Author: stu_mcinnes@hotmail.co.uk

After a long period of solid work, its been awesome to have the last week off. It’s given me the time to get out and explore on the bike, find new places to run, go climbing for myself catch up with life! Rather than go on too much about it, below are some pictures, from climbing in North Pembrokeshire, cycling over the Preseli’s and to St Brides bay and the usual Pembrokshire sunset..

The sun setting over North Pembrokeshire

Climbing near Caerfai…

Showing Joey the amazing Red Wall, at Porth Clais…

Mid cycle to Dale, stopping at St Brides Bay to stretch the legs…

Quick stop to catch my breath cycling over the Preseli Mountains…

A busy bank holiday weekend in Pembrokeshire finished off an awesome week, the weather was mostly good after the large swell from the previous weekend cleared, and I had the pleasure of some lovely company whilst working.

A day at Newton Head with a family of keen novices in glorious sunshine started the week. Warm, sunny and some great climbs made for a top day. They all pushed their limits both climbing and abseiling, and with the crag to ourselves on such a fine day it was a great day at work, finishing with an ice-cream in the sun!

Climbing at Newton Head

After a couple of days off and some personal climbing in North Pembrokeshire, I was working the weekend for TYF. The bank holiday weekend, especially when the weather’s good, is the busiest time of year in  Pembs, so you often have to work hard to avoid the crowds…

Climbing at Porth Clais

We climbed at Porth Clais and at Pen y Cyfrwy, and somehow each time had the crags to ourselves. The sun shone, the groups were awesome and motivated and keen to immerse themselves in the environment and full of questions about what was around us. As usual a great few days working in Pembrokeshire! Now the bank holiday’s finished and most of the bird bans have lifted I’m really excited to get out on some of the crags where I’ve had my eye on new routes!

Climbing at Pen y Cyfrwy

Since being back from India I’ve been straight back into it with barely a moment for my feet to touch the ground. The day after arriving back in the UK I was back with return client Tony, who wanted to be shown some of the lovely south Pembrokeshire limestone classics. We went to Saddle Head, a crag near St Govans, climbing loads of the routes there. As ever he did awesomely well, especially considering his long lay off from climbing.

Tony seconding at Saddle Head on a guided climbing day in south Pembrokeshire..

As well as a few days guiding I managed to get an afternoon out climbing back in south Pembrokeshire at Mother Careys with Alun. After the steep abseil in we headed into the Space cave and did a few classic multi-pitches in the vicinity. Its’ a crag with an underserved fearsome reputation. Sure it’s steep and committing, and you have to get the conditions just right, but the rewards you gain from climbing at a crag like this make it an experience that’s etched on your brain far more intensly than many other experiences…

Alun Climbing at Mother Careys, an excellent spot in south Pembrokeshire

I had a day out working for TYF, with a really talented group of youngsters. Despite being only 8 they absolutely crushed everything Porth Clais had to offer them! I really hope they continue their climbing as they were all seriously talented!

Climbing at Porth Clais for TYF

Another top day was had with clients on the south Pembsrokeshire limestone, climbing many multi-pitch classics again in the St Govans area, and I managed to sneak in a couple of deep water solo’s afterwards. The lines are so high for solos! If you keep your head it’s a really fun way to explore the crags! With an amazing bit of evening sunshine it seemed rude not to finish the day with a pint and a sunset at the Druidstone. one of my favourite local pubs…

Sunset at the Druidstone

A few days was spent working with Coastal Adventures with an awesome group of young people who all faced adversity in their lives for different reasons. As well as rock climbing we went kayaking, surfing and coasteering. It was super inspiring to see them putting their all into the activities and getting so much out of it. It really does make you think as a fully able bodied person that you should be capable of so much more! Hopefully I’ll be able to apply some of their attitude to my own climbing!

Climbing at Porth Clais with Coastal Adventures

We also ran an SPA refresher course for a few candidates at Newton Head, again in south Pembrokeshire. We spent the day looking at all aspects of the group work side of the syllabus, alongside some access and conservation input and general talk on the remit of the SPA, kit use and maintenance… They were a really fun group and very competent and receptive, and I’ve no doubt they’ll go on to do really well in their upcoming assessments!

