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Posts Tagged Snowdonia

Well I névé!

Feb 6

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | No Comments

I needed a break from house-breaking last week, so snuck off for some winter action in North Wales on Sunday and Monday. I ended up coming back early to do more house things, but had no real objections after an excellent day on Sunday.

Another early start from Chester, and another cruddy petrol station quiche for lunch because I forgot my sandwiches! We abandoned my car halfway up the Nant Ffrancon due to slow (and sometimes sideways) progress in the snow. The truck made light work of it all, and we soon found ourselves heading up to Cneifion.

Climbers below Clogwyn Du. Copyright Haydn Williams 2010

Climbers below Clogwyn Du. Copyright Haydn Williams 2010

With snow pretty much everywhere, we had a good choice of routes. All the gullies down to Cneifion Arete were full, but we kept going up to the top end of the cwm. I fancied a Grade II, having not led anything at that grade since Sargeant's Gully with Chris a year ago. I'd also had my eye on Hidden Gully for a while, as it gets two stars and is described as a "hidden gem". On arrival, three teams were on Clogwyn Du and one set off up Hidden Gully ahead of us. We traversed across to the gully from Easy Route on great neve, which continued all the way up. Despite a continuous flow of spindrift, there was good climbing with a couple of short steep steps.

I was proper cold at this point.

I was proper cold at this point.

We roped up at the narrowing bit, and I led most of the way up. I got a couple of nuts in, but all the cracks needed clearing, and the rock was pretty rimed up. The climbing itself was pretty secure because the snow was so good, so it wasn't too much of an issue. I belayed just below the summit, and James took the lead for the last little pitch on reasonably steep snow.

Belay camaraderie is a remedy for being chilly. Copyright Haydn Williams 2010.

Belay camaraderie is a remedy for being chilly. Copyright Haydn Williams 2010.

James leading the top of Hidden Gully. Copyright Haydn Williams 2010

James leading the top of Hidden Gully. Copyright Haydn Williams 2010

The weather on the top was a bit breezy with poor visibility, so we descended Easy Route in the interests of speed. The plan was then to head lower and play on some of the easy gullies near Cneifion Arete. Tower Slabs had piqued my interest on a number of occasions, but at II/III I figured I had shied away from it with my natural sense of caution. With Hidden Gully proving so much fun, I got carried away and suggested we play around soloing the water ice at the bottom of Tower Slabs, possibly climbing as high as the snow terrace before heading back down. The first 5 metres or so really gave me the willies, I think as I'd not climbed proper ice for twelve months, but I soon got into the swing of things. On reaching the terrace the descent looked dodgy and we found ourselves on lovely neve. After a brief discussion we decided to carry on up; thus followed miles of perfect snow! Great placements first time with axes and crampons, a steep but not terrifying gradient, and a brilliant situation when the cloud occasionally cleared.

Wicked snow on Tower Slabs. Copyright James Devine 2010

Wicked snow on Tower Slabs. Copyright James Devine 2010

Once on top, we came down Easy Route again and back to the car. So, another step towards my aim of leading III by the end of the season (despite a distinct lack of days out) and it ended up being an accidental solo! There's a big thaw on now, but still snow in the high gullies and freezing levels predicted to be 200m – 300m for the next few days – maybe there'll be some more action again soon.

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Scrambles in Snowdonia Challenge

Oct 18

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | No Comments

So it would appear that about twelve months ago, James and I foolishly decided to do every scramble in Steve Ashton's guide, "Scrambles in Snowdonia". Even more foolishly, we then mentioned this to other people, resulting in an expectation that we would actually go out and do it, rather than just conveniently forgetting it and never mentioning it again.

While the main factor against us seems to be time, quickly followed by the weather, I must confess there are a couple of routes which are scaring me witless even after just reading the description. I've heard the Ashton guide referred to as "The Steve Ashton Book of Death", and phrases such as the following don't help: "… the terrain remains treacherous and a lack of easy escape is the strongest motive for continuing. Only those experienced in dangerous terrain should consider an ascent, and they would be wise not to bother." (Yr Esgair, Grade 3). However, we've said we'll do it, so now we're committed.

The only rules seem to be that the route has to be done in ascent – descents don't count – and if there is a choice of lines, then the harder one must be taken. There's no particular order in which they're all being done; we're just making it up as we go along.

