The Lynn Peninsular has long been regarded as a climbing backwater. The rock has a reputation for being frighteningly friable and the location, up to an hour further on from most the classic North Wales crags, has ensured it stay firmly off the mainstream climbing map. However, a frenzy of new-routing by a handful of dedicated locals all passionate about this beautiful part of coastline has yielded a new guidebook and even a soon to be released supplement. Being lovers of quiet crags away from the masses and of sea cliff adventures we had to check it out on the May Bank holiday.
I was nursing an undiagnosed wrist injury after tweaking something on a particularly physical HVS in South Devon (Climbers Club Direct on hard Dartmoor Granite). As such I knew my climbing may be hampered. Still our objective for the weekend was Avernus, HVS, 220m. This route, a long committing outing in a remote environment featuring lichenous rock and ample amounts of "grasseneering", is an acquired taste though the scale and challenge of the cliff really allured us. I just needed the hand to work.
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| The walk in in under Crag Ddu |
We woke up in thick fog. The forecast for the weekend being wall to wall sunshine we knew it would clear. Yr Eifl is a hill on the North coast of the Llyn with a large granite northwest facing cliff overlooking the sea. It has a straightforward though uphill approach to the descent gulley. The gully is reminiscent of a typical sea stack approach - steep loose and grassy. After picking our way down we located the start and looked up at what looked like a highly vegetated and grassy mountainside.
 | | Steep approach |
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 | | Me on a grassy pitch |
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Frustratingly after leading a 40 meter pitch my right wrist was playing up. Whilst the fog had lifted, the wind had picked up and being in the shade I was freezing, uninspired and feeling intimidated. The belay stance I arrived at had some in-situ rope tatt and I made the decision to bail! This felt utterly disappointing, but I was concerned that the coming pitches would be a real struggle and we still had 7 pitches to go! Saddened we made our way back up the approach gully.
 | | Bailing off |
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 | | Disappointment |
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The next day we had a beach day. That is to say we went climbing near a beach. Trwyn Yr Wylfa is a sea cliff overlooking a gorgeous beach. The climbing by Llyn standards is friendly and accessible making it a good relaxed choice for the day. Pilar led a couple of VSs on good volcanic rock which I followed trying to protect the hand as much as possible.. Routes are over 20m high, the approach easy and the backdrop superb, if a little busy on the day, with boats and jet skis crowding the water.
 | | Beautiful beach backdrop |
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 | | Pilar |
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 | | A quality VS corner |
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 | | Us from a sailing boat |
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With my dodgy wrist needing some proper rest we headed back to Yr Eifle and climbed Gorlech Ridge, Diff, 200m. This brilliant scramble starts on the beach with some beautiful Granite climbing in pristine rock.
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 | | Beach Approach |
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 | | The pitch off the beach |
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A short section of grass walking then takes you to the buttress proper and we climb with some wild exposure in a superb position good granite.
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 | | Off the beach |
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 | | Perfect scrambling |
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Arriving at the quarry floor we have the option of finishing here but a shattered looking (and a bit dodgy) ridge then lead to an upper tier where we skirt leftwards and pickup more natural granite with a massive drop below us. This slabby pitch lands us on the summit where we get great views of the other buttresses on Yr Eifl.
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 | | Enjoying the moment |
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 | | Shattered ridge to the quarry |
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 | | Exposure |
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 | | A cracking line |
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The route in many ways salvaged the weekend though we vowed to come back to climb Avernus when I am injury free. The Llyn definitely has some quiet corners and great climbing worthy of more investigation.
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| Satisfaction |