Looking at the group abseil in the SPA syllabus in south Pembrokeshire..

For the last month I have been leading a trip for World Challenge to the Indian Himalaya. The trip has a few focus areas, including a project within a local community/school etc, a trekking phase and finally some RnR! Our trip to the Indian Himalaya was heavily focused towards the trekking – perfect for me!

Trekking in the Indian Himalaya

We flew in to Delhi after a lovely flight with Virgin, and arrived early in the morning ready for a long slog up to Manali, in the foothills of the Indian Himalaya. After the flight, an airport shuttle, a train, a tuk-tuk, a bus and some walking, we arrived with a couple of days to gather out bearings and explore this great town. We did some day walks and spent a while in a school, helping renovate areas and even got involved with some teaching (or crowd control if you were with the youngest ones!) before finally leving for our trek.

First big summit for the team in the Indian Himalaya

We were to combine a few different stages, taking us right through the Indian Himalaya over 140km and up towards Kashmir and Pakistan. We started through lush forest with monkeys and ginormous and loud insects, before heading higher up to the Hampta Pass, at 4300m. The highest many of the team had been, we took it slow and everyone got over fine, to be greeted with views to the bigger Himalayan peaks. A small amount of snow provided some interest on the pass but everyone was in high spirits as we descended the other side into the rainshadow of the mountains to a dry and arid environment.

Putting the hard yards in above 5000m in the Indian Himalaya

Here we took our first rest day after 6 days of walking, but not one to waste a day in the hills, I had other ideas… After buying a goat of a local shepherd we dispatched it and the cook team helped prepare it for tea, whilst they were doing this I took a few of the lads up a nearby mountain. In the absence of detailed and accurate mapping it was very much exploratory mountaineering – the best sort! The hill ended up being 4850m and with a decent bit of scrambling to the summit. The team that came with me pushed themselves hard but the views were compensation enough for the toil! Back to a tasty goat curry too  – a top day!

At 5300m in the Indian Himalaya

The next phase of our trek in the Indian Himalaya took us along an impressive glacial valley and up towards the large lake of Chandra Tal, a turquoise paradise nestled in amongst the high peaks. This section took us 4 days to walk but we were accompanied by truly breathtaking views along the way… A dog had attached himself to us at this point too, nothing unusual about this in India, but he was a very affable chap and he seemed to like spending time with us, so we fed him and he became our follower for the next 7 days! He was a fussy eater though, and had to have lots of sauce on his rice!

A class sunset in the Indian Himalaya – surreally clear starry night about to ensue…

Another rest day once we were camped by the lake, and another chance for some extra mountaineering! A few lads accompanied me as we quested off again into the unknown… After a long day, we had bagged an unnamed summit at 5300m, with some decent scrambling towards the top. We were accompanied the whole way by the dog too, apart from the final scramble! Top dog! An amazing sunset and surreal star-scape topped off a memorable day…

Camped by the river in the Indian Himalaya, ready for a 4am departure…

The last 4 days of our trek in the Indian Himalaya took us deeper into the hills, over the 5000m pass of Baralacha La. The days were not too arduous, but some very early starts were necessary to avoid the deep and fast flowing glacial torrents that rose rapidly throughout the day. It was one of these rivers, at 4am, that ended the dogs walk, as it was just too deep and powerful for him to cross. The lads needed a safety rope and even the horses were struggling, so the poor dog didn’t stand a chance. Fortunately he knew this and we left him tail wagging by the side of the river…

After a couple of memorable campsites and more shooting stars than we could count, we finally made it to the trail head on the Manali to Leh highway. Now for the mammoth journey back south to Delhi, 40 hours on jeeps, busses, trains and taxis, over the Rotang Pass, along bum twitchy high mountain roads, and with a few millitary checkpoints thrown in for good measure – oh and a collapsed suspension that was fixed in the middle of no-where with a log hammered into place and tied with some cord. Good old India…

Our last campsite, spectacular views as per the norm in the Indian Himalaya.