Current Status:
Haydn – 35/69 (51%)
James – 27/69 (39%)

The Full List:

Green – Haydn & James have completed
Amber – Haydn has completed
Red – Neither have completed

Route Report
THE CARNEDDAU
Carneddau Southern Ridge Circuit – *** (1)
PEN YR OLE WEN
Braich Ty Du Face – * (2) yup
Braich Ty Du Face Right-Hand Start – * (2/3)
Broad Gully Ridge – (1/2)
Craig Lloer Spur – * (2/3)
CARNEDD DAFYDD
Cwmglas Bach Spur – (1 or 2)
Crib Lem (Llech Ddu Spur) – *** (1)
Eastern Ridge of Black Ladders (2)
CARNEDD LLEWELYN
Craig yr Ysfa Amphitheatre – * (2)
Y GLYDERAU
Cwm Bochlwyd Horseshoe – *** (1)
TRYFAN
Tryfan Bach Approach – *** (3) yup
Bastow Buttress Variant – ** (2/3) yup
Nor' Nor' Buttress Variant – ** (3) yup
Nor' Nor' Gully – (2/3)
Nor' Nor' Groove – * (1/2)
North Buttress Variant – * (2)
Little and North Gullies – ** (1)
South Gully – * (2 or 3)
North Ridge – *** (1) One of many / Winter
Milestone Buttress Approach – *** (3) Yes
Milestone Gully Approach – ** (1/2)
Milestone Continuation – ** (3) Yes
Wrinkled Tower – *** (3)
West Face Route – * (2 or 3)
South Ridge Direct – ** (1)
GLYDER FACH
Bristly Ridge – *** (1) Winter
The Chasm Face – *** (3) yup
Main Gully – ** (1)
Main Gully Ridge – *** (2 or 3)
East Gully Ridge – *** (2 or 3) yup
Shark Buttress – *** (3)
Dolmen Ridge – *** (3)
GLYDER FAWR
Gribin Ridge – * (1)
False Gribin – * (1) yup, two
Cneifion Arete – ** (3) yup, second time around
Maybe Tower Rib – * (2/3) yup
Seniors' Ridge – * (1) yup
Direct Approach to Seniors' Ridge – * (2)
Idwal Staircase and Continuation – ** (2) yup
North-West Face Route – * (2)
Bryant's Gully – ** (2)
Y GARN
Devil's Kitchen and the Sheep Walk – * (2/3 or 1)
East Ridge – ** (2)
FOEL GOCH
Needle's Eye Arete – * (3)
Yr Esgair – (3)
SNOWDON GROUP
The Snowdon Horseshoe – *** (1)
CRIB GOCH
East Ridge – ** (1)
North Ridge – * (1)
North Ridge via Jammed Boulder Gully – ** (3)
Traverse of Crib Goch – *** (1) Winter
CRIB Y DDYSGL
Crib y Ddysgl – ** (1) Winter
Clogwyn y Person Arete – *** (2 or 3) yup
Cwm Glas Ridge – * (1) yup
Llechog Buttress – ** (2/3)
Llechog Ridge – * (1 or 2)
Eastern Terrace of Clogwyn du'r Arddu – (1)
Western Terrace of Clogwyn du'r Arddu – (2/3)
SNOWDON
Tregalan Couloir – * (2)
Y Gribin and the East Ridge – ** (1)
LLIWEDD
Traverse of Lliwedd – ** (1)
West Peak via Bilberry Terrace – *** (3)
EIFIONYDD
Nantlle Ridge – *** (1)
Y GARN
Western Arete – (3)
CRAIG CWM SILYN
Pennant Rib – (3)
Right-Hand Pennant Rib – (2)
Craig Fawr Rib – ** (3)
MYNYDD MAWR
Sentries Ridge and Continuation – *** (2 or 3)
Bear Buttress – * (2 or 3)

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Sunburn on Tryfan

Apr 20

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | 2 Comments

Tryfan. April. Sunburn. Not three words that you'd usually associate with one another, but yesterday was a great day to be out and about on the hills. No wind, plenty of sun, and James, Heather and I went for a bimble up Nor' Nor' Buttress Variant on the east face of Tryfan.

