Matty invited myself and Liz to Bangor University not to chill out but to walk up Snowdon. The mountain is the highest in Wales at an elevation of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) and the second highest outside the Scottish Highlands.
It has six different Ascents up the mountain all with varying degrees of difficulty and it also has its own single track mountain railway line. We chose to walk up and down but chose a specific easier but quieter route.
We walked the Snowdon Ranger path which starts at a carpark along side the reservoir of Lyn Cwellyn. After walking through mountain pastures and then open moorland the path then climbs to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog, and then snakes along the ridge above Clogwyn Du'r Arddu towards the summit. This path meets the railway, the Llanberis Path, the Crib Goch path, and the combined Pyg Track and Miners' Track all just below the summit.
We started in fairly mild and bright weather but as we reached the base of the main elevation the cloud clung to the whole of Snowdon ridge. The walk up was relatively quiet with probably less than 5 groups of walkers seen in the whole 2.5hrs trek although as we reached the railway track and the junction where most of the paths converge we were met by dozen upon dozens of fellow walkers who seemed to appear eerily from the cloud.
We climbed up to the small and cramped trig point for the group picture before heading to the café for a coffee. We all agreed to do the mountain walk properly and not catch the train down so we retraced our steps back down the mountain. The ascent took exactly 2.5hrs while the descent took 5 minutes longer, mainly because we watched a rescue helicopter winch a medic to the rocks just below the summit. I cant confirm how serious it was but it certainty wasn't a practice run.
It was a shame that the cloud gave us no view at all from the summit the weather for the majority of the ascent and descent was at best fair but with no wind and some patches of broken sunshine near the base of the mountain and of course its always nice not to have to walk in the rain......
It has six different Ascents up the mountain all with varying degrees of difficulty and it also has its own single track mountain railway line. We chose to walk up and down but chose a specific easier but quieter route.
We walked the Snowdon Ranger path which starts at a carpark along side the reservoir of Lyn Cwellyn. After walking through mountain pastures and then open moorland the path then climbs to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog, and then snakes along the ridge above Clogwyn Du'r Arddu towards the summit. This path meets the railway, the Llanberis Path, the Crib Goch path, and the combined Pyg Track and Miners' Track all just below the summit.
We started in fairly mild and bright weather but as we reached the base of the main elevation the cloud clung to the whole of Snowdon ridge. The walk up was relatively quiet with probably less than 5 groups of walkers seen in the whole 2.5hrs trek although as we reached the railway track and the junction where most of the paths converge we were met by dozen upon dozens of fellow walkers who seemed to appear eerily from the cloud.
We climbed up to the small and cramped trig point for the group picture before heading to the café for a coffee. We all agreed to do the mountain walk properly and not catch the train down so we retraced our steps back down the mountain. The ascent took exactly 2.5hrs while the descent took 5 minutes longer, mainly because we watched a rescue helicopter winch a medic to the rocks just below the summit. I cant confirm how serious it was but it certainty wasn't a practice run.
It was a shame that the cloud gave us no view at all from the summit the weather for the majority of the ascent and descent was at best fair but with no wind and some patches of broken sunshine near the base of the mountain and of course its always nice not to have to walk in the rain......
Looking down to Lyn Cwellyn
Matty and Liz crossing the moorland of the summit of Snowdon which is shrouded in cloud
the view South of the Snowdon Moorland
The Corrie of Snowdon with the Tarn of Bwlch Cwm Brwynog in the centre,
Liz and Matty on the path that snakes along the ridge above Clogwyn Du'r Arddu
crazy mountain bikers
the mountain train descends from the cloud .......
............. as we walk yet higher and into the cloud
at the summit...... Done it!
a couple of strangers along side Matty, Myself and Liz
all down hill from here......
the mountain rescue helicopter hovers just above the summit way off in the distance
3 comments:
It's a wonderful place to wander Dave...
Hi Dave Well as I will never be able to do that climb now, it was lovely to see what the area was like. The views are gre at although I suppose at the summit you could not see much.
What a wonderful place to explore! It certainly was foggy up on the summit. The views are breathtaking.
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