Ockbrook School Gold DofE expedition

This last week I’ve been supervising a Gold DofE expedition in Snowdonia, for ten girls from Ockbrook School. I ran their practice expedition a few months ago, where we had blizzards in the Brecon Beacons, so we were all hoping for better conditions this time! I met them and their school leaders in Llanfaifechan, from where they would start a 4 day journey, totally self supported, to south of Snowdon. The ethos of the Gold DofE expedition is that the students carry everything they need for the 4 days, camping, cooking and looking after themselves along the way. The days are long and the walking arduous, and the experience of a wild-camp is new to most of them. Its a fairly big ask for the students, who often have very little experience in the outdoors, and a big achievement when accomplished.

After a short drive to the start point, the girls were off on the start of their Gold DofE expedition, into the rain and over the Carneddau… My role as a supervisor was to ensure their safety, but essentially to leave them to it, let them make their own decisions and experience it all for themselves. By staying out the way but nearby, I was able to shadow one of the groups whilst Simon the school leader did the same with the other team as their routes were slightly further apart at this point. Off they walked into a strong wind, driving rain and terrible visibility. The girls definitely felt disorientated in the ten meter visibility, but had all the skills to cope, and impressively always stayed on track, by being at key points at key time I was happy they were safe and very impressed they coped so well. Definitely a baptism of fire on day 1!

The Ockbrook School girls by Dulyn bothy on their Gold DofE expedtion.

We arrived at Dulyn bothy, which we had to share with another team, but having the opportunity to hang out inside and cook out of the weather the girls were able to take stock of the day. They were camping outside (us softy leaders were inside in the bothy..) and the weather imporoved to ring out blue skies and a nice rainbow… Lovely finish to a testing first day of the girls Gold DofE expedition.

The start of day 2 saw nice weather and straightforward navigation, a thankful respite after yesterdays conditions. The walk was a fairly long way with the girls going all the way to tonight’s camp in Ogwen. After an uneventful day and pleasant views, the girls arrived at camp in typical North Wales torrential rain! Poor souls! They just got on with the tasks in hand, got their tents up, cooked tea, and despite being soaked to the skin, kept smiles on their faces… A lesser group would have buckled but they just got on with it…

Walking out from Dulyn bothy in the sunshine

After packing up a wet camp, the day started again in the dry, with some brilliant warm sunshine to warm the souls whilst walking down the Ogwen valley and up into Cwm Idwal, over to Llyn Bochlwyd before heading over Tryfan Bwlch and onto the shoulder of the Glyders, and a long walk down to Llyn Gwynant…. The girls were loving the scenery and had a stop in the visitor centre to learn some bits and pieces about the area. After a long ascent they got to the top all OK. I was very pleased the good visibility and dry weather gave me an opportunity to supervise by maintaining a visual on them the entire time I was scrambling up Glyer Fach! As the girls were descending to the Pen y Gwyrd, the heavens opened again! Being day 3, not having eaten enough during the day and the general cold and dampness, spirits were low when I met them at the road… After a little food and drink and they started the descent to camp, which fortunately was at the well equipped Llyn Gwynant campsite. Thankfully the evening dried off, the girls had a shelter to cook under, and as it was on of their birthdays the teachers had brought a cake and candles. We left them for their last night camping in high spirits and positive for the last day (or at least for home, shower and a  proper bed!).

By Llyn Bochlwyd during the Ockbrook Schools girls Gold DofE expedition.

The last day of the Ockbrook School girls Gold DofE expedition saw them head over Yr Aran and down to Rhyd Ddu. The weather was good, the views awesome and after a long and slightly demoralising slog up from the lake to the col between Snowdon and Yr Aran, the girls loved the opportunity to have a bit of an adventurous scramble up to the summit if Yr Aran. Whilst not a high summit, its quiet, un-spoilt and the views breathtaking. With larger mountain on one side and sea on the others, it was possibly the best spot in Snowdonia to be… After a simple descent to Rhyd Ddu, the time came to take of the heavy rucksacks, change into  comfortable footwear and get on the bus home! It was an amazing effort from the girls in at times extremely testing conditions, but they all coped superbly to complete their Gold DofE expedition.