<strong>Easy start on Tryfan Bach.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Easy start on Tryfan Bach.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

The route is a Grade 3 scramble (**), and follows the buttress to the right of Nor' Nor' Gully, with a slight diversion into the gully at a difficult bit. We started from the layby near Gwern Gôf Uchaf, went up Tryfan Bach on the way, and then tackled the buttress. I had stripped my rucksack down to save weight, which worked well as it remained comfortable even without all the fancy back bits. It was also the first time James and Heather had used double ropes, but we managed to pull it off without anybody becoming hopelessly tangled up anywhere, so success on that front too.

On the way from the car to Heather Terrace, we'd only seen one group of five people. The route pops out on the North Ridge, by which point we had seen only seen one other team climbing on Tryfan, and by the time we reached the summit there were a grand total of three people there. All this on a Sunday afternoon with not a cloud in the sky! We legged it down the Miners' path and drove home over the moors to regain our strength with a burger-stop at Rhug – highly recommended!

<strong>At the top of Nor' Nor' Buttress Variant.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

At the top of Nor' Nor' Buttress Variant.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Photos are now up in the gallery.

A few observations about the route:
Like Bastow Buttress, it's quite broken up, with good rock pitches being interspersed with shallow heathery sections. If you're planning on doing this route, please be extra careful in the first 15m or so – the loose blocks which Ashton warns about are still there and are extremely loose. There are a couple of very big ones poised to make a rapid descent on to Heather Terrace very soon, so pay close attention to what you're using for holds / not squashing people behind or below you! They don't just sound hollow, they are physically moving and ready to go. The small detour into the gully higher up is actually reasonably pleasant, although a little loose, and you meet up nicely with the North Ridge path. Be sure to pay attention to the guide and not be tempted to take the lower of the two North Ridge paths – continue up a final pitch right to within a couple of metres of the crest of the Ridge, on the higher of the two paths. This was my favourite pitch of the whole day, and it would be a real shame to miss it out.

<strong>Nor' Nor' Buttress Variant.</strong><br />Sorry it's a bit of a lame shot, the camera doesn't seem to cope well shooting into very bright light!<br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Nor' Nor' Buttress Variant.
Sorry it's a bit of a lame shot, the camera doesn't seem to cope well shooting into very bright light!
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

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Walking / Riding

Mar 19

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | 6 Comments

I started my new job this week, meaning that Thursday and Friday last week were my final days of flexi-time freedom. Keen to make the most of it, I sacked work off and went walking and riding instead.

On Thursday I went snow-hunting, hoping to catch something easy in condition before everything disappeared. I was out of luck (below), so went up Senior's Ridge and down Y Gribin. A mini Glyderau loop which didn't hit any summits; how naughty. It did, however, add another route to the Scrambles in Snowdonia Challenge. Worryingly, the notoriety of the challenge seems to have spread outside the confines of this blog so it's all getting a bit serious.

<strong>'Easy Route' in Cwm Cneifion looking not very wintery.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

'Easy Route' in Cwm Cneifion looking not very wintery.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Senior's Ridge was dull. It got a bit exciting at one point over to the right, but I think that was more heading out above Idwal slabs than just sticking to the crest of the ridge. Either way, it looked like it required either a rope or a willingness to accept the possibility of falling all the way down the slabs. Anyway, I'll go back and try the fun way at some point, I'm sure.

<strong>The boredom-inducing summit plateau.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

The boredom-inducing summit plateau.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

The plateau was boring due to the lack of view, but I was pleased to find that I could navigate it without a map (it's not clever, kids). I zipped down Y Gribin and back to the car. Not the most exciting day, but it's the first time I've been out this winter and not got something snowy done, so I can't complain.

Friday dawned dull and drizzly, but I was excited because I was going riding again! I borrowed Gareth's bike once again – not only is he a total hero for letting me steal it once again, he's also a hero (along with Dave) for taking an old Volvo around Europe to raise money for good causes in Moldova. Check out the Snowdodgers Rally page for more details, and sponser them with whatever you can spare. They'll probably need it to bribe their way out of Russia or something.

I spent the very wet morning riding around the red trail at Coed Llandegla. The centre is on privately-owned forestry land (i.e. a private forestry firm, not Forestry Commission) and seems to be run very well. There are numerous trails, with jumps and downhill sections graded right up to black. The trails are well signed and maintained, and there are loads of new sections bedding in to create even more fun! It's quite rocky so a full-susser would be noticeably more comfy than a hardtail by the end of the day I reckon. The visitor centre seems very well equipped, parking is a reasonable £2.50 for three hours or £4 all day. There's a functioning bike wash (Sherwood Pines take note), and allegedly the "Best Bacon Bap in Britain". Quite a serious claim, but one I didn't have time to investigate.

