Paddy Buckley recce (with Dad!)

Friday 22nd: My dad and I arrived in Llanberis, with gorgeous sunshine and clear skies. It felt a bit of a shame to be heading up into the disused slate quarries, only to recce the route up onto Eilidir Fach (795m). It felt even more of a shame to be testing out various possible inclines, tracks and pathways through the piles of old slate instead of climbing any of the classic slate routes (all of which were heaving with happy climbers)! Nevertheless, we had a job to do and it went relatively well.


Thanks Dad!

We found a reasonable route through, avoiding any areas of dodgy rockfall and pulling out onto the open hillside at about 600m. The route up to the summit was easy enough, from which the views over Leg 1 (Moel Eilio hills) looked very green and runnable. It felt nerve-wracking to think that'd this would be part of my first day of the challenge in three week's time!


Saturday 23rd: Having been promised glorious sunshine, we were most disappointed to find oursevles on a recce of the Eifdnydd leg in low cloud, wind and drizzle! The first hill on this leg is Bryn Banog at 519m (unhelpfully marked with the wrong height on my new PBR map)! Getting to it was the major difficulty: 3km of trees, bog, marsh, walls and fences, with a steep finish.


Moel Hebog trig point

From the nothern end we dropped to a boggy col, littered with small rocky knolls (which looked like mountains themselves in the gloom). Our bearing brought us to the steep easterm slopes of Moel Hebog (782m). Having picked a good line, we ascended the slopes safely, to the south of the crags. It was very hard-going due to the steepness and bands of chunky scree (hands-on-heather rather than hands-on-knees tupe stuff!) Once we had gained the ridge, the angle eased and the cairn-marked walk to the summit was pleasant in comparison.

The route then veered steeply NW, following a wall first downhill, then uphill and through a creepy gap in some crags (a bit like a tunnel) to the summit of Moel yr Orgof (655m), followed by Moel Lefn (638m). These tops are rocky outcrops amidst a sea of shin-shredding blaeberry and heather. They have no summit cairns and there isn't much sign of recent traffic (of the fell-running variety). In low visibility, they are tricky (and rather unrewarding) to locate. After dropping off Moel Lefn, we dipped below the cloud level for a time and could see the Beddgelert Forest unfold below us, revealing what would eventually be our track out on to the A4085.


Wall leading up Y Gryn

Picking up the wall at Bwlch Cwm-Trwsgl, we used it as a handrail to the summit of Y Gryn. Still the terrain was difficult underfoot and would be very difficult to run (mostly rock outcrops, blaeberry bushes, heather and bogs!!) From Y Gryn (452m) we skirted above the old quarry workings and ascended Mynydd y Ddwy Elor. This top is one of several little knolls on a small ridge, again without a summit cairn.

On the ascent of Trum Y Ddysgyl (709m), I started to get the feeling we were heading up a REAL mountain at last. The top was a long narrow plateau, with a steep cliff at the the NE end. At first it seemed we would have nowhere to go except to descend the NW ridge (not the route!) but on closer inspection, there was a small track dropping off the very NE tip, which skirts the cliff-edged cwm. In the clag we didn't have any sense of the potential exposure which might otherwise have been apparent to our left.

At this stage, the route gradually became a scramble with great interest. We made our way up and down rocky piles along the rising ridge until we reached Mynydd Drwys-y-Coed on the very lip of the cwm. On these seemingly more popular hills, we started to pass other walkers in the gloom (with whom we shared our disappointment over the vagaries of the Snowdonia weather forceast).


Y Garn summit

The last summit on this stretch was Y Garn (633m), which is marked by two huge piles of stones (created through clearing the surrounding pasture for farming, rather than to mark the way for confused hillwalkers). After following the main track SE from the summit, we beagn to peel off in a southerly direction, across the steep grassy face to cross the river in Cwm Marchnad and meet the track leading into Beddgelert Forest.

A gentle jog through forest tracks brought us to the railway line next to the A4085 and to our (main) lunch stop for the day! Our stopping place stood at only 190m, so we were not looking forward to trogging up to 587m straight after eating. Behind the dishevelled farmhouse of Wernlas-deg, the higher slopes of Craig Wen are broken by rocky terraces, which impede a driect line. Luckliy, we spied a pair of Eyryri Harriers fell-runners, also doing a PBR recce that day. Needless to say, we shamelessly followed them, as they knew a cunning little line which circumvented the difficulties and led nicely to the top. With our penultimate top ticked, we pressed on upwards to the summit of Yr Aran (747m); neighbour of Snowdon.


Last summit of the day; Yr Aran

A quick snap and some jelly babies later and we were descending northward to meet the main tourist track leading from Bwlch-Cwn-Llan to our finishing point (and taxi) at NantGwynant. With only 90 minutes to our taxi (when at the summit of Yr Aran), we rushed downhill. However, it turned out that we needn't have worried: not only were we down with 30 minutes to spare but the taxi never turned up!!! Thankfully, a very kind couple who were passing through gave us a lift back to the Pen-Y-Gwryd hotel.

