Something different today to keep the training going for the big walk (less than one week to go now) – I’m up in Snowdonia for a weekend in the mountains, guided by good friend Tom Lawfield.
We started at Ogwen Cottage, a Ranger Base that resides on a particularly scenic spot of the A5 trunk road. It overlooks Llyn Ogwen and is flanked by the steep banks of Pen Yr Ole Wen and the rugged shadow of Tryfan. It’s actually nestled between two mountain ranges, the vast expanse of the Carneddau to the north-west and the dramatic peaks of the Glyderau to the south-east.
Walking past Llyn Idwal and slightly past the Idwal Slabs we came on the start of our first climb for today – the grade 2 scramble Idwal Buttress. Lovely climbing and first lunch at the top.
Next It was time to open the bible – North Wales Scrambles: a guide to 50 of the best mountain scrambles in Snowdonia- to see what we should do next. The Idwal Buttress – Continuation, another grade 2 scramble, looked a good option and off we went. More excellent climbing and time for second lunch at the top.
FInally, looking for one more challenge before heading down we picked Tower Rib – another grade 2 scramble. A quick walk over Cwm Cneifon (Cneifon Arette looking a good shout for the next visit) and up Tower Rib. Quite messy at the start, turned into some nice climbing and a little bit of exposure at the top.
Not finished with graded scrambles yet, descent started with the downwards Y Gribin grade 1 scramble and then the long walk downhill and back to Ogwen Cottage
A very enjoyable day and looking forward to seeing what we do tomorrow