"Snowdonia" "Snowdonia"
| Introduction In april 1997 we climbed Mount Snowdon, and subsequently we made a 5-day tour through the central part of Snowdonia National Park. We started in Llanberis, on the western edge of the park, and finished in Betws-y-coed on its eastern border. Besides Snowdon (1085m) we climbed Tryfan (915m) and Moel Siabod (872m).
For those who don't already know: Snowdonia is situated in the of Wales. Snowdon, or Yr Wyddfa is the highest mountain with only slightly more than 1000 meters. Being close to the sea however, you start your climbs relatively low, as a result of which they are still quite lengthy. Route description A friend of us lives close to Chester. With him we drove to the Llanberis Pass (A4086) only to find out that the small parking lot near Pen-y-Pass was already overloaded. As there is no opportunity for parking along the road over the pass, we left the car near the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel, which is located at the junction of the A498 in the direction of Beddgelert. Apparently, on beautiful days like this, one has to get up early to conquer a place to park near Pen-y-Pass. After having walked back to Pen-y-pass (359m) we took the "Pig track", which heads west from the parking lot. The path climbs rapidly to the Bwlch y Moch, from where one can enjoy a splendid view on Lliwed, rising high above Llyn Llydaw, shining in the morning light. From Bwlch-y-Moch you can find a path at your right hand, leading to the top of the rocky mass above you. This will carry you to Crib Goch, the start of a beautiful ridge walk, the socalled "Snowdon Horseshoe", owing its name from the shape of the mountain ridge around Llyn Llydaw. The first part of this ridge walk, over Crib Goch, is subject of conversation for every "Snowdon climber". The ridge is sharp as a knife, and pretty exposed. In stormy weather, or when frozen, it is what the English call, with their usual sense for understatement, a "potentially dangerous route".
Our friend was less interested in heroism, and we went further along the Pig track, which continues at a more or less equal height, above the lakes Llyn Llydaw and Glaslyn. At the end of the valley the path winds its way over artifical stairs ("Zig-zags") to the ridge of Snowdon, marked with a huge marker stone. Turn left, to climb the final 100 meters following a the track along the ridge. To the right you see a railway track along which a small train travels between Llanberis and the top of Mount Snowdon. In the train station, just below the summit, one can buy postcards, and have them sent with a special stamp from the highest post office in the U.K. On beautiful days it tends to be quite crowded on the summit. After all, paths from 7 different directions join here. We walked back along the same route. When it is foggy, take care not to miss the marker stone at the entrance to the Zig Zags. Turn right, descending down the Zig Zags. Descend over a boulder slope to reach the Miners track along the shore of Glaslyn. The track is easy to follow, and brings you back to the parking lot near Pen-y-Pass. dag 2: Nant Peris - Devils Kitchen - Llyn Bochlwyd Our friend was so kind to drop us off at one of the camping-sites just east of Llanberis (near Nant Peris) at the A4086. The next day we took the public footpath which leaves the A4086 in norhterly direction, about 1/2 a mile after a car-park, when coming from Llanberis. Soon one is walking along the right bank of the Afon Las. After a rather steep climb one arrives in open fields. Keep heading in the same direction, north east, and don't cross one of the ladder stiles over the fence which shows up at your left hand. Finally, one reaches the boggy area near Llyn y Cwm. Don't take the path to the left, heading for Y Garn. Instead, circle to the left around Llyn y Cwm, avoiding the boggiest parts. On the opposite side of the lake a path is seen which carries uphill: this heads for Glyder Fawr. We continued over an initially not to obvious path in north easterly direction. This path leads to a stone filled runnel. The runnel descends slowly, until a steep cliff is reached, from which one overlooks Llyn Idwal. Here a boulder field, the socalled Devils Kitchen, or Twll Du, starts. Continue over the path descending through the boulder field. Initially it is not always easy to find. The path tends to keep left: don't try to make a shortcut to Llyn Idwal, as this will bring you on the edge of a very steep cliff. When arrived at Llyn Idwal, take the path along its easterly (right) shore. Close to the place where, not far from the shore, a small rocky island lies in the lake, one sees a