Sea fog filters in from the Irish Sea to obscure the lower hills. Yr Eifl is seen in the distance.
I have been up Snowdon so many times and have approached it from all angles whether it’s been via the gentle Llanberis Path or via Crib Goch but this walk back in 1993 remains as one of the most memorable.
At the time with a young family, any strenuous walking usually took second place but wasn’t necessarily out of the question. For many years our annual holiday was in self catering establishments and our neighbours from two doors away joined us as they had children of similar ages. Our holidays took us to many parts of England and Wales and we always seemed to be dogged with bad weather with beach days clad in waterproofs rather than beach wear but alas our first full day of our holiday in North Wales dawned with perfect sunny weather and a chance to get a day of serious walking in.
The day started badly with one child in our party having severe toothache and hence this required a trip to Bangor Hospital for a tooth extraction and so the rest of us spent a morning on the beach at Dinas Dinlle enjoying the glorious sunshine.
As the hours slipped by, thoughts of any hill walking today looked slim but with a return of the others at lunchtime, there was still the possibility that my neighbour Tim and me making an ascent of Snowdon in the afternoon and returning in the evening.
It was a warm afternoon when Tim and I arrived in Llanberis which was our starting point and we soon set out toiling up the road leading to the Llanberis Path. This was our first ascent of Snowdon via this route and we chose it as we had a time limit and wanted to be back before dusk. As we ascended, then good views opened out towards Moel Eilio. We stopped at Halfway House for a much needed cup of tea before toiling on up the hot and dusty path. Beyond Clogwyn Station there was more breeze and after another half mile I suggested that we divert to take in the summit of Garnedd Ugain 1065 metres. The view from the top was breathtaking and came as quite a surprise after toiling up the mundane slope. By now sea fog from the Irish Sea was filtering in around the mountains so we pressed on smartly towards the summit of Snowdon in case we lost the views. From the top of Snowdon 1085 metres we were rewarded by excellent views. There was an ever changing cloudscape as sea mist edged in around Yr Eifl and Moel Hebog making them ‘islands above the cloud’. We spent nearly an hour on the summit savouring the views. Tim would have stayed longer but we still had some distance to go and it was already 6pm despite it being June.
On Garnedd Ugain with the first signs that low cloud was spreading in.
Late afternoon on the summit of Snowdon. The last walkers are leaving and now time to have the place to yourself.
A cloud ‘fallen from the sky’ hangs on the lower slopes over Nantgwynant.
Moel Hebog pokes out above the cloud ceiling.
The last train of the day about to depart from Snowdon Summit but we are not catching it. Note the old cafe complex.
For our descent we decided to return on the now deserted Snowdon Ranger Path to make a winding but easy descent to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog before an ascent to Moel Cynghorion 674 metres. The mist was now creeping over the lower summits but came and went from time to time. Our walk over Foel Goch 605 metres was mostly in cloud and ahead Moel Eilio was firmly into the cloud. We still had time to bag this peak but we wouldn’t get any views. The route was easy to follow as a boundary fence ran along the crest of the ridge and there was a path. Out of the mist appeared two walkers, the first we had seen since leaving Snowdon. On Moel Eilio 726 metres we rested awhile in the evening gloom. Momentarily the cloud lifted to enable us to get some photographs. Our descent to Llanberis was straightforward down the northeast ridge but we had lost the sunny end to the day but soon we were below the cloud. At the base of the steep slope we joined a track then lane to pass the Llanberis Youth Hostel. By 9pm we were back in Llanberis which left only a short walk to reach the car in a deserted car park to complete an excellent walk.