This weekend was everything you could expect of a winter weekend in Wales - in fact it was probably even better than you could expect! There was snow, snow, snow! And no rain!

Staying in the Ogwen Valley there are two classic loops you can do - over the Carneddau (which we did on Saturday), and the Glyders (which we did on Sunday). They are good walks because you can lengthen or shorten the day depending on the weather conditions and number of daylight hours available. As it was winter we chose the shorter versions of both walks, however I am only going to write about the Glyders and leave the Carneddau to your imagination.

Sun on the Carneddau

Much debate was had on Sunday morning as we tried to figure out which route would be achievable in the snow. We finally decided to follow the ridge from up behind the hut to Llyn Caseg fraith, turn west to climb over Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr, descending past Llyn y Cwn to the Devil's Kitchen and Llyn Idwal, before returning via the road (and boggy bridleway) to the hut.

Almost immediately out of the hut we could see evidence of the cold and snowy weather with frozen bog underfoot, and quickly melting ice sheets on the rocks. As we finally reached the top of the ridge a grand vista of snow stretched before us. This was after some very windy moments that almost had us going for the "straight to Capel and a tea shop" option! Approaching Llyn Caseg fraith Malcolm regaled us with tales of standing in the middle of the lake 30 years ago when it had completely frozen over. No one was game to try it this year as the ice was only about 15mm thick!

From Llyn caseg Fraith, we climbed up towards Glyder Fach. We turned and looked behind to see the cloud and mist surging forward and back like a wave creating some spooky effects as walkers below appeared and disappeared like ghosts. Up until that time we had had good views and were disappointed that this was to be the end of them. Surprisingly the cloud stayed low and we kept our good views for the rest of the day.

From Glyder Fach to Glyder Fawr we passed by The Cantilever - again no-one was game to pose for this traditional photo. Was it because the rocks were covered with an inch of wind blown verglas? We also had fun climbing around the Castle and even got a chance to practice our canyoning techniques by sliding down an ice and rock chute!

Enjoying the snow on the Glyders

On the exposed sections around Glyder Fawr the snow was thinner and slippery ice over rocks more prevalent, and as we started our descent we came across a section of snow and ice that could not be traversed without crampons. The bank looked formidable; dropping steeply out of sight. At this point we split into two parties - the "with" and "without". Those without crampons retraced their steps along the Glyders with an opportunity to enjoy the views in the opposite direction.

Those of us with crampons donned them and descended down toward Llyn y Cwn. After about 30m the bank became much gentler turning into a well trodden snow path. Below Llyn y Cwn there was no snow so off came the crampons - no more waddling! As we headed down the Devil's Kitchen we could see a couple of very keen climbers on the Idwal slabs - how do they manage to hold on to the rock without their fingers freezing?

Tryfan and Glyders

The day finished with a short stop for a well deserved tea at the Ogwen Visitors Center before trudging back along the road. We arrived back to the hut just after those without crampons who had made a speedy return along the Glyders.

So that is why it was a great weekend in Wales. We had good views - good weather - good walking and biking - just what we have come to expect! :)

Other activities included:

• Walking on the Carneddau - Pen yr Ole Wen, Dafydd, Llewelyn
• Ascent (and descent!) of Snowdon by mountain bike
• Walking from Llanberis to Ogwen Valley via Elidr Fawr, Y Garn, Devils Kitchen
• Walking on the Glyders
• Scrambling on Tryfan and Bristly Ridge

Last Updated: 13 Oct 2005	© Slough Mountaineering Group	contact us