wall, almost perpendicular to the path. Climb the hill following this wall (the path which is indicated on the map is not obvious) and continue to head in the same easterly direction to reach Llyn Bochlwyd. It took some effort before we found a place dry enough to put up our tent near this beautiful lake. dag 3: Llyn Bochlwyd - Tryfan (915m) - Gwern Gof Uchaf From the norhtern edge of Llyn Bochlwyd a path heads in south easterly direction for Bwlch Tryfan. Soon we found ourselves, for the first time, in thick fog. Somewhere to the left there ought to be a path leading to the summit of Tryfan. Although there were many small tracks, a clear path couldn't be discovered. Using our compass we tried to walk in the proper direction until we reached the wall which is built over the col (Bwlch Tryfan). This wall is quite convenient help for orientation when wandering around in fog. At the wall we turned left, and climbed over a number of rocky ledges upwards (when the fog finally disappeared, it turned out that we could have circumvented most of these ledges by keeping left of them), untill we reached a plateau from which we could not climb higher. Obviously, we had reached Far South Peak. This meant that Tryfan had to be nearby, (only 80 meters higher), but we still couldn't see it. A slant of wind lifted the fog, just enough to reveal another wall at the foot of Far South Peak. Apparently it was there to block the pass between Far South Peak and Tryfan (not indicated on the map). From this wall we climbed to the summit of Tryfan, at first over an obvious path, later over boulders. The summit of Tryfan consists of a small plateau, from which it is only a few, very exposed steps to the summit. The summit is marked with two big stones, which are called Adam and Eve. According to tradition, he who jumps from one stone to the other is proclaimed Freeman of Tryfan. If you see the two stones, one can hardly believe that anybody is so foolish to make the jump: if you miss, you'll have a proper chance of taking a fast route down Tryfan... Even so, a number of dare-devils can be seen on photo in the local Tourist Office. From the summit of Tryfan, one descends back to the wall crossing Bwlch Tryfan. The route over the north ridge of Tryfan is classified as "not suitable for descent". Climb over the wall, and descent in easterly direction to the valley of the Nant Gwern y Gof. To the left the socalled "Heather Terrace" path is to be found, but we missed it. Instead, we went al the way down over a steep slippery slope, covered with unstable debris. In the valley one takes the path (uncomfortable, muddy) heading north. At the farm Gwern Gof Uchaf one finds a small camping-site (register at the farmhouse). dag 4: Gwern Gof Uchaf - Capel Curig - Llyn y Foel Cross a few stiles behind the farm to arrive at the footpath, which runs parallel to the A5 in the direction of Capel Curig. Even in dry periods this is a very boggy path. In the pools along the path we saw hundreds of tadpoles. Near Capel Curig one can keep to the right, but one can also decide to walk into Capel Curig. Take the opportunity to drink a cola or something instead of the water you had during the past days. Walk for half a mile or so along the A4086 in the direction of Llanberis. Behind the National Mountain Centre, a path heads to the left to cross Llyn Mymbyr via a bridge. Turn right at the other end of the bridge, and take the path along the edge of the forest, running more or less parallel to the river. After a while the path reaches a bridge over the river, just opposite to a hotel. Don't cross the bridge, but stay on the path along the bank of the river. Here one walks through Welsh countryside at its best. After crossing a ford one reaches a paved road near Pont-Cyfing. Turn right, and after only a few meters a small paved road uphill shows up on the right, offering entrance to Moel Siabod. The farmer that lives further down this road at Rhôs, makes quite an effort to have you taking the next road (near Capel Tan-y-garth) if you don't want to go to the Moel. This is quite understandable, because numerous people stubbornly refuse to keep their dogs on a leash. It is no longer necessary to cross the farmyard of Rhos: a new, very steep road allows you to pass by. From Rhos a wide path stretches out in front of you, while Moel Siabod is already visible in the distance. Just before crossing the final fence, the path bends slightly to the left: neglect the smaller path which turns to the right. Having crossed the fence, the path narrows, and carries along the right side of a lake and next through a quarry closed in 1972. The barracks are scattered all around.
