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The boys were staying with us for half-term, and both had expressed a wish to get into the hills.
Thursday was looking like the best weather - essentially sunny skies all day - so that's what we went for. Since they'd already been up the Glyders, and my recently operated shoulder wasn't ready for scrambling on Tryfan, I decided to take them up Pen-yr-Ole-Wen. Depending on how they managed, I also had in mind that we could possibly summit one or more of the Carneddau at the same time.
It's a 2 hour drive to Snowdonia, which meant an early start. And the boys did struggle a bit to come round when I woke them, as gently as I could, at 06.00am.
Rather to my surprise, they were interested enough in the wonderful Welsh countryside not to fall asleep in the car - even though I'd brought along their pillows...
20181102_091626. We arrived at the parking spot below Tryfan at around 09.00am, and after a quick breakfast, were ready to go.
20181102_092046. Looking west across Llyn Ogwen.
20181102_092209. Initially the boys had a lot of energy to work off, and immediately ran up every bit of elevated ground we passed...
20181102_101001. Looking back at Tryfan after 45 minutes or so of walking. Not exactly the clear sunny day that was forecast, but pretty dramatic nonetheless. Tryfan is a very special mountain!
20181102_103413. Taking a break on the steeper part of the ascent, Fynnon Floer in the cwm, and Carnedd Dafydd in cloud, background left.
20181102_112715__2. The boys are doing pretty well, albeit sustained by fairly frequent rests...
20181102_113105__2. To be fair, the cloud is indeed making for some very atmospheric views. At this point also the slope reduces, and it's a reasonably easy ascent to the summit.
20181102_113609__2. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we're there. The boys suddenly conceive the idea of standing on a point on Pen-yr-OIe-Wen higher than anyone before them; so they put a couple of large flat stones on the summit cairn and - somewhat precariously - perch on them while I take a photo. Photos done, they return the stones to where they got them so they remain the highest ever people on PyOW!!!!
20181102_113651__2. Looking from PyOW towards Carnedd Dafydd, with Carnedd Llewelyn just visible behind it.
We now debated where on from here. A tad mendaciously (creatively???), I told them it was more or less the same distance back if we went via Carnedd Dafydd, so with a bit of grumbling about having to climb so much further, we set off. A little incentive was the promise to stop there for lunch
.
20181102_113932__2. Spence wants to scare his mum to death by having a pic of him perched on edge of the precipice (actually it's a gentle convex slope behind him
).
20181102_120041. As we walk the ridge, the boys find pockets of snow/hail and amuse themselves with a game of snowballs.
20181102_124716. We stopped for lunch at the walled enclosure just below the summit of Carnedd Dafydd. There was quite a brisk and chilly breeze by now, and it was good to have a little protection. This view is looking back the way we have just come, PyOW centre pic, the Glyders just left of centre in the background, Y Garn just right of centre in the background, and Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) in the far background directly behind PyOW, topped with cloud.
20181102_124744. Once on the summit of Carnedd Daffydd, the boys again want to get to the highest point ever on this summit, and so repeat the same procedure as on PyOW...
.
20181102_125306__2. Then it was onwards along that wonderful Carneddau ridge, one that meets all the key criteria for ridge perfection: excellent views either side and along the ridge, both near and far. In the case of this part of the Carneddau - Cefn Ysgolion Duon - the precipitous cliffs dropping down into Ysgolion Duon match anything I've seen anywhere; and far behind one is looking out towards Anglesey and the Irish Sea.
20181102_125730
As we descended, I pointed out Carnedd Llewelyn ahead, emphasizing that it was more or less the same height as Carnedd Dafydd so not such a big climb really .... They didn't seem too convinced
.
20181102_130653. Looking back west towards Carnedd Dafydd.
20181102_131241__2. And looking north west over Ysgolion Duon into Cwm Glas, with Anglesey in the background. Brilliant, or what????
20181102_131908__2.
20181102_132552. The boys were now asking me every five minutes when we were going to head off down the shoulder of the hill back to the car, so it was clear to me that they had no appetite to walk up Carnedd Llewelyn. It would also make us a bit late for our promised return time, so accordingly we set off down the shoulder of the hill.
To the left of the pic is Ffynnon Llugwy, with Pen yr Helgi Du looming rather dramatically above it.
20181102_133506__2. Spectacular views of the Ogwen valley on the descent. Here Tryfan and the Glyders about 2/3 of the way in from the left, with Llyn Ogwen below; and on the extreme right, Pen-yr-Ole-Wen, showing the steep mid part of the ascent.
20181102_134328__2. Even worth sitting down for a wee while to appreciate the views
.
20181102_142658__2. I'd just taken a line across the rough, and there was no path. But the boys managed pretty well, tired though they were.
. As we descended, I pointed out Tryfan Bach to Spence as a place where we could do a bit of climbing this coming year, once my shoulder's mended. He's keen to do it!
After a bit of wall climbing, we got back to the car around 15.00, pretty well bang on schedule to be back home at the promised time. After the obligatory stop at an establishment of cultural, historical and architectural interest in order to replenish minerals and liquid lost on the walk...
...and were only delayed a further few minutes in Corwen collecting a bag of chips
.
3D view of route.
