ROUTE: Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr from Pen y Gwryd Hotel
MEMBERS OF PARTY: With my wife Marion and nephew Mikey Thacker. Mikey is an energetic 32 year-old with some walking experience, including, he told us, climbing Tryffan with friends in the last few years, but I had never previously been on the hill with him.
CONDITIONS: Clear and sunny Good visibility. Cool on Summits, becoming quite warm in the afternoon.
DURATION: Total distance 10.03km, Total Ascent 887m, elapsed time 6hrs 42mins.
SKILLS PRACTISED: Planning. Group Leadership with inexperienced walker. Some basic easy Scrambling.
MOUNTAIN ENVIRONMENT: I was intrigued by the rocks forming the summits, pinnacles, and adjoining blockfields. The boulders in particular were exceptionally large in scale, very light-coloured, rough and grippy to scramble on, with very obvious large clasts in a finer matrix. Probably a type of agglomerate (?) and although closely related to the Borrowdale and Glencoe volcanics in terms of origin and age, they were very distinctive. This outing cemented the impression of Snowdonia as an extremely busy mountain "playground". The sheer numbers heading up the path to Pen-y-Pass astounded me ( although it was a Saturday ) and while we were pretty much on our own climbing the southern slopes of Glyder Fawr, we re-joined the multitudes on reaching the crest. Visitor management currently seems just about able to cope with the pressure but would be very sensitive to further increase in numbers. The overall experience inevitably contrasts starkly with most Scottish mountain days, but is undoubtedly impressive, and I was pleased to have begun a journey to become more familiar with these hills. Looking forward to exploring the less-frequented corners, especially with a tent if possible!
KEY LEARNING POINTS/CONTRIBUTION TO EXPERIENCE: Leading/introducing an inexperienced walker to a longer hill day. I had primed Mikey via WhatsApp with a basic kit list, and we had checked this on Friday night as part of an informal briefing session, agreeing on The Glyders as an appropriate objective. We chose the southern route option from Pen y Gwryd Hotel, both because he had already climbed from the north, and the start was more accessible from our base in Porthmadog. We took-in the brief scramble over the Castell y Gwynt, and Mikey showed no hesitation or nervousness.
Area :
Snowdon Massif
Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) in Gwynedd, and has been described as "the busiest mountain in Britain". It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna.
