than lowering off). John reminded me that I’d had a bit of an issue in similar boots on Lazarus in Idwal, I reminded him that I’d done Tophet Wall in them. Plus, the photos of Savage Slit all showed loads of supremely useful-looking horizontal ledges that should make easy work of a corner climb. View from "sandwich ledge" Walking into Coire an Lochan isn’t particularly hard fought; a gentle rise from a high car park with facilities, we were well into the bowl before any sweating was required. For some reason the guidebook talks of Savage Slit being on the 4th buttress from the left, instead of just saying the big lump on the right above the slabs, and because the slit itself isn’t visible until you’re almost there, the debat...
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Flying Buttress and Spiral Stairs, Dinas Cromlech - always a school day

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Also known as the day the Ravens ate John's malt loaf. Out of all the classics so far, Flying Buttress in The Pass holds a strange place in my logbook. I’ve climbed the route 2.67 times and never had a dull visit; learning many lessons, making mistakes and gaining experience. The Cromlech is close enough to the road that you’d be able to see someone breaking into your car in the layby, but at the same time so remote that you’d be able to do nothing about it for an hour or two. It’s kind of a roadside crag but not a place to get caught out. In June 2004, Flying Buttress was my 6th multi-pitch lead and despite being a bit gloomy, was still a good day for climbing. Partner for the day, Hannah, was a little more experienced but we were definitely learning together and were pretty pleased with ourselves as she set up a belay at the top of pitch 3. Although a pair was ahead of us, they seemed experienced and were moving quickly.  As JG, their leader, shouted he was safe at the top of pit...
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There’s always Tremadog

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The initial garden pitch of Craig Dhu Wall Whenever we’ve travelled to North Wales for climbing, there’s been the idea that if the mountain weather ever turns against us, Tremadog will be there; where the sun always shines and even if it rains, you can take the 5 minute walk back to the car and sit it out, because this famous cliff dries again pretty much instantly. So, having never planned a visit, but with the drizzle putting us off the mountain VS routes of Idwal, we arrived at Craig y Castell, which had seemingly suffered an absolute soaking just minutes earlier. As I write this I’ve just read the blog from Anna Taylor, who was coming towards the end of her self-powered Classic Rock round at about the same time we were tackling the mighty Craig Dhu Wall. Congratulations Anna, an amazing feat to cycle between every route and climb them all in just 2 months. Seeing how much coverage you’ve received from mainstream sources as well as the climbing world makes me realise why we didn’t ...
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