Classic Rock: Dinas Mot

Katie Haston climbs the iconic hand traverse on Kirkus' Direct Route VS, on Dinas Mot
Katie Haston climbs the iconic hand traverse on Kirkus' Direct Route VS, on Dinas Mot

There is perhaps no better place to climb in the Llanberis Pass on a hot than Dinas Mot, reasonable close to the road, and in the shade for the majority of the day, this cool crag dries quickly and really captures the essence of climbing. The Crag is a sweeping nose of slabby rock, where all the route converge at the top to a steep and difficult finale.

Llion makes the initial tenuous Bridging moves up the final pitch of Direct Route, in the words of Jim Royal '5b My Arse!'
Llion makes the initial tenuous Bridging moves up the final pitch of Direct Route, in the words of Jim Royal '5b My Arse!'

Yesterday I was up there and climbed probably one of the most iconic VS lines in the Pass, Colin Kirkus’ Direct Route. For the grade the climbing is in teh most part fine, however I am sure it has seen more than one or two swear words on the top pitch!

Similarly Western Slab is a nice steady away route, and one that you can avoid the original finish and take the more than impressive finger crackup the steep wall of the Chain.

Katie Haston walking up The Chain, a classic E1 pitch at the top of the western rib/sab area of Dinas Mot
Katie Haston walking up The Chain, a classic E1 pitch at the top of the western rib/sab area of Dinas Mot
Katie Haston Team Nose training on the Chain, Dinas Mot
Katie Haston Team Nose training on the Chain, Dinas Mot

Snowdon Sherpa Bus: Not fit for Purpose!

The Beautiful Open Top Sherpa Bus that goes up the spectacular Llanberis Pass.
The Beautiful Open Top Sherpa Bus that goes up the spectacular Llanberis Pass.

Yesterday, was of course a bank holiday, so climbing was going to be on crowded crags and parking was going to be a Nightmare. Deciding that driving anywhere was going to be just as painful given the driving skills of the average tourist when it comes to a road that is fine for two buses to pass, but still insist at stopping for every on coming car. We decide to go bouldering up Llanberis Pass. Easy you would think, walk out the house, and go to the bus stop and wait for one of the ‘hourly’ buses that are scheduled on the Public Holiday and Sunday service.

I ran into Joe Browns and Chris in there warned me not to take the timetable as anything that closely resemble a prediction of when my Bus would turn up. Afterall, he has probably had to deal with many moans from people waiting for the bus. Their counter is directly opposite the Bus Stop as well.

So after turning up about 10 minutes early, as I know some of the bus drivers can be a little keen to get going, we waited until about half past whne a friend saw us as they past down the high street and looped round and offered us a lift up the pass. Where we climbed on the roadside face and was amased when I saw the Bus we had been waiting for at 1pm.

Given the Snowdonia Green Key, want us to abandon our cars and use the Sherpa Buses, and that Gwynedd Council pays a subsidy for the timetabled buses to run. I feel let down by SGK for not making sure the service it has hired is doing what it should do, and of course pissed off that local taxpayers are paying for a service that the bus company isn’t running.

I looked at their site, and was interested to see that the timetable displayed online is different from the one displayed at the Bus Stop. How hard is it to send someone round on a bus to change them. Probably impossible given the random nature of the buses. Also the Website has used what looks like a google map plug in to show all the places you can park and ride. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to show anything, at least not in the two internet browsers I have on my computor.

In fact I would say the whole Snowdonia Green Key

Roadside PArking since the Snowdonia Green Key re-designed Pen Y Gwyrd/Nant Gwynant Parking. They did a good job there hey!
Roadside PArking since the Snowdonia Green Key re-designed Pen Y Gwyrd/Nant Gwynant Parking. They did a good job there hey!

, website needs reworking. It argues that roadside parking is an eyesore, when the action it made to remove roadside parking from near the Pen Y Gwyryd has resulted in moving it further away, especially since it is trying to charge for parking there now!