Rambling Pete's Journal

April 2008 - Walk Of The Month

March 26, 2007

Oh my Crib GOCh, it’s half The Snowdon Horseshoe!

Date: 4th April 2008.
Map: Landranger 115 (view route in new window) (3D View #1) (3D View #2)
Weather: Foggy in the valley, sunshine up to around 850m, thick fog above.

A circular walk from Pen-Y-Pass, up the PYG track until Crib Goch, along the ridge and up to Garnedd Ugain and along to the Snowdon Summit. Returning down the PYG track and Miners track back to the car park: 7 1/2 miles – as measured by a memory map track, the pedometer said about 10 miles, it felt like 12!

I had a busy March at work, with many nightshifts. I wasn’t feeling full of energy today but the weather forecasts were not good for the following week so I took my chances. The BBC forecast showed low clouds later in the day and the met office forecast hill fog! I took a couple of maps with me ad if it was too misty I would continue to Anglesey and have a walk around Newborough Warren – a delightful stroll along sandy dunes. The drive down from Manchester took a couple of hours and as I approached the Llanberis Pass I could see Crib Goch clear ahead of me, but also the clouds scudding across the hillside.

Crib Goch on the right

Hoping for the best I turned up the Pass and it was clear approaching the hills. Crib Goch loomed large ahead. It was looking dark and very steep to me. It has a very distinct profile with the pinnacles very intimidating. I had spent quite a bit of time looking at various journals on the internet, and wasn’t sure if I could handle the exposure along the ridge. My sister asked if I was mad, and to phone her up if I survived!

The Pinnacles to the west end of Crib Goch, fog ahead!

It was very foggy as I gained height up the pass, so much that I missed the turn into the Pen-Y-Pass car park and had to continue down to the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel to turn around. The car park was fairly busy as the school holidays were still on, but I managed a good spot next to the PYG track - it was £4 for a days parking. I didn’t start until 10:30 today which was late for me, next time I’ll be down here at sunrise. It was reassuring to see that all the hikers today were well clothed and prepared for the worst of the weather.

The start of the PYG track

The "PYG track", one of the routes leading to the summit of Snowdon, and its name is believed by many to be derived from the initials of the hotel. Older maps, however, label the path as the "Pig track" and the name derives from Bwlch y Moch (the Pigs' Gap), where the path passes through a spur. The path is long established and well maintained by the present owners. The hotel's most notable mountaineering connections are largely due the first successful Everest expedition in 1953 and the Kangchengjunga expedition in 1955, where training and testing of oxygen equipment for those expeditions took place, at Helyg near Capel Curig. It is believed that Sir Edmund Hillary left the bar one snowy night saying “ I may be some time….”, and Sherpa Tenzing replied… “ Come back you tight wad, it’s your round…”

The path passes over these boulders…still misty ahead

The initial path is clearly marked, and the gentle ascent across the large boulder steps gently warmed my leg muscles for the day ahead. Thoughts of what was to come were bouncing around my head, but I told myself to be positive and concentrate on what I was doing. Good advice to myself and I was glad to act on it later in the day. There were plenty of people around and I passed by several families heading towards the summit along the PYG track.

Crib Goch peeking through the mist

The PYG track winding around

As I gradually gained height the sunshine came through and Crib Goch my brain tease came into full view. I started to anticipate the climb up the stony flank to the ridge. There were some minor patches of snow on the north facing slopes, but none on the sunny side. As I made higher ground the lake of Llyn Llydaw came into view sitting beneath the twin peaks of Y Lliwedd, where I expected to walk over later in the day. There was a good view of the miners track winding around the lake below. The clouds were swirling over the crest next to Y Lliwedd, but Crib Goch was staying clear with low mist further up the Crib-y-Ddysgl ridge.

Move along …coming through…

Y Lliwedd

The path diverges up towards Crib Goch.

The path up to Crib Goch has a marker post and immediately you walk up to higher ground on a well marked path. I could see some people ahead of me climbing up the butt end of the ridge. Higher up on the ridge there is very little vegetation on it apart from the odd patch of grass. The path towards the ridge becomes progressively steeper, and as you leave the grassy parts behind the scramble begins. Looking back occasionally I was rewarded with some great views of the steep slopes below me, with the Llanberis Pass a long way down. The cloud was now below me in the valley, and the slopes ahead were getting ever steeper. Looking above me it was sometimes difficult to pick out the way up, and it was inevitable that I had to do a little bit of rock scrambling. The toughest pitches were sometimes 15 to 20ft high, but all had good accessible handholds and footholds. I did have to stretch a little from time to time, so if you decide to climb up here you need a little strength to pull up your body weight. I’m sure there is an easier route up but I enjoyed the challenge. I found this part the most difficult of the day and was aware of the big drop behind me, although I didn’t look back until I was securely seated. I zig zagged up the slope as the bedding planes of the rocks varied, sometimes near vertical, and other times dipping towards me. The scree slopes of Crib Goch look red from a distance and this is due to the oxidisation of the rock surface – basically its rust! If you break a piece open you will see the usual Blue\Green Grey colour of the slates. But most of Crib Goch is made up of volcanic rocks. On the way up I noticed some interesting columnar jointing, part of an intrusive igneous rock called Rhyolite (think of the columns of Giants Causeway and you will get the idea). All of this distracted me for a while, but this is a walk not a geology lesson.

The drop down into Llanberis Pass

Getting higher, with Crib Goch stretching away to the west

Steeper and getting closer, the path goes around to the left

Getting steeper, the scramble begins…

Looking across the valley to Glyder Fawr

Across to Y Lliwedd…a handy seat to admire the views

…and down to Llyn Llydaw and the miners track

Let the climbing begin….gulp

Lots more pictures to come. The geology continued with some Quartzite veins, which contain some Copper minerals such as Chalcopyrite, and down near Dolgellau…real Welsh Gold. I believe Princess Anne’s ring is made of Welsh Gold! Further up the slopes the bedding is sloping more gently towards you. The interbedded volcanic rocks are generally smooth below your feet and are covered in loose scree, although some of the rocks are easy to walk along. I felt very exposed here, but as you ascend you will find yourself leaning into the hill and steadying yourself with one hand on Mother Earth! I had a feeling of being on edge (or the edge) without too much to hold onto as the ground slopes up towards you. Because you’re going up a steep slope and concentrating I didn’t look back often enough and probably missed a few good pictures. But now and again I stopped for a breather and a look back to the height below…thinking cripes that’s blinking steep…. Or words to that effect. I was still feeling a little apprehensive about the ridge, but the ground becomes easier towards the crest. I knew that my moment was approaching but my heart rate was not too bad. Soon enough Llanberis and the lakes of Llyn Peris, Llyn Padarn came into view, with the Menai Strait and Anglesey further distant. The weather almost cleared to see higher up the ridge above Crib Goch, but the clouds continued to flow around and pour over Snowdon. I finally reached the east end of the Crib Goch ridge and WOW. I was speechless, a big smile on my face? No, just a big stupid grin because I knew I was going to walk across. What a fabulous feeling, very exposed but I’ve been on higher ridges with bigger drops down the side. I think that the drop on either side was a lot less than I anticipated (it’s still a long way down) so my confidence soared. Once I saw the lay of the land I knew I could just stride along in places. Even the Pinnacles looked less of a threat, so I pulled on my red underpants and flew across!

The road far below. Spot the two vehicles