The path ends near Llyn y Foel, where, again with great difficulty, we managed to find a dry spot for the tent. We used flat stones to create a pavement in front of the tent, allowing us to cook our meal without getting wet feet. We enjoyed a splendid quiet evening with a magnificent view on Llyn y Foel and Siabod. dag 5: Llyn y Foel - Moel Siabod (872m) - Dôl-gam After having packed our tent we contoured the lake to reach the foot of the rocky ridge named Ddaer Ddu. Climb the ridge, and take the path, to arrive, with some simple and pleasant scrambling, at the summit of Moel Siabod (872m). From Ddaer Ddu one can enjoy magnificent views over Llyn y Foel, with the forests near Betws-y-Coed visible in the distance. From the summit of Moel Siabod one can cast a final glance at the Snowdown Horseshoe, the Glyders and Tryfan. Head in norht easterly direction from the stone, marking the OS trig point at the summit, along the windshelter once used for ponies. Descend over grassy slopes in such a way, that one walks almost parallel with the ridge of Moel Siabod. At about 650 m height a path becomes visible which descends through a more rocky area, back to the road to Rhôs. Pass Rhôs to reach the paved road heading parallel to the river. Turn right. Pass Capel Tan-y-garth to find a footpath at the left which heads through the fields towards the bank of the river. Stepping stones allow you to reach the A5. About 100 meter further there is a nice camping-site (register at the farm Dôl-gam on the opposite side of the A5) From the camping, follow the A5 untill it crosses the river near the The Towers. Here a trail starts which runs along the northern bank of the Afon Llugwy. In about 1.5 hr Betws-y-Coed is reached where one can take the train. Copyright © Peter Reuderink/Ant Bijlsma (1997). |
 Contents day 1: Snowdon (1085m) from Pen-y-Pas getting there
We took the ferry Europoort (near Rotterdam) - Hull. From the harbour of Hull (King George's Dock) a special bus heads for the trainstation. From there one can take the intercity to Manchester (abt. 2 hours). From there, take the train to Chester. From Chester a narrow gauge train travels along the coast, turning inland near Conwy. This train journey is really very nice!. It is possible to leave the train at a number of stations. The train does not stop automatically at smaller stations: inform the conductor if you want to leave, or raise your hand when on the platform. Ask for information about the train table to avoid long delays. The time to travel from Manchester to Snowdonia depends very much on how long one has to wait, but it should be possible to arrive in Betws-y-Coed in the afternoon when leaving Hull in the morning. Much faster, not very much more expensive, but certainly not as enjoyable, is taking the plane to Manchester. Wales is famous for its bad weather, and because it is so close to the sea the wind in Snowdonia can really blow your head off. One is therefore advised to carry along the necessary fleece and gore-tex stuff. When we made our tour in april, we met warm and dry weather, and didn't see a single drop of rain. When camping at higher altitudes though, the nights were quite cold. Most of the routes aim to reach on or another summit, run along a ridge, and/or demand some easy scrambling. Under normal weather conditions this is hardly a problem, but in bad weather (wind, rain) these routes can be quite demanding. If you're not used to this type of walks it is better to avoid such routes in bad weather. Winter brings snow, and the rocks can be covered with ice. Although the mountains are not high, ridge walks in particular get a alpine character, requiring ice-axe and crampons for safety.
It can be extremely foggy in Snowdownia. Many of the tree-less slopes offer less to help you find your way. Moreover, we found hardly any marks or road signs. This might have something to do with the attitude of the Britons towards "fair play" and "that would spoil the sport". A compass and a detailed map have to be part of your luggage. Tips (continued) The areas round Snowdon and Glyders are frequently visited. Other parts of the park are said to be more quiet, or even almost deserted (f.e. the Carneddau, or the southern parts of the park). Although Snowdon is very popular, there are not many restaurants, pubs etcetera. Apart from the obligatory sheep and dispersed farms there is not much more (fortunately). Near Tryfan, one of the most popular climbing spots, there is only a small camping-site. Basically, all this means that one has to carry food for the entire lenght of the tour.
Tips (continued) It is not difficult to find water. But, because sheep are all around, one should filter or boil it first. Even in the warm, dry period, in which we made our tour (every farmer was complaining about the drought), many areas were extremely boggy. Gamasches (what's the English word for them?) are usefull in keeping the bog out of your boots. Because every flat area tends to be boggy, it can be quite difficult to find a proper spot for your tent. Near Llyn-y-Foel, beneath Moel Siabod, our tent stood on the only dry spot available, and even then it felt like sleeping on a water bed. The best map is Ordnance Survey, Outdoor Leisure serie, nr.17, Snowdonia, Snowdon & Conwy Valley areas, 1:25 000 For the southern parts of Snowdonia nrs. 18 (Harlech and Bala areas), and 23 (Cadair Idris area) are available.
The Mountains of England and
Wales, volume 1, Wales, John en Anne Nuttall, Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe, Cumbria, 1989
(reprint 1994), ISBN 1 85284 036 6 Hill walking in Snowdonia, Steve Ashton, Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe, Cumbria, 1988
(reprint 1995), ISBN 1 85284 008 0
Information on the area
The Welsh names, which are often quite unpronouncable, usually refer to the appearance of things and their place in the surroundings. In the guides the meaning of most of these names is explained. A few nice examples for places which were visited in our route: Bwlch y Moch : Col of the Pigs (on the Pig-track!) Some other, very poetic ones: And finally:
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