I was having too much fun to take any photos, sorry. You can check out the Coed Llandegla gallery here though. I'll try harder next time, I promise.

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It's All About the Aretes

Feb 10

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | 5 Comments

Chris and I spent the weekend climbing a couple of classic ridges in Snowdonia, along with an icy gully for a bit of variety.

On Saturday we got a respectably early start, and were among the first of many parties to climb Sargeant's Gully, a grade II route that I backed off a few weeks ago with James. On reaching Cwm Glas we had a bit of a route-choice crisis, and after considering pretty much everything within view we decided on Clogwyn y Person Arete (II/III,***).

<strong>Chris on easier ground towards the top of Clogwyn y Person Arete.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Chris on easier ground towards the top of Clogwyn y Person Arete.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

After battling up the (allegedly easier) west gully through a horrible chimney, we got onto the ridge proper. While Chris led everything and I struggled with remarkable regularity over the first few pitches, we watched a quite ridiculous number of people going up Parsley Fern Gully. At one point I counted 12 people in the bottom half, with another three stood at the bottom! Anyway, the arete provided more than enough sport for the two of us. We joined the ridge on Crib y Ddysgyl and took the Pyg Track back down, complete with steep snow at the top of the zig-zags – I've since heard talk of a cornice forming on it at one point over the weekend!

After meeting some friends in the pub on Saturday night, we had another early start on Sunday morning, this time deciding to check out Cwm Cneifion.

<strong>Walking in to Cwm Cneifion.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Walking in to Cwm Cneifion.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Feeling a little tired, we opted for Cneifion Arete (III,***), and promptly ignored the guidebook, choosing a more difficult single pitch to start (maybe not entirely intentionally). After that we moved together for a bit as the ground eased, although higher up the climbing got harder again as we were forced back to the crest of the ridge. A little easier than Clogwyn y Person, I thought, in that the climbing was still sufficiently difficult to be challenging, but I didn't feel anywhere near as likely to fall off! Maybe I was just getting more confident in dealing with rocky stuff in crampons…

<strong>Fun ground on Cneifion Arete.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Fun ground on Cneifion Arete.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

An attack of apathy when faced with Y Gribin led to a hasty retreat to the car, with the threat of a boring weekend successfully staved off for another week. Photos on the gallery as usual.

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Water ice intro

Jan 10

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | 1 Comment

Earlier this week I managed to snatch an impromptu couple of days playing around on the frozen streams in the shadow of Crib y Ddysgyl. With the good conditions, Sunday was very busy – but on Monday I soloed two routes and had the entire place to myself.

Having been cheated out of what I'd hoped would be at least a couple of winter routes in Fort William a couple of days previously, I persuaded James to accompany me to Snowdonia on Sunday. The aim was to climb some water ice, given that my only such experience to date was a foray with Hamish. We planned to check out Sargeant's Gully (II,**) and Parsley Fern Fully (I) on Cyrn Las and Clogwyn y Ddysgyl respectively. With an early start from Chester on Sunday, we found Sargeant's Gully in good nick with lots of ice. We also found seven other parties on it, all of whom arrived within about ten minutes of us!

<strong>The easier bottom section of Sargeant's Gully.</strong><br />Copyright James Devine 2009.

The easier bottom section of Sargeant's Gully.
Copyright James Devine 2009.

The original plan was to inspect Sargeant's on the way up to Parsley Fern, the idea being that we'd start actually climbing on a simple Grade I and just have a look at Sargeant's to get an idea of Grade II terrain. However, the bottom section of the route is quite friendly, so we let all the competent people head up, and then spent some time placing screws and generally getting used to proper ice.

<strong>Walking axes - just say no, kids.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Walking axes - just say no, kids.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

As we reached the gully proper, our lack of suitable equipment started to become apparent – it was clear that seconding with a pair of walking axes just wasn't feasible, so we bailed off to the side. Even so, it was a useful session to build on my rather limited experience, and to give James a first taste of swinging an axe.

