Distance: 12.55km
Duration: 5h22
Ascent: 800m
With a weather window, we were up and out early to avoid the afternoon weather decline. In addition, with a strong walking partner, I decided to do the normal route backwards, for added interest and an easy descent once below the scrambles. Therefore, we crossed the river at PYB and climbed through the woodland as the rain fell. As we climbed out into access land along the relatively clear path, this eased and the temperature dropped. Upon reaching the summit trig, we snapped a quick photo as the cloud base dropped onto us and the wind picked up - we briefly sheltered in the summit shelter to share a flask of tea and a bite to eat. Weather swiftly turned and deposited hail, leading to risk of lightening so I opted for a hasty retreat. Hail was fleeting and quickly passed but was enough to make the descent greasy, with 100% concentration needed to place feet and identify the path (which is obvious coming up but not so coming down). Once past the downward scrambles, I navigated North around Llyn y Foel, and into the disused quarry. Here, the weather improved and cloud lifted, gifting views across the valley. I chose to explore the quarry a little before descending, and found interesting counter lever roof design, as well as treacherously precarious walls and chimneys which had a wide birth. As we descended we were treated with rainbows and patchy sunshine, a far cry from the weather we had experienced earlier in the day. After reaching the road, we followed the footpath through the fields to the south of the river and along past Bryn-engen, admiring the late arrival of the Autumn colours in the deciduous woodland.
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.
