August 17th, results day. I was down in Portugal, and managed to get into Bangor Uni as I swanned about above the sea.

Nude Boy Slim (7b) © Ben Grounsell

For the last year I’ve been saying how excited I am to get involved in Wales, and the proper trad routes etc, so obviously it was nice to have everything confirmed and to know it is all definitely on the cards. It’s not just the climbing either, the course, Outdoor Sports Science should be of a genuine interest to me. It may even be able to help me with my own climbing. Wouldn’t that be a new one for education, learning something useful.

The length of many of the climbs in Wales is for me one of the biggest pull factors, both bolted and unbolted. On a recent trip to Nesscliffe I remembered how much I enjoyed long routes, lots of moves and lots of gear. It’s great to get properly absorbed in the climbing for a good period of time.

Trouble in Toytown (E5 6b) © Mark Rankine

We had just 2 days there, and on arrival I was overwhelmed with the classics, almost wishing there were less 3 star lines so I knew what to focus my attention on! Nessy needs it’s own star system. The aretes and corners stand out the most, and with a bit of chalk on, creating a stark contrast with the orange sandstone they look very appealing. For me the stand out route of our little visit to Nessy was climbing Yukan 2 (E7 6b) ground up after faffing about on the bouldery start too much. The upper groove on this wall, the one in all the pictures is just amazing and climbs even better than it looks and flows so so well.

Yukan 2 (E7 6b) © Neil Furniss

Getting pumped on Marlene Direct (E7 6c) © Mark Rankine