During my last visit to North Wales, I climbed 4 classic mountain scramble and A Dream of White Horses but before leaving, an outing to the infamous Dinorwic Quarry felt necessary.
Dinorwic Quarry was active from 1770 to 1969. At the height of the production, it was the second largest slate quarry in the world. In July 2021, the slate mines in North Wales became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Not only are they full of fascinating history but for those hell bent on adventure, it is home to the notorious Snakes and Ladders route. I gave a description of this in the past, a link to that blog can be found here.
During this visit to the tottering pile of rubble, we wanted to take on something a little bit different. There are hundreds if not thousands of routes through the quarry including world class climbs like ‘The Quarryman’ E8 7a and Johnny Dawes’ ‘The Meltdown’ 9a. Not being quite up to that calibre but still after an adventure, we set our sights on A Very Trad Day Out.
A Very Trad Day Out E1 5b. From the very bottom Australia, the route climbs 9 pitches up the west face of the pit to the very top. Containing classic slate routes, sport connections and some worryingly loose higher pitches, this was a day out destined to whet the adventurous appetite. Jay climbed odds, I climbed evens.
- Runup VS 4a
- Looning the Tube E1 5a ***
- Steps of Glory 5a **
- Sodor 6a *
- M.I.L. Arete E1 5b *
- Razorback HVS 5a **
- Digital Delectation HVS 5a **
- The Shining VS 4c
- Goblin Party VS 4b *
Runup – Essentially a solo up a steep ramp before scrambling up to the ledge above. It was pretty greasy in the morning so Jay had a worrying start. He got to the large downturned metal spike and found a blue nut could be threaded through a hole in it to give adequate protection. Next a rather fragile but easy enough scramble takes you to the next ledge. According to UKC, someone has done this is 9.52 Seconds and video evidence is available.
Looning the Tube – This is a classic slate route. It used to follow the tube all the way to the large rising crack but the tube fell down at some point. Now, you delicately traverse across the apparently blank slate, past a bolt and to a large metal spike at the base of the crack. Threading the spike, the crack is followed to a bomber yellow cam slot. A few awkward moves lead to another bolt and then the top out. An anchor can be built well back from the edge where the sport routes are.
Run out, balancing or good edges. I thought this was a bit soft for an E grade but then again, there is only 1 piece of gear and a spike. One you could loose your nerve on but the climbing is easy and fun.
Steps of Glory – A sport connection. Walk along the wall for a few meters and it can quite obviously be seen. Large moves on positive edges. Should not cause any difficulties.
WARNING! Be mindful topping out as the top is full of loose blocks. I had a very inexperienced party below practicing on the easy routes. Many of them were oblivious to me topping out and were sat around without helmets. I gave a polite shout down as a warning that I was entering dangerous terrain but they seemed uninterested. Still, I did not want to cause any head wounds.
Sodor – A fun, albeit short lived sport route. A tricky start leads up an awkward corner and then through a sequence of pleasant moves on good edges. The top out was better too. The party on this first were making heavy weather of it but it is felt straight forward.
M.I.L. Arete – The highest graded route of the lot. A bit of an underwhelming leads to an exhilarating finish. The start climbs up a pile of loose blocks to the left of the arete. Once on top of the blocks, you are faced with a clean slab until reaching a downturned spike. Clove hitch this with a sling and delicately balance your way to the top. Really enjoyable moves on the slab up to and past the spike. Not sure I would like to test the holding ability of a sling on a downturned spike. Get your solo head on. Not one to fall off.
Razorback – Things started to spice up on this route. From the top of M.I.L. Arete, walk along the level until you can see an obvious crack rising diagonally to the left. The protection on Razorback was very thin, I placed a range of micro cams and wires. The crack looks large until you approach it and then you realise how thin the protection is.
The climbing felt off balance and insecure, more so than the E graded climbs before but much much safer. Placing plenty of microwires I fiddled my way up the crack until flopping onto the top. Jay, climbing with a bag, found it tricky and almost shouted “take” but managed to keep on the wall.
Digital Delectation – This was another spicy one. Not as tricky as Razorback but even more microwire protection. After leaving the ground, a good cam slot can be found. From here there is a long sequence of delicate, but never desperate climbing, only protected by microwires and cams until approaching three quarter height when a reassuring cam slot can be found. From here, the difficulty abates until another loose top out.
I enjoyed the delicate movements up the rock but noticed as I was nearing the top that a couple had roped up on a route under where I was aiming to top out. A quick shout of warning down and they moved, thanking me for the notification. The further up the quarry the more experienced the groups (in general) as they want to leave the riffraff behind.
The Shining – I would not recommend that any one climbs this pitch. The start is loose. The middle has appropriate protection but top the third is a tottering pile of death blocks. They will detach themselves in the near future with minimal encouragement.
I had committed to the route and as I climbed I realised how unstable and dangerous the position was. I called down to my belayer and the other pair who were nearby. They thankfully ran off to safety. Jay seconded the route and found the process very unnerving.
Not recommended. Instead, climb ‘The Olympic Torch’ 6b+ immediately left or if you want to keep the grade reasonably similar there is ‘Sprint Finish’ 6a and ‘Old and Complicated under the Oak Tree’ 5b further around to the right.
If you are determined to climb this route, take the upmost care not to kill someone below you.
Goblin Party – I am not sure if this route deserves a star. It climbs a prominent dyke and as the guide and UKC states, “needs a steady head and hand”. The route is by no means difficult but the rock is quite crumbly in places and generally dirty. There is some good gear but other bits not so much.
All that being said, the route does follow an impressive looking tower of rock and leads straight to the top of Australia. If you are lacking experience on esoteric choss, maybe this route is not for you but if you are, it is much less likely to kill someone than ‘The Shining’.
We spent a relaxed 6 hours and 20 minutes climbing all the pitches. This included snack breaks, chatting to climbers, and waiting for people on the earlier pitches. Most of the pitches are good, especially Looning the Tube and Razorback. I recommend staying far away from ‘The Shining’ and possibly ‘Goblin Party’ unless you are accustomed to esoteric climbing.
However, these 9 pitches give a great insight into the huge variety of climbing on the slate. From runouts to mircos, it hsd the lot.
Gear
Full set of Cam (a mix of Totems and Wild Country Friends and Zero Friends from 0.2 – 3)
Nuts (1 – 11 but doubled up the small to mid range)
Microwires, brass offsets and peanuts
10 assorted quickdraws and extenders
2 x 240 slings
Various other slings
2 x 50-meter half ropes