Cerrig Cochion towards Snowdon

Sunday 24th: Easter Sunday dawned sunny and fresh. A perfect day to negotiate my way through the notoriously tricky and boggy Moelwyns (bring ya wellies!!) Having caught a taxi to the footpath leading up to Bwlch Rhediad from the A498 (Capel to Beddgelert road), it took next to no time, on a good track, to reach the heathery col. From here I could see Cerrig Cochion, a jumble of pale rocky outcrops in the distance. The height gain was minimal but the ground underfoot was boggy - over the knee in places! I wondered if it was possible for a lone walker to get stuck in one of these swamps and took comfort from having poles to help lever me out! Cerrig Cochion is just off the track running by the side of the fence, so relatively easy to find. From here, the second top stood grand on the skyline ahead; Moel Meirch. A few man-eating bogs later and I arrived at this craggy top, by way of a lovely wee scramble (which I later found was avoidable round the back!)


Llyn Edno

The next section was really very stunning in the sunshine. The peaceful Llyn Edno was perfectly still, reflecting the surrounding hills on its surface. The route circumnavigates the loch and acsends the broad ridge of Ysgafell Wen from the water's southern tip. From this point, the route essentially follows the fence line, with summits Mynydd Llynau yr Cwn  and the 'Unamed Top' passing quickly due to their close proximity and minimal height difference. The ground here is runnable and far less boggy. I was beginning to really like this leg! 

I walked passed several little lochs, which added picturesque character to the surrounding landscape. Moel Druman (676m) looks over Llyn Conglog, which you pass the first time on the route to Allt Fawr (698m). This mountain has steep cliffs on its E/SE aspect, which give impressive views of the Ffestiniog Slate Quarry. The workings looked calm in the sunshine, yet quite formidable (I imagine they could seem rather depressing in different weather)!

From Allt Fawr, the route leads back towards Llyn Conglog and across its outflow. Here I saw a lone man fishing, miles from anywhere. It seemed a somewhat preferable hobby as I squelched by!

Crags below Llyn clogwyn-brith 

I skirted the plateau and dropped easily towards Llyn clogwyn-brith. This little lake is followed by a steep face of crags, which makes for an intimidating drop to the disused quarry below.  Dropping off to your left (east) is apparently the best option, although I still found myself down-climbing a few rocky steps to reach the wall below. It might be hard to find a good line here in poor visibility!

The disused mine marks the start of a loop of 5 summits, ending back at this point again. With the final mountain (Cnicht) so close by, it is difficult not to be tempted into cutting off this next section. This would be a mistake however, as in my view the leg changes character at this point (for the better). 

L to R: Moelwyn Bach, Craigysgafn, Moelwyn Mawr  

I passed through some old mine buildings and up a ridge at their back, before I reached the foot of Moel Ddu (Foel Ddu). A short but steep pull up about 50m brings you to the summit. Its bigger brother, Moel yr Hydd (648m) lies at the top of a sweeping flank from a col at 560m. The jog down from this summit ends at a gate with a sign warning of a 'dangerous and unmaintained' path skirting above the reservoir (Llyn Stwlan). The start of this terrace/track is marked with a large cairn. The cut-through deposits you in Bwlch Stwan, right at the foot of the impressive Moelwyn Bach (710m).

View from Moelwyn Bach

A well-travelled but steep track weaves up through steep scree, onto the shoulder and then finally to the summit of  Moelwyn Bach. I was lucky enough to have such amazing weather that I could see the beach and the sea as I looked out.

Not far to go now, I dropped back down the way I had come up and began my scramble up the peak on the opposite side of Bwlch Stwan (Craigysgafn, 689m). This is a rocky bluff comprised in part by bright white quartzite, in stark contrast the main rock type here.

Moelwyn Mawr from Cnicht

There isn't much of a drop after this top but there is nevertheless a steep pull up onto the summit of the more major peak, Moelwyn Mawr at 770m. At the trig point I exchanged Easter greetings with a number of walkers, all of whom had come up to this point by different routes/sides of the mountain.

Following the yellow line on my map, I dropped off the summit northwards, down a VERY steep and loose slate ridge before traversing right across slate scree to join the E/NE ridge. I took a few little slips here, sending stones skidding down the slope as I made a mental note to myself NOT to come this way again!!!


Cnicht in the distance

I jogged back down to the disused quarry, and at the start of my 'loop' took a east along a huge track. Near to boggy ground I jumped off the path and trogged uphill until I stumbled (quite literally) across two small lakes. The second, Llyn Cwm-y-foel has a dam at its south end, which I walked along to gain the lower slopes of my final mountain for the day, Cnicht (689m). Fearing the scree towards the summit, I followed the wall upwards and theopted for a VERY steep but grassy gully (relying on my MudClaws to keep me safe!!!) In the hot sun (and with only a bottle of nasty-tasting water) this final push felt like very hard work. When I popped up onto the summit ridge it was teeming with people!!!

I pretty much had to queue to scramble off the summit and join the track heading out to Croesor and eventualy the Aberglaslyn carpark at Nantmor (a very pleasant trail run, followed by road; about 6km in total). The whole leg took just 7h and 35mins, so I went back to the hotel tired but happy (and more than a little bit sunburned!)  

Thanks Dad, for all your help and support!!!!