Walk 4 - Snowdon

Date : 24 - 01 - 2013
Route : Snowdon via miners track and pyg track


Well after a few days of weather watching I decided to heading up to Snowdon with Mike from the club. We left Pen y Pass at 10.00 and headed up the Miners track in beautiful blue sky and sunshine. With snow straight out of the car and the views opening up as we walked further into the horseshoe, the snow was a soft powder but slightly consolidated on the track. Off of the track the drifts were often knee or waist deep.

Me at the start of the Miners track

Snowdons trinity face with the Gribin ridge in the foreground.

Trinity Face.

Checking the view towards Snowdon.

Gazing into an old Mining building.

Climbing through the snow towards the zigzags.

The sun above Y Lliwedd

Looking up the trinity face

Looking at the summit and Y Lliwedd beyond from the near the top of the zigzags.

Heading up the zigzags with a grouo of walkers passing from the cold shade into the warming sun.

The summit ridge.

The summit ridge and the summit left.



Looking along Y Lliwedd from the summit.

The frost growing into the wind was beautiful.

Caption on the summit.

More frost growth.

Myself infront of a closed summit cafe.

Starting down the zigzags.

Walk 3 - Cwm Idwal

Date : 20 - 01 - 2013
Route : Cwm Idwal

Well there has been a whole lot of snow lately and I have purchased a pait of La sportiva Nepal Extreme (B3) boots for my winter forays and hopefull trips into the alps. I decided to head out into the snow for a walk with the club. Although, I didnt read the post properly and met at trhe wrong car park scuppering my plans.

Being on my own in the poor winter condition I decided on a short low level walk to try out my boots and get a good fit. Cwm Idwal was looking stunning in its full winter conditions with snow right from the car. I loved the new boots and can't wait to try them out on a longer route.

Walk 2 - Northern Carneddau circuit

Date : 06 - 01 - 2013
Route : Northern Carneddau from the Conwy Valley

Today I headed out to the carneddau with the club. For the first I did the Carneddau from the Conwy Valley. We started out by heading up Drum and onto Foel fras then carried on along the ridge to Carnedd Uchaf then onto Foel Frach. We had lunch on Foel Frach before heading of the carneddau via the ridge between Llyn Dulyn and Llyn Melynllyn down back towards Glan Conwy.

The walk after Llyn Dulyn and Llyn Melynllyn was very boggy which sapped all the reamining energy from my legs making the final steep sections back up the road to the car park.

The weather was not to bad with a strong breeze and cloudless summits

Walk 1 - Drum from Aber

Date : 01 - 01 - 2013
Route : Drum from Aber.

Well after my new years resolution of doing more walking than last year I decided to start the way I meant to go on by doing a new years day walk. It was an incredibly windy day with low cloud, I decided to head to my usual work and  head to Aber for a quick walk up Drum. Its a walk I have put up a few times. I have no pictures for this walk as the weather was rubbish.

Happy New Year

Well another year, another set of resolutions to break.

I am starting this year in a far better state than last year, I have been in my new job for 10 months and its going well. I have also joined Clwyd Mountaineering Club and am enjoying my walking more than ever.

So far I have already decided to go for a long weekend in the lake district and may also go on a trek somewhere this year.

Anyway, I will again be again putting my walks on my blog and hopefully you will all enjoy reading them.

Sam.

Walk 12 - Capel curig, Betws -y- coed and Llyn Crafnant

Date : 16 - 12 - 2012.
Route: A Low level circular of Capel curig, Betws-y-coed and Llyn Crafnant.

Today was my first walk out with Clwyd Mountaineering Club of which I recently became a member. The plan was to meet in the car park behind Joe Browns and from there decide on a walk based on peoples abilities, weather etc.

As the weather today was rubbish and not due to get much better it waas decided that a low lovel walk would be the best option as all of the snow would be loose not alowing good climbing in the gullies. So we down the road and entered the forrest in near the Siabod cafe aand followed this area of the forrest down to the 'Ugly House' where we crossed over the bridge and followed the river down past swallow falls into Betws-y-coed. There were people white water rafting down swallow falls which was enjoyable to watch while we took a break.

From Betws-y-coed we headed up again into the forrest and followed the trail to Llyn Sarnau, Llyn Geirionydd, and onto Llyn Crafnant. With the final little kick up being out of Cwm crafnant towards Capel curig. The walk took aproximatly 6 hours. The estimated distance was approximatly 14 miles with perhaps 800m of ascent as you are climbing and descending for much of the day.

It was a very enjoyable low level walk that i can recommend for any fairly fit person with some great views even in fairly poor weather also being in the forrest you dont tend to get as wet when it rains.

Walk 11 - Moel Siabod

Date: 08 - 12 - 12
Route: Daear Ddu ridge.

Another weekend another walk, Im currently walking with the consistnacy I intended upon starting this blog which is good news. There is still alot of snow around as it has been falling all week. The snow today was very soft but it should be in better condition after the cold weather we are expecting next week.

I decided on this route as although I was again walking alone in winter the Daear ddu ridge offers exposure and difficulty as you want it and with the snowy peaks it would offer an excelent panorama (I was not disappointed). Though as I decribed last time with this walk the opening section is somewhat of a slog untill you are past the farm at which point the gradient eases up.

The area at the bottom of the Daear Ddu ridge was very boggy and saw someone just ahead of me go waist deep into the mud. The ridge itself lower down was in intermittent snowy patches that increased in frequancy as I climbed. until there was a blanket on nearly everything.

The upper reaches of the ridge were fairly difficult and arduous in the knee deep snow that was unconsolidated and made for a slow plod to the summit which the wind had scoured into a large icy football field sized icerink. I donned my crampons at this point and after snapping a few pictures (below) I headed back down towards the farm on the west ridge.

The Glydreau

Foreground : Glyderau, Background: Carneddau

Very icy Trig point

Looking down at the small reservoir at Dolwydellan

View west along summit plateau



Glyderau and Carneddau

Snowdon massif