April 2008 - Walk Of The Month
March 26, 2007
Continuation from Page 2...
The other side of the Pinnacles
The drop below the Pinnacles, but you don’t come close to this
Past the worst bit now and down to the col at the end of Crib Goch
The end, made it, cue wild celebrations… a drink and an apple actually.
When I came down from the ridge I knew that had made my day so I made a couple of calls to say I was very much alive. I looked back along the ridge to see a steady stream of groups, no doubt enjoying themselves as much as I did. I looked ahead to the ridge disappearing into the mist and could see the meeting point of the PYG track and the miners track below. Still a long way to go, with some more scrambling ahead. The ridge at Crib-y-Ddysgl is a lot wider than Crib Goch, but there were some hairy moments up here as well. I had to retrace my steps a couple of times when the way ahead turned into rock climbing instead of a scramble. I didn’t fancy falling off yet. The higher I climbed up the ridge the better were the views back to Crib Goch. That was my reward for taking the hard route.
More scrambling ahead
The view back to Crib Goch
The PYG track far below. The start of the scramble up Crib-y-Ddysgl
Just stretch up a little. Be careful up the steeper sections
Further up the ridge the going is easier up these column steps. The mist still persisting
Once I was past the worst of the scramble the way ahead was clear and the path more defined. I took care of my footing and had glimpses of the valley far below. Occasionally the mist cleared and allowed a clearer view of the ridge and I was lucky enough to see the Snowdon train puffing up the hill away to my right. I was feeling the thigh muscles now as they had done most of the work today, a good work out.
Elidir Fawr above the hanging valley of Afon Dudodyn
The ridge became broader as I approached Garnedd Ugain, the trig point cloaked in mist. The summit here is only 20m lower than Snowdon, and I had to descend again to meet up with the Llanberis path that follows the train track. It was cold up here but not perishing, with the wind chill above freezing. I continued up beside the rail track towards the summit, past the finger stone, now accompanied by the families that had come up the PYG track. It made for a crowded summit in the fog, and made me vow to return here in the summertime early in the day. Judging by the amount of information that is etched into the plate on the trig point the views should be vast. Today I could only just see the summit station buildings. They are renewing the station café and looking at the plans it will be a huge improvement on the previous structure. There were a couple of mini diggers at work, not my idea of fun, and a long walk down if you miss the last train. Pallets of dressed granite lined the track, so I suppose by the end of the year they should have finished all the renovations. Hopefully people will learn to use the refuse bins provided for them! There wasn’t too much snow around, but it formed a cornice against the top of the ridge. The mist was now so thick I couldn’t see down the slopes at all. The summit did clear briefly for a quick photo, but soon closed in again, so I found a nice spot and had some lunch. Only hot soup and a chicken roll was enough today. I eat quicker when there is nothing to look at.
The Llanberis Pass road below Llyn Glas
A last look back to Crib Goch before I disappeared into the mist
The ridge up to Garnedd Ugain – the paths become easier
Here comes Thomas, puffing his way uphill
The summit trig point of Garnedd Ugain
Up towards the summit alongside the rail track
If only the gentleman or lady on top of the trig point had their arms outstretched
The summit trig point was full of information and people..
There were plenty of people around on the summit, but most didn’t stay long. It was enough that they had met their challenge. After I had finished lunch I studied the map and I took a heading for what I thought would be the right path to continue the Snowdon Horseshoe and complete a memorable day. However I didn’t take the right path and although on the ground it looked like the correct route, in reality it wasn’t. As I sit here now and reflect on the day, I realise now that I misread the map and should have headed off the summit to the south-east, instead of the east heading I took. I descended down in the mist on a good path, but it soon became indistinct, and worse became much steeper. The mist was thick and visibility low. I was very mindful of where I was and the dangers lurking where I couldn’t see. I did not want to become another statistic, so made my way back up the slope to the summit and decided to descend by the PYG track. I probably wasn’t that far away from the right path, but the risk wasn’t worth it. I definitely have a reason to return when the weather improves. Once back at the summit I walked back down the track to the finger rock which marks the top of the PYG track.
No way down here so back to the top
The top of the PYG track was snowed in and had become a little icy and slushy, and definitely quite slippery. The edge of the path was made up with large boulders and these were ok to walk down. I made my way down the track to another finger post that marked the junction with the miners track. It was adorned with an interesting T-shirt.
The finger stone marking the PYG track
Slide out of control here and you’re in trouble
I didn’t meet the owner, and I’m sure I would have recognised them
The miners track winds down to the shore of Glaslyn
Eventually I dropped down below the mist and the tarn below Snowdon came into view. The path was easy to follow and easy to walk down. I saw some interesting volcanic rocks on the way down – Pyroclastics – full of other bits of rock! Once I was back in the clear, I had great views of Crib Goch to my left and Y Lliwedd on my right. If I had carried on around the horseshoe I would have missed these views. It was good to see a different perspective of Crib Goch, and you can appreciate the steepness of the slopes.
Crib Goch high above the miners track
The outflow from Glaslyn, Snowdon shrouded in mist
I should have been up there – Y Lliwedd above Llyn Llydaw
No change in the cloud base – the outflow below Glaslyn pouring downhill
Further along the miners track you pass by the old mine buildings along an easy path back towards Llanberis. The clouds were still swirling down around Y Lliwedd and onwards to the Llanberis Pass and beyond. It must have been very gloomy down there today. A large pipeline extends downhill from Llyn Llidaw to some works in the Glaslyn valley. As you cross over the lake on the miners path there are some glacially smoothed rocks to your left. Now to end the walk it’s a gentle stroll back around to the car park at Pen-y-Pass. Crib Goch continued to dominate the skyline to my left and made me smile every time I looked up at it, and I’m still smiling a few days later.
The old mine works
Crib Goch, thanks for the fun. It doesn’t look so difficult from here
A last look back to Y Lliwedd across Llyn Llydaw
Back up the valley, Snowdon is still in cloud. The only frustration of the day.
I arrived back at the car park about 6 hours after I had set out, a grand day out. On the drive down the pass there were some boulder climbers at the roadside, with a strategically placed mattress to fall off on. I passed by the Llanberis slate mines, a massive scar in the landscape. Finally I passed by some new born lambs gambolling in the fields, it shouldn’t be allowed by Ladbrookes at their age!
Walking, never dull, but sometimes it’s just plain scary! Brilliant really.