
Start of hike at Llyn Cwellyn car park. Already light drizzle, good visibility but cloud further up. I followed the Snowdon Ranger Path. Starting with a relatively steep zig-zag path leading on to a boulder path and sheep folds. There was 2 other people I saw in the entire walk which made me aware that I needed to be extra cautious as there would not be much help if I needed it. Carrying on through the valley of the mountains, around large lake called Llyn Ffynnon y Gwas. Making sure to check my map every so often to ensure I was still on the same path I had drawn out the night before, however I found Ranger Path is relatively easy to follow in good conditions. The winds on the steeper parts of the ascent were relentless and I had to remain still on some parts to recollect my energy to press on through it. The weather started to turn suddenly. Heavy rain and large fast moving cloud.
I came within around 300m of the summit and made the decision to turn back swiftly. A large mass of cloud was low on the mountain and moving fast towards my direction, I decided it would be safer to turn back as a solo hiker than to risk the fog, strong wind, rain and poor visibility. Making it down as quickly but as safely as I could, I turned round to check and the large cloud was fast approaching. When I got back down to less steep ground near the beginning of the hike, there was fog but I had enough visibility to make my way back down the last portion of the trail back to Llyn Cwellyn. Sadly I didn't get to complete the summit of Yr Wyddfa due to rapid weather change. This taught me to look at the weather in more detail before embarking on long solo hikes as the weather can change faster than on flat ground. I made the right decision to turn back and showed me that my health and well-being is far more important that 'bagging' a summit
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.