Ockbrook School girls on the summit of Yr Aran, at the end of their Gold DofE expedition

Lead Climbing Skills Courses in Pembrokeshire

This week I’ve had Karl and Mike with me, developing their Lead Climbing Skills. They are on a learn to lead climb week with me. They started the week having done a small amount of outdoor climbing, but eager to learn, and the weather couldn’t have been better for us! Every day we had clear blue skies and good tides, and with the guys keen to climb as much rock as possible we had some pretty long days!

We started at Porth Clais, where we started with the building blocks of lead climbing skills, anchor selection and belay creation… We top-roped as many of the routes as we could, giving the guys plenty of opportunity to start cementing in their heads the fundamentals of safety. We took a walk over to Porth y Fynnon and did a few routes there, before finishing with a trip up Velvet Wall. A top first day, very productive and the chaps climbed heaps of routes!

Lead Climbing at Caerfai

On day 2 we started at Initiation Slabs, re-capping the skills from the day before, climbing some lovely routes on top-rope whilst we waited for the tides to drop enough to allow us to get to Pen y Cyfrwy. Here the guys did their first lead climbs, on routes well within their ability so they could concentrate purely on the process of leading and gear placement, without having to worry about the climbing itself… After a couple of leads each and some more fun top-ropes, the guys both managed to get up an E4! Great day developing their lead climbing skills and having a crack at a hard route!

By now the guys lead climbing skills were starting to sink in, so we headed to Caerfai, where they could knock off route after route! After some easier leads, both Mike and Karl led up to hs 4b, a superb achievement after just 2 days of lead climbing! A trip to Caerfai isn’t complete without climbing Amorican, and the guys both agreed that the route is truly superb! We had a little extra entertainment in the day by having to help a stuck climber back up the cliff. The pair were very grateful and even wrote a nice review on Facebook for us! It was through no fault of theirs that they were in that predicament, and hopefully their experience hasn’t put them off!

Mike and Karl at the base of Carreg y Barcud..

I decided the guys needed a bigger challenge, so on Thursday we went to Carreg y Bardud. Probably the biggest, most impressive sweep of sandstone in North Pembrokeshire, it has some truly classic climbs there. They were suitably impressed by the place, and I was pretty excited to see a Badger running around at the top of the crag..! They were by now putting their new lead climbing skills to good use, and again led plenty of the routes at Barcud. They also top-roped some harder lines, including Sinecure at E1 and Hypocrite at E3. Well done guys!

Karl belaying Mike up First Corner, after leading it…

It was sad that we had come to our final day, as the guys had been such good company, climbed amazingly well, and Pembrokeshire and it’s weather had been on top form! With a choice of destinations, we chose to re-visit Porth Clais, and put all the new lead climbing skills to good use and test the guys on the lead on the routes that they had top-roped back on day 1. We had it all today, hanging belays, the guys pushing their comfort zones now the process of leading and gear placement was becoming second nature, they could have a go at some harder leads. With the crag to ourselves the guys climbed all the lines they could, culminating in their first vs lead! Top effort for their first weeks proper outdoor climbing…

Putting all the lead climbing skills into practise, leading a HS at Porth Clais..

Its been a super fun week, and I have been really impressed and proud of both Mike and Karl, the effort they have put in and information they have absorbed. Now they have the lead climbing skills to go out on their own and have some adventures!

All the lead climbing skills coming together! Hanging belay and trusting the gear!

Over the weekend I’ve been running an SPA training course. The SPA (single pitch award) is the outdoor industry standard award for taking groups climbing outdoors, and is overseen by Mountain Training. Candidates have to have a certain amount of climbing experience before completing their SPA training, this follows with a certain amount of time consolidating their personal and group work skills, filling their log-books with assisting on group sessions and personal climbing at a certain grade. The amount of time this takes depends on many factors, but when candidates are ready and have fulfilled all the other pre-requisites, they can undertake their SPA assessment.

