Year of Adventure on Anglesey: The Sea Cliff Climb

When it comes to climbing, Anglesey's sea cliffs are the stuff of legend, with Gogarth and Rhoscolyn some of the most popular places to test out your skills on the rock.

To account for my somewhat limited experience we headed for Porth Dafarch, just west of Treaddur Bay, where I could see what the fuss was all about.

Climbing instructor Sam Farnsworth set up an abseil to get us down to the start of the climb. He moved to Wales for University (as well as the climbing) and now runs an adventure business in the area.

As we start the climb, Sam puts small metal wedges into the rock, which will keep the rope and us attached to the cliff. The rock is sharp, and sometimes unstable, but is very gritty, real and raw.

With the sea bellowing at my feet, I follow Sam's route up the cliff; hoping to find the easiest hand holds. There are moments where I seem to find my stride, and moments where the next step seems just out of reach.

The experience though overwhelms the senses; the sound of the waves crashing below and the feel of the salt on your face...

The difficulties posed by the cutting rock pale into insignificance, next to the raw physicality of the location and the climb.