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Sunburn and Snow - Carneddau circular via Llech Ddu spur

Sunburn and Snow - Carneddau circular via Llech Ddu spur


Postby Brraparazzi » Mon Jun 27, 2022 9:50 am

Hewitts included on this walk: Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn, Pen yr Ole Wen, Yr Elen

Date walked: 21/04/2019

Time taken: 8

Distance: 19.5 km

Ascent: 1351m

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This is my first Walk report on Walk Highlands, so I decided to make my first report on a trip from a few years ago, because it was one of my favourite walks in Wales. Apologies the photos are not my greatest as they were taken on a GoPro.

Being an Easter Bank Holiday weekend I decided to head away from the busier parts of Snowdonia to visit the Carneddau range. With temperatures up into the higher 20s it was a good job I had remembered to bring plenty of water bottles to fill and sunscreen. I parked in Bethesda and began the walk in through Gerlan past the waterworks to emerge out into Cwm Pen Lafar.

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The unspoiled beauty of Carneddau

The 5km walk in follows a fairly flat well defined path as the Carneddau opens out into a stunning panorama. The day's objective, the Llech Ddu spur still lies out of view further ahead. The path follows the Afon Lafar up towards the head of the valley.

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The path through the cwm running parallel to the Afon Lafar to the left

As the marked footpath nears an end the enormous triangular facet of the spur also known as Grib Lem looms into view, with the cliffs of Black Ladders behind, or to the left if you turn to face the spur.

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The facet of the Llech Ddu spur

It looks imposing, and it's sheer face looks to be strictly rock climbing territory, but the ridge of the spur is gained by skirting around to the right.
By this point it was getting hot, so before I set off I filtered some water from the Afon Lafar and loaded myself up with a few litres before starting my ascent up onto Carnedd Dafydd the first peak of the day.
The route up the the foot of Cwmglas Bach is steep but easy to follow, with a stream to the right, which falls out of the foot of the cwm.

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The steep pull up into Cwmglas Bach. The foot of the spur is top left corner

Once in the cwm, an obvious grassy ramp which transitions to rock and the gradient increases to a steep but easy scramble up with plenty of good handholds to choose from. This then gets you on to the ridge proper. Once on the ridge, you will see the tall dark cliffs of the Black Ladders to the left. Usually wet, slimy, and damp, these looming giants are not favoured by climbers climbers until Winter when it all freezes up. To the right you will see how much height you have gained by now, with and incredible view back down the valley with the Afon Lafar snaking it's way through it.

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View across to the Black Ladders, still holding a few snow patches on a baking April Bank holiday.

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The view back down the valley, Yr Elen in the background.

Once on the ridge, you soon come across the Christmas Tree - a tilted granite slab which resembles its namesake once you have crossed it and you look back at it. There is a thin ledge on which you can skirt around it but I chose to tackle it head on, as it isn't particularly exposed or difficult.

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Look, I'm an angel (many would argue that)

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Looking up the ridge to the Summit of Carnedd Dafydd up ahead

The ridge soon meets the main Carneddau massif and as it does so, it continues in a straight line almost directly onto the summit of Carnedd Dafydd, and as it does so transitions into boulders before the final section below the summit. Here I came across a fair sized patch of the snow the mountain had been clinging on to.
With it being such a hot day it looked so inviting that I gravitated towards it, as it was not far off the heading I was already on. It was a decent sized patch of snow, and on quite a gradient so it was a steep scramble up on all fours with my legs disappearing into the refreshingly cold slushy remnants of a Winter that seemed so far removed from the scorching hot day that it was.
My arms sunk in right up to my torso, so I was a bit wet by the time I'd reached the top of it, but a nice slushie (of sorts) on such a fine day was most welcome. I'd have put some into my water bottles if it hadn't been sat there for so long, so thought better of it.

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Heading up the slush towards the summit

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Nearing the summit, the Irish Sea coming into view.

Reaching the first summit of the day, Carnedd Dafydd, the 360° panorama is breath-taking, a tantalising view of the tops of the Glyders and Tryfan to the south, and the sea to the north, and the Ogwen Valley to the east.

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Left to right, Tryfan, Glyder Fach, Glyder Fawr.

Given that the shoulder of Carnedd Dafydd obscures the view of the Glyders it is well worth heading on to the summit of Pen Yr Ole Wen, where an unobstructed view of the Glyders can be viewed. This summit is usually just a passing point for most walkers, but as it has what is in my opinion the best viewpoint in the whole of the Ogwen Valley, it is well worth the short walk, which adds a good half hour onto the walk including time to stop and admire one of the finest views Wales has to offer.

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The views just go on and on from here

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Heading back across the plateau towards Carnedd Llewelyn

Walking over the top of the cliffs of the Black Ladders you get an incredible view straight down of Cwm Pen Lafar. It was at about this point I realised I'd made a rookie error. I'd worn trousers with zip off lower legs, which I removed at the top of the snow field. I'd applied sunscreen to everywhere except - you guessed it - my pasty white legs, which I could now feel the backs of them burning. Oh, joy.

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Above the cliffs of the Black Ladders, the last remnants of Winter

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Looking down Cwm. Pen Lafar

I hot footed it onto Carnedd Llewelyn, I didn't want to come back to the Carneddau without visiting Yr Elen. On the way I had a good view of the spur I had ascended up onto Carnedd Dafydd.

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The Black Ladders cliff to the left and the Llech Ddu spur, right,

Approaching it I could stare down from above the cliffs into Cwm Caseg, with Fynnon Caseg directly below. The crags of Yr Elen also come into view, which bristle with shattered spires of rock.

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The crags above Cwm Caseg have an otherworldly feel to them.

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The crags on the eastern side of Yr Elen, a sharp contrast to the grassy flanks on the western side.

The path up to Yr Elen from Carnedd Llewelyn is fairly easy, but approaching the summit one can come just off the path and enjoy a short scramble up a field of tiny shattered rock pinnacles, all pointed upwards giving the landscape an almost alien feel to it. Rock is often loose here and the best view and scrambling is as close to the edge as you dare.

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Scramble over and pick your way between the mini rock pinnacles

The final summit of the day is Yr Elen, and then the long walk back to the car. Heading back down the grassy western flank of the mountain is path less and fairly rough, and once you reach the flat bottom of the cwm it can be very boggy in places but I managed to hop the tussocks and cross the Afon Lafar without getting wet feet, but that would have been a very different story in the Winter. It was nice to see some of the wild ponies sitting and relaxing in the grass.


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The summit of Yr Elen.

The walk out feels much longer than the walk in owing to the descent gradient on your knees after a good day's walk, but once you ford the Lafar then it's easy going and flat most of the way back to the car.

Thank you Wales, for the views and the great weather.
Attachments

Carneddau.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

Brraparazzi
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Re: Sunburn and Snow - Carneddau circular via Llech Ddu spur

Postby HalfManHalfTitanium » Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:41 pm

Thanks so much for posting. Great narrative and photos.

This is one of my favourite routes anywhere in the UK. A superb scramble with a remote feel to it, and then when you reach the ridge line, fabulous views near and far from the Carneddau ridges and summits. Wonderful.

Tim
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HalfManHalfTitanium
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