Great Mountains: The Mamores

The Mamores are not a single mountain but a range of ten mountains of Munro status plus another seven Munro Tops that can all be done in a single walk of over twelve hours, however, that would be madness and reduces what is a fabulous range of mountains to just an exercise of ticking a list. Great mountains deserve time spent on their traverse and none more so than the Mamores. I had first glimpsed the Mamores in 2004 while walking the West Highland Way, but it wasn’t until the year after, and with considerably better weather, that I made my first venture into the Mamores and was instantly smitten by this complex chain of sharp peaks that are connected by narrow ridges. The best mountain walking is ridge walking and the ridges in the Mamores are excellent with little difficulty on the main backbone, but with three narrow arêtes that provide some exciting walking that raise this range into the upper echelons of hillwalking. My ascent route in 2005 was based on the walk described in Ralph Storer’s “100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains” but I soon came across difficulty on the path beside the Allt a’ Choire Dheirg. More modern sources now recommend starting beside another stream, the Allt a’ Choire Riabhaich, and this is what I tried to do when attempted to do the walk again in 2012
only to end up beside the Allt a’ Choire Dheirg again.

Whichever route is taken they both end up on the north ridge of Mullach nan Coirean, which is the westernmost and smallest Munro in the Mamores. What it lacks in height it makes up for in the view east across the range and in 2012 I had excellent weather that enabled me to take many great photographs. In 2005, I didn’t take a camera with me although the weather was almost as good. Further west of Mullach nan Coirean is an extension of the ridge to Meall a’ Chaorainn, but since it fails to achieve the magical height of three thousand feet, though only just, it is usually ignored, however, in 2005 I nipped across to the top before returning to start my traverse of the Mamores ridge. With little variation in height the ridge rounds the top of Coire Dearg passing over a Munro Top before rising to the spectacular quartzite topped summit of Stob Bàn. This is a great mountain with a stunning appearance from all directions particularly in the bright sunshine that I was fortunate to enjoy on my two visits. A steep scramble down the craggy eastern slopes leads to the head of Coire a’ Mhusgain and the lowest point on the Mamores ridge. Here a path descends north towards Glen Nevis and was my route down in 2012, but in 2005 I was able to keep going.

The ridge rises to Sgorr an Iubhair, which enjoyed the limelight as a Munro from 1981 until being demoted again in 1997. The day after my walk in 2005 I passed over this Munro Top, but the day before I took a path that bypasses below to the start of a narrow arête that is known as the Devil’s Ridge and projects north away from the main Mamores ridge. In good weather, such as I had in 2005, this is a relatively easy, though very high and narrow, ridge except for one point where a gap needs to be crossed, but is still a thrilling traverse that I would love to do again. At the end of the Devil’s Ridge is the striking Sgurr a’ Mhàim whose abundant covering of white quartzite stones dominates the view up Glen Nevis. In 2013 I was walking down Glen Nevis from Loch Treig with the Mamores to my left and this mountain came into view looking as majestic in the sunshine as an alpine peak constantly attracting my attention as I passed down the valley. This mountain is often ascended as part of the Ring of Steall, which is a classic Highland walk on the narrow ridges around Coire a’ Mhail. I have never done the whole walk in one go, but in 2005 I covered almost the whole route in two days.

A zigzagging path climbs from near the Steall waterfall to the ridge that tops out on the Munro of An Gearanach where a deliciously narrow ridge continues over An Garbhanach before climbing to the Munro of Stob Coire a’ Chàirn that I described in this blog as “a very proper looking hill”. I climbed this way in 2005 and then descended back over the ridge the following year in much worse weather. The Ring of Steall continues along the main ridge with a stiff cliff up to the top of the Munro of Am Bodach before crossing to the aforementioned Sgorr an Iubhair at the start of the Devil’s Ridge. A path descends to Loch Leven from the ridge between Sgorr an Iubhair and Am Bodach, but I have never taken it, however, I have taken the path that descends from the col after Stob Coire a’ Chàirn. This is a very broad, grassy saddle and I took the path south into Coire a’ Chàirn in 2008 in poor weather and again in 2017 in improving weather that soon deteriorated as I descended. I have never had much luck with the weather in the eastern section of the Mamores, but the walking is still first class. A prolonged climb ascends to a broad top that is not the Munro, but the northwest top for Na Gruagaichean, whose summit is the other side of a very tricky gap that was particularly difficult to cross when I made the traverse in the wet in 2006.

I was fortunate to have a view from the top of Na Gruagaichean, in 2017, after the earlier rain cleared. The main ridge concludes with two Munro Tops ending with Sgòr Eilde Beag, but a side ridge branches off from the previous top to Binnein Mor, the highest Munro in the Mamores. Although I reached the summit in both 2006 and 2008 it wasn’t until 2017 that I had a view from the top as the rain stopped just as I reached the narrow rocky ridge at the summit where I had a stunning view of the retreating rain. Finally there are two isolated Munros that are not connected to the Mamores ridge, but are still considered to be part of the Mamores. Opposite Binnein Mor is the conical peak of, appropriately, Binnein Beag, while opposite Sgòr Eilde Beag is Sgùrr Eilde Mor. I climbed both of these