A first walk of the New Year on a very frosty day to keep us amateurs well away from the higher mountains... This was a straightforward and easily-navigated route on clear paths throughout, but even here - on the lower slopes - in sheltered spots the surface snow had frozen solid to make for some pretty treacherous going.
This route started from the ruined farm of Maen-llwyd-isaf, above and south-west of Llanberis. A word of warning here in that, while this is suggested as a relatively unfrequented parking place in several published routes, everyone else seems to have cottoned onto this now! Even fairly early on a cold January morning it was only just possible to squeeze into the last available spot, and so I'd imagine that in summer driving the single-track road up from the village (with very few passing places) would be a chaotic and unrewarded experience... Probably safer to swallow an extra 150-odd metres of (perfectly pleasant) ascent and park in Llanberis instead.
From the end of the road, the route up Moel Eilio is clear and on a good grassy track, albeit quite a long slog and surprisingly steep in places. At the summit, you are rewarded with a large (and, on this day, very welcome!) stone shelter and a surprisingly good viewpoint in all directions for such a relatively low peak,with this being perhaps the only angle that shows Moel Hebog to be the steep and testing climb it seemed like at the time!
- Moel Hebog and Nantlle ridges from Moel Eilio
- Elidir Fawr, looking a perfect 'mountain', and the Glyder Foel Goch, with Carneddau behind
- Yr Eifl and Lleyn peninsula from Moel Eilio
- Foel Goch & Foel Gron from Moel Eilio
From here, the undulating route along the ridge-edge is delightful walking, with the 'glacial' curved escarpments reminiscent more of the Brecon Beacons than of much of Snowdonia. Surprisingly, the lower 'minor' peaks of Foel Gron SE Top and Foel Goch are much the more shapely, with the descent from Foel Goch to Bwlch MaesGwm being a slippery scramble in these conditions. There were terrific views of the surrounding and higher snow-topped peaks throughout.
- Moel Eilio from Foel Gron
- Llyn Dythwch, Llanberis and Elidir Fawr from cornice on Foel Gron
- Nantlle Ridge behind slopes of Mynydd Mawr from Foel Gron
- Snowdon above an icy Cwm Clogwyn from Foel Gron
- Western Glyderau, with some of the crags above the Llanberis path in foreground
The climb from the bwlch to Moel Cynghorion seems rather longer than it appears on the map, especially done as a straight out-and-back, and in any other conditions the 'bowling-green'-flat top looks like it might have been a boggy morass. But the view to the top of the Snowdon over the Clogwyn Du'r Arddu cliffs is quite something, making this very friendly (up some routes in the summer at least) mountain look a lot more threatening...
- Clogwyn cliffs with Snowdon behind from Moel Cynghorion
and there is a good retrospective of the earlier part of the ridge:
- Foel Goch, Foel Gron and Moel Eilio from Moel Cynghorion
The path back down to the starting-point through the Maesgwm valley has been very thoroughly levelled and surfaced for what might seem a quite minor route and makes for very easy walking (or - it seemed from most of its other users - fell-running), even if it is sad to see so many former farms in ruins beside it. Combined with the higher part of the Snowdon Ranger path and an easy descent of the Llanberis route, it might make for a (longer, but more easily-graded) alternative to the traditional Snowdon horseshoes.
This was a lovely winter route, and - in easier conditions and without the effort that the 'on-paper' ascent might suggest - could easily be extended to include the top of Snowdon too.
I was pretty lazy at school too... My parents used to drag me up the hills though. Remember staying at Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel quite a lot - liked it there. Also liked Bryn Gwynant one too...