Malley leading at Newton Head during his SPA training…

Over the 2 day training we go to an indoor wall to look at how we could use it with a group, some of the rules and regulations, warm ups, games and skill coaching techniques, but the majority of the time is spent outdoors. We look at the hard skills of placing protection and creating anchor systems in a variety of contexts, for personal use and with groups, climbing and abseiling. We aim to iron out any bad habits that climbers have developed, and get everyone showing good, safe textbook style skills. Problem solving using simple safe solutions is practised, mainly by problem avoidance! Part of the syllabus is around subjects such as access and conservation, kit maintenance and climbing history/etiquette, so we spend time talking about a wide variety of subjects and sharing ideas…

Sina leading during her SPA training in Pembrokeshire

We had a mixed bag of weather this weekend, we had an amazing day at Newton Head, a lovely Limestone crag near St Govans, which was perfect for looking at the personal climbing side of the SPA, but day 2 up at Wolfs Rocks was a different matter! The candidates did brilliant in some grim weather, and I thing we were all a bit damp by the end of the day. Spirits were high and no-one (but me!) grumbled about the weather, and in-fact I would say having a but of bad weather is good to show students how careful we need to be with out personal safety at the crags when working…

Running a group abseil during SPA training in Pembrokeshire

All in all a top weekend with 4 very capable SPA trainees, who will be ready to do their assessments in no time at all I’m sure!

Group belaying on SPA training in Pembrokeshire

Another week has flown by, taking the TYF schools climbing in an on form Pembrokeshire Coast National Park! The busiest week of the year so far, I was glad to just have to take the TYF schools climbing, and not worry about logistics!

We started the week at Porth Clais, enjoying some warm weather and sun. The group started the day bouldering and exploring the area, learning some skills for the climbs on Grey Wall. When we headed to the roped climbing, the kids proved brilliant climbers, with some of them climbing most of the routes on the crag!

Climbing at Porth CLais with the TYF schools group

Tuesday saw a damp start to the day, but we trusted the weather to clear, and headed out to St David’s Head for the day. Having a plan B of some Mountaineering over Carn Llidi we started the day with some abseiling, the TYF schools kids weathering the storm in a group shelter whilst they waited patiently, super enthusiasm, their spirits were high! Our gamble paid off and the weather turned superb, warm, sunny and the rock out there dries so quickly we were able to fit loads of climbing in…

Out at St Davids Head with TYF schools…

Another day another walk out to St Davids Head, a stunning day, with a cool breeze to increase comfort levels.. the abseiling and climbing was awesome and to make the day even more special for the TYF schools kids, the Dolphins came out to say hello! Always love the look on their faces when they see the amazing wildlife out there!

Bit of abseiling with TYF Schools

Our last day out on the Head saw us on a sun drenched South side, out the wind and by the water – my favourite placed to be! It wrapped up an awesome week with great kids, they really challenged themselves, and were so supportive of each other. A pleasure to work with the TYF schools as usual!

Taking in the view of magnificent Pembrokeshire, after a top week with the TYF Schools…

Porth Clais Sunny Climbing Sessions…

The weather has continued to be cracking this week, and each day I’ve been out at Porth Clais, either for my own work guiding, with school groups for TYF, or running Technical Advice sign off’s for local climbing instructors. I feel very lucky to get to do my own fun work with great clients, and work for other companies with my mates, it never really feels like work, not like sitting at a computer in an office anyway, and when it’s nothing but clear water, wall to wall sunshine and warm, dry rock – Porth Clais is a real treasure.

Its a sea-cliff venue, but as friendly as they come, and with some excellent bouldering to focus on technique, a short walk from the car and a really great place to sit and watch the wildlife. The top of the crag is pretty friendly, so you can get kids up there and involved with whats going on, and helping with the set-ups – and the climbs are ace! If Porth Clais were an inland crag I suspect it would be hideously rammed, as it is, its only ever on bank holidays that it gets congested – and then us locals know the secret places to go to escape the crowds!