The next day, in a fit of enthusiasm, I returned to find a sprinkling of snow and quite a lot more ice on Sargeant's than the previous day. The aim was still to make it up Parsley Fern Gully, but this time solo as James had to work.

<strong>Cwm Glas. Parsley Fern is the central line.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Cwm Glas. Parsley Fern is the central line.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

I hadn't been able to get a guide book, and so didn't really know much about my proposed route, Parsley Fern Gully (I). I knew even less about Sinister Gully (III), but stood in Cwm Glas, that looked to have more ice on the bottom section, and to be more fun.

The lower reaches of Sinister Gully (III). Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

The lower reaches of Sinister Gully (III).
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009

On a whim, I took it, and it did indeed prove to be fun. Granted, it was a little intimidating once I was up there. However, the only way out was back down, and that wasn't really an option by the time I'd realised it was getting a bit hairy. The gradient eventually eases off before the really hard bit, so I moved across to Parsley Fern Gully at that point. I joined that line just below the point where Parsley Fern Left-Hand (II) splits off – it looked fun, but after the excitement of soloing the first half of Sinister Gully, I plumped for the normal line. It was a mix of bomber neve (which I was quite relieved to see) and water ice, with the odd steep ice step, and then a nice stretch of neve to the top ridge line.

<strong>View down Parsley Fern Gully.</strong><br />Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

View down Parsley Fern Gully.
Copyright Haydn Williams 2009.

Once at the top, I walked down Crib y Ddysgyl and the cloud quickly cleared to give blue skies and sunshine. While not exactly pushing the boundaries of winter climbing in the UK, I'm quite pleased with the result. It was a very useful couple of days, with some valuable lessons about water ice, reading a guide book before you set out, and how inadequate petrol station croissants are for lunch.

Photos are now online in my new gallery; click here to view.

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Welsh Winter

Dec 16

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | No Comments

Friday saw another Snowdonia trip, in the company of Chris, Gareth and Luke. The plan was to find some snow given the excellent conditions over the last week. Things didn't start well, with torrential rain on the way through, but they certainly picked up over the course of the weekend.

Saturday morning found us having abandoned all ideas of snow, and setting off for a round of the Bochlwyd Horseshoe in the rain. The rain quickly turned to snow, and there also turned out to be a decent amount of snow higher up. Thus followed a snowy romp up the North Ridge of Tryfan, followed by Bristly Ridge, the Glyderau, and finally Y Garn. The descent down the East Ridge to Idwal was lovely and snowy, and a nice finish to the day.

Climbers high above Glaslyn on Left-Hand Trinity (II,*), Snowdon

Climbers high above Glaslyn on Left-Hand Trinity (II,*), Snowdon


On Sunday we decided to have a look at Trinity Face on Snowdon, and it turned into an excellent day. There was a reasonable amount of snow in the gullies, so the four of us went up Central Trinity (I/II, ***). This was my first proper graded snowy route, and it was very enjoyable. We topped out in glorious sunshine exceedingly close to the summit of Snowdon – a weird but very cool experience! Less cool was the way in which Grivel had assembled Chris' new crampons with a 'dissasemble when least expecting it' feature built in. On the way back down to the car we decided to keep it interesting and go over Crib y Ddysgyl and Crib Goch. Despite moving pretty slowly, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Team Mindsey head up Central Trinity (I/II,***), Clogwyn y Garnedd

Team Mindsey head up Central Trinity (I/II,***), Clogwyn y Garnedd


So in spite of having to live, as Chris so eloquently put it, on "the bare minimum" (including, but not limited to, pizza, brownies, ginger bread, spaghetti bolognese, scotch eggs, quiche (qwee-ch), bombay mix and flavoured water), we had an excellent weekend. Kudos to Luke for driving, to Chris for patiently waiting while I revelled in the joys of leading the second half of Central Trinity, and to Gareth for coordinating a truly stunning F1-style pitstop on the way home.

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Y Glyderau Weekend

Sep 25

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | 3 Comments

A cracking couple of days in Snowdonia last weekend, as James and I ticked off another four scrambles in glorious sunshine. Saturday saw us on Tryfan Bach bright and early. There's a *** Grade 3 route up the left-hand side, and it's a really nice way to start the day. We trudged with hundreds of other climbers up to Heather Terrace, and promptly dived off at the first opportunity up Bastow Buttress Variant (**, Grade 2/3). I led the first pitch, and the route immediately settled into a routine of "nice pitch, followed by a little bit of east heather" for the rest of it's height. And if anyone finds size 1 and 2 nuts somewhere on the route, James would very much like them back!

