Monday 29th August 2005
This walk started with really bad weather, heavy rain was pouring down all around me, but astonishingly, it didn't last. I had decided that I would walk up Moel Siabod, a hill that I'd been up before, but not by the way that I had intended so now I wanted to correct this. Parking at Pont Cyfyng I headed off up a path to the disused quarry below Moel Siabod. Passing a dammed lake I headed uphill to the now flooded quarry past spectacular waterfalls cascading into the quarry lake in this, no doubt, once busy area. I continued below the southern cliffs of Moel Siabod past Llyn y Foel, where I had taken a different route the previous year. Then, I had followed a clear path that clung to the foot of the cliffs before climbing steeply up a scree slope onto the summit, but this treacherous route was not what I had intended as I'd wanted to walk up the ridge of Daear Ddu, so this time I headed across the mud beside Llyn y Foel towards the foot of the ridge, which was when I got a bit stuck. I could see no path onto the top of the ridge, and in the rain I couldn't begin to climb onto it (believe me, I tried!). Eventually I followed a path that ran westwards beside the ridge gradually moved away from it to gain the top some distance west of the summit. This was not the ridge-top scramble that I had been looking for, so it looks like I’m going to have to go up this hill again! (I eventually succeeded in 2007.)
As I neared the top of Moel Siabod the views southwards opened up as the rain finally stopped, and once at the summit I discovered that the clouds were lifting everywhere and the sun had come out. By the time I finished my lunch at the summit I had glorious views all around Snowdonia including across Dyffryn Mymbyr towards Snowdon and up Nant y Benglog towards Tryfan and the Carneddau. Therefore I now had bright sunshine for my descent along the north-eastern ridge of Moel Siabod scrambling over the rocks all the way. I had great fun on that descent and enjoyed myself immensely as I jumped from rock to rock, basking in the sun. The rain of the morning was forgotten as I took my time slowly descending the fabulous ridge, knowing that this would end my weekend in Wales. I had work early the next morning, so with regret I was leaving Wales early, mid-afternoon, but I knew it wouldn't be long before I returned.
As I neared the top of Moel Siabod the views southwards opened up as the rain finally stopped, and once at the summit I discovered that the clouds were lifting everywhere and the sun had come out. By the time I finished my lunch at the summit I had glorious views all around Snowdonia including across Dyffryn Mymbyr towards Snowdon and up Nant y Benglog towards Tryfan and the Carneddau. Therefore I now had bright sunshine for my descent along the north-eastern ridge of Moel Siabod scrambling over the rocks all the way. I had great fun on that descent and enjoyed myself immensely as I jumped from rock to rock, basking in the sun. The rain of the morning was forgotten as I took my time slowly descending the fabulous ridge, knowing that this would end my weekend in Wales. I had work early the next morning, so with regret I was leaving Wales early, mid-afternoon, but I knew it wouldn't be long before I returned.
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