I met Dan just after 9am at the Llanberis Slate quarries and before the full force of the heat was hitting the rock. We were delighted to find the ‘Australia’ area deserted and the ambience of the quiet morning felt calming. The rock was warm to touch from the outset. Rather than climb on one level, we followed a series of routes, known as ‘A Trad Day Out’, that lead up to the top level.

Dan got us going across the classic ‘Looning the Tube’ route, which is still fantastic, despite the lack of tube these days. (Note the first bolt is damaged).

This took us up past ‘Steps of Glory’, M.I.L Arete and Razorback (according to my diary, last climbed in 2004 with Clare!). We were in a bit of a rush, not only because of the heat, but I’d also agreed to meet Clare after she’d finished work at midday.

Dan and I saved the Skyline area for another time and I returned to The Cottage for a quick lunch and gear sort. Amazinly, we found a space in the car park at Ogwen Cottage and we soon hiking up into the mountains in some incredible temperatures – almost too hot! We arrived at the base of Sub Cnefion Rib, sweating hard and had to strip off in the shade to cool off before climbing!

We swung leads up the long, four pitch route (pitches are much nearer 50m than the guidebook suggests!).

There was an occasional bit of cloud cover that made us put jackets on, but mostly it felt alpine…

A fine day to be in the mountains!…

At the top of the Rib, we sat and had a picnic before traversing onwards to the Arete of the same name. We could easily have gone back down, as we were both tired, but the conditions were so nice and the threat of rain tomorrow spurred us on!

We pitched the first two pitches of Cnefion Arete, then moved together up the remaining pinnacles, reaching the top in 40 minutes of constant movement.

Our feet were sore from the rock boots by the time we topped out at 5pm.

All that remained was a fast walk back down to the car – we went fast so that we’d get down before further fatigue kicked in!

It took just under another 40 minutes to reach the panoramic Ogwen Cottage and waiting car, then a further 10 to The Cottage.

There was no wind and although the sun had left the garden, it was still looking like a beautiful evening ahead. There was a big lure to collapse on the sofa, but we decided to make the most of the final few hours of the heatwave, before the weather broke – we whipped up a bowl of pasta, had a quick shower, and took a drink down to the Menai Straits, where we sat on a bench at the waters edge and watched the sun set.

A full value day…. Rest tomorrow!…

14 star points of rock climbing today!

Cwm Idwal:

Cneifion Arete D ***

Sub-Cneifion Rib VD ***

Llanberis Slate Quarry:

Razorback HVS 5a **

M.I.L. Arete E1 5b *

Steps of Glory 5a **

Looning the Tube E1 5a ***