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With a fine forecast for most of the day we decided to have a crack at a Snowdonian classic, well half a one anyway
We drove to Rhyd-Ddu but rather than heading up Snowdon crossed the road towards the striking profile of the Nantlle Ridge.
Nantlle Ridge from Rhyd-Ddu by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
The initial pull up Y Garn, the first top on the ridge, is a varied route. Some of it is steep and some is even steeper! The good thing about this is plenty of opportunity to turn around and admire the fabulous views back to Snowdon which was wearing an attractive cloudy cap.
Snowdon Postcard by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Snowdon Sky by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
That looks steep dad! by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
The top of Y Garn was duly reached following much sweating and we had a little snack while admiring the wonderful views from the precipitous North facing crags.
Nantlle Valley by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Nantlle Ridge by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Grace on Y Garn by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Y Garn is not of course the only top on this ridge with precipitous crags as our next target Mynydd Dwrs-y-coed showed as it loomed intimidatingly ahead. I’m sure you could scare yourself silly on this ridge if you wanted to and some of the drops clearly visible from the path (of sorts) are tremendous, but it can be reduced to a bit of simple scrambley fun by tending towards the Left.
The way ahead by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Intimidating by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Grace scrambling on the ridge by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
All too soon the summit is reached and it’s somewhat surprising to find it to be a simple grassy top (albeit with a 500 plus feet near vertical drop to your right). The ridge walk to Trum y Ddysgl is a magnificent airy stroll with great views of the crags of both Hewitts and the Nantlle Valley below.
Grace on Mynydd Dwrs-y-coed by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Crag Trum y Ddysgl by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Colgwyn Marchnad by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Trum y Ddysgl by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
The poor weather that was due could by now be seen massing to the north but fortunately the high wall of the Snowdon massive was holding it back nicely as we made our way up the final few feet to another surprisingly flat grassy top.
Grace on Trum y Ddysgl by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
We consumed the remainder of our rations admiring Moel Hebog before making our way down the lovely grassy southern ridge. This proved to be a fine descent with views of the Western half of the ridge and the lonely Cwm Pennant.
Moel Hebog by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Looking back on our descent route by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Western half of the Ridge by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Water fall in Cwm Marchnad by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
By this time the weather was starting to encroach on the ridge but it remained dry until shortly before we returned to the car. Our route back was a bit boggy in places but worth it following a fantastic day. Once again we had dodged the weather as the wind and rain picked up on the drive back to the cottage.