Haydn on Bastow Buttress Variant.

Haydn on Bastow Buttress Variant.

The whole of Tryfan was heaving, and we legged it up the North Ridge and down to Bwlch Tryfan as quickly as possible, before heading down the Miner's Path back to the car.

James on Bastow Buttress Variant.

James on Bastow Buttress Variant.

On Sunday we took advantage of the dry conditions to tackle Idwal Staircase and Continuation (**, 2). I've been past the bottom of this scramble often enough, as it starts right from the Cwm Idwal path. The first pitch is normally a waterfall, but even with just a trickle of actual water, it was still horrible and slippy. I don't mind admitting that it was not enjoyable in the slightest! However, the rest of the route is brilliant! We soloed the entire thing, having not realised from the guidebook how friendly the terrain actually was. On reflection, it's not suprising that the three guys ahead of us looked a little startled at the variety of gear we were laying out at the bottom of the first pitch!

Idwal Staircase and Continuation.

Idwal Staircase and Continuation.

After that we were planning to head up Senior's Ridge to Glyder Fawr (*,1), but instead decided to tackle another 'dry weather only' route; Maybe Tower Rib in Cwm Cneifion (*, 2/3). I have no idea how this route got it's name, but I enjoyed it thoroughly! Easy soloing to start, and then three ~30m pitches. James got to lead the first and last, with my doing the middle – he definitely got the best deal! I found the middle pitch weaved around a heck of a lot, and was harder to protect than the other two. But then I do worry too much, as well.

Llyn Idwal and Nant Ffrancon from Senior's Ridge.

Llyn Idwal and Nant Ffrancon from Senior's Ridge.

Anyway, it might be a bit of a trek to get to it, but it's well worth doing. I'm disagreeing with Ashton and giving it two stars instead of one. The new camera again performed well, and coped with being sat on, and dropped / banged / scratched in a wide variety of different places.

You can check the latest status update here.

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RAC Boulders

Jun 30

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | No Comments

Sunday morning dawned grey but dry in Snowdonia, and I drove from Beddgelert up to RAC Boulders near Capel Curig. Having left my guide at home and not having room in the car for my mat, I wasn't expecting to be tackling any massively difficult problems (not that I normally do anyway!). I was also spotter-less, so decided I probably shouldn't be too daring. Fortunately there's plenty to play about on, and everything looked distinctly more friendly than last time I was there about 18 months ago.

Bouldering at RAC Boulders (Copyright Haydn Williams 2008)

After about an hour it started raining, but it was nice to get out bright and early, and good to be reminded that perhaps I should consider something other than scrambling next time we head across for the weekend.

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The Moelwyns

Apr 7

Posted by Haydn in Outdoors | No Comments

Plans changed rather abruptly this weekend, from "scrambling and climbing" to "not getting blown off icy mountains". The weather on Saturday was looking a bit mean from where we were staying in Beddgelert, so we took a wander over Cnicht and the Moelwyns.

Moelwyn Mawr from Cnicht

We did pretty well with the weather, and managed to liven up the route a bit by trying to get blown off several bits near the summit of Moelwyn Bach, before bailing out and just heading up a steep slope instead. It was a really nice route for the day; I'd not done it before, but the Moelwyns are now officially on my List of Hills I Like.

Sunday's forecast was pretty dire (blizzards, 50mph winds), so J didn't bother coming through. I was therefore rather surprised to wake to glorious sunshine reflecting off the snow at 8am! We got up pretty sharpish and a slightly more detailed weather inspection suggested Moel Siabod might be the best place to avoid the brewing snow clouds. Sure enough, we spent most of the day sheltered behind the main ridge, and had a brilliant scramble up Daear Ddu ridge in just enough snow to make it fun.

Llyn y Foel from Daear Ddu

From the top it was clear that pretty much everywhere else was either in cloud, or taking a hammering with snow and hail. The descent back to the car was pretty quick, with only one vicious wave of hailstones blown across from the Carneddau to distract us. So despite not exactly matching up with the planned programme, it was another great weekend in the bag!

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