First up I took Myf and Andrew to Porth Clais for their first time ever rock climbing, they faced some fears and pushed their limits and both climbed superbly, then we headed over to Porth Y Fynnon for a scramble in and climb out, giving them a real taste of adventure! In the afternoon I was with a few of the local freelance instructors, who use Porth Clais on a regular basis for climbing session. The crag falls outside of the SPA remit as it is tidal and an abseil approach, so they need to go through a training and sign-off process to be able to work outside of their remit. They guys went through some hoists and rescues until I was happy they would be safe to lead sessions at Porth Clais for the next year, until the next sign off!

Myf Climbing for the first time at Porth Clais – feeling the nerves lowering in!

The next few days went by in a bit of a blur! I was working for TYF with some of the school groups they had in for the week, each day we went to Porth Clais with a different bunch of children, all year 6’s, and I was super impressed how they flung themselves off the crag, climbed, scrambled and bouldered everything we could throw at them! The determination of some of them despite their fears was inspiring and hopefully the climbing taster sessions will have inspired them to get to their local wall and take up the sport!

Mark hoisting a “stuck climber” out at Porth Clais on a TA sign-off..

What a week in the sun, running climbing sessions at Porth Clais! We have definitely had our fair share of the sun these last couple of weeks, if only it were like that all the time!!!

Climbing group sessions at Porth Clais

Sunny Pembrokeshire!

This week summer has really hit, and I’ve been lucky to spend it all climbing in super sunny Pembrokeshire! It’s been a real mix of work for different companies as well as myself, plus some Technical Advisor work, but weeks like it a real pleasure to be outside, whether its taking youth groups for their first experience of climbing outside, teaching lead climbing or tech advice work…

I started the week working for TYF, with Nottingham Girls school, out at St Davids Head. This spot is a great group crag and had unparalleled views across Ramsay Sound, often seeing Porpoises and Seals. The girls all did some big abseils, then spent the day climbing a variety of different routes. We had a GB bouldering team member in the group so I had to work hard to find some climbs that could keep her entertained, but all the girls did awesome. It was so warm on the crag we had to scramble out to the head land to have a break in the wind to cool off, a great start to the week in super sunny Pembrokeshire!

Climbing at St David’s Head, in sunny Pembrokeshire…

Next day was again working for TYF, but this time with Julian and daughter Abs, who already had a lot of climbing experience, so we spent the day heading along many of the cliffs between Porth Clais and Caerfai, dodging the crowds and making the most of the perfect climbing weather. We did some lead climbing, top roping and abseiling, and 12 year old Abs proved super competent and finished the day having had “the best day climbing ever”! Cheers for a great day guys!

Julian leading Red Wall, at Porth Clais

On Wednesday I was out with The Real Adventure Company, who had a team of CCF cadets from London in. We headed out to a crag near Caerfai where we spent the day bouldering and top-roping right out by the sea, almost too hot! The cadets were good fun and put loads of effort in so we could do some decent climbs and some adventurous scrambling around! Yet another top day climbing in super sunny Pembrokeshire!

The CCF cadets climbing out near Caerfai

Next up was a day working in my role as technical advisor for Newgale Lodge, on their High Ropes course, running sign off’s for local instructors to be able to us the course. The sign off process here is important to look at the skills that are outside of the SPA/CWA remit, so the guys are competent to look after themselves ascending a rope, and familiar with the small intricacies that are different to working on the crags. Also part of the day was helping some instructors that don’t hold a formal climbing qualification yet are suitably experienced enough to work on the course, and ensure they have the skill to do so safely..

Newgale Lodge high ropes course sign off.

My final day of work this week in sunny Pembrokeshire was guiding Simon and his son James around some of the classic routes in the Porth Clais area. Having not climbed in 7 years Simon was looking to regain some confidence and re-familiarise himself with the skills needed to keep them both safe so they can go and top-rope some routes in their native Wye Valley. James has been climbing indoors less than a year and it was his first time on real rock. They were great company, the weather was yet again unreal, the tides ideal for the day and everything aligned for a top day at work! We did almost all the routes at Porth Clais, either leading or top-roping then moved over to Porth y Fynnon where amongst other climbs the guys both did an E1 – absolutely superb effort chaps and thanks for making my days work in sunny Pembrokeshire so enjoyable!

Topping out at Porth y Fynnon, after a superb day guiding climbs in sunny Pembrokeshire!