free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
I scored 3 days off this week and MWIS was calling for Snow, hail, sleet. lightning, 450m cloud base, 70-90mph gusts and severe windchill.
so I thought better to be working than off for these next 3 days.
Tuesday was a night mare didn't even leave my little cottage, after speaking to Kevin woods he said "nevermind the weather and get out on those hills man"
so I took his advice packed a bag, looked at the sherpa shedule and It looked as if I had enough time to get the last 3 hills in the Hebog range ticked.
from Beddgelert I checked and double checked the return trip bus times and then I was off.
walk starts on a wee road just before the highway hits the 60mph limit on the road to Caernarfon.
as I made this left turn I was delighted to see the top of the Moel Hebog and the sun!!
- sun making an appearance in Beddgelert
- first good look at Hebog
the route starts proper with the crossing of a stile at 98m and it's up up up from here.
- Moel Hebog at route start
this section of the path was very boggy and was easily lost in the bracken and as the visibility was very good I wasn't to worried and just went for a wander picking out landmarks up ahead and then walking to them.
once I gained some good height at around 300m the ground was solid and any water on the path was now ice
with lots of clear signs that water had stopped up here!
- Icy rocks
from this point there were lovely views of Snowdon, Nantille ridge, and the Moelwyns.
- Nantille ridge from Hebog
- Moelwyns from Hebog
- snowdons northern tops from Hebog
now after the first 300 odd meters climbed I thought i'd be well warmed up and the scrambling and boulders ahead (which is my cup of tea) would make for a quicker ascent than the grass slopes i'd been on below, and I was looking at getting onto the summit in under 1 hour!!
- Boulders and scrambling lay ahead
boy was I wrong I was knackered constantly stopping for a huge yawn of to catch my breath i was getting a real rage on as my progress had slowed down greatly!!!
in this section of the walk I came across some incredible looking boulders which looked like bubbling lava of something at first so I took pictures of them of course!!
- ?
Once I reached the cairn just below the South buttress I knew I was there! I'd soldiered on! and was on the home stretch!
at this point I realized that I had been out the wind the whole time and the windchill hit me coming off the Irish sea it was bitter!! I threw the hat on and it did me some good as I was hot from the climb.
- Nasty cloud over snowdon
- South buttress
- Moel siabod from south buttress of Moel Hebog
a few steps further found me on Moel hebog Summit looking at... nothing, the cloud came in just as I reached the summit and then cleared again once I left, oh well I got enough pics on the way up.
- Me on Moel Hebog 1hr 20mins
- Moel yr Ogof from Moel hebog
not stopping here as I was on a tight schedule I took me pic and headed NW down towards the bwlch meillionen and then on wards to Moel yr Ogof.
it was a very steep descent on frozen grass and care was needed so I didn't reach the Bwlch any faster than I wanted.
- very steep descent on flat frozen grass to bwlch
The Bwlch was found quickly and I quickly started my climb up Moel yr Ogof.
this next feature on this route makes you wonder was the path cut out of this crag or is it natural?
- ?
I passed between and turned to take a picture of Moel hebog.
- Looking back to Moel Hebog
Moel yr Ogof was quickly reached after another very small Bwlch (this one had a dead posh walkway!!!)
and some quick scrambling.
- Posh walkway to Moel yr Ogof
upon reaching this summit the wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped slightly making it very cold indeed.
I stopped and grabbed extra gloves and continued I had done two of the three and had only been on the go for two hours making good time!!
- Moel yr Ogof Summit
- Looking to Moel Lefn from Mole yr Ogof
the walk over to Moel Lefn was so uneventful that I don't remember it and it was only yesterday I was probably just keeping my head down and trying to warm up in that bastard cold wind.
I had been warned about the descent on this which can take you off a sheer drop if the right path was not chosen so I stuck to the left side of the ridge and found a very worn but very icy path dropping to the Princes quarry below.
glad to be out of the wind I stopped here and consulted the map for a route out I was looking for a right of way path heading E back to the highway through the Beddgelert forest.
- Snowdon clears!
the way was very boggy I had been wearing gaiters all day and they were finally being put to good use.
I kept the map handy as these paths weren't very defined and very eroded so I could have easily lost it in the forest, I counted the times I crossed the forest track and then the welsh highland railway and then one last field until I was on pavement.
- Last look at Moel Hebog
a quick change of sweaty socks for non-sweaty ones was in order and a couple of miles of highway later I was back in beddgelert trying to spend money that no one wouldn't let me spend.
caught my 16:25 bus back to Betws-y-coed and was in bath for 18:00!!
lovely day.
thanks kev.
thanks for reading everybody.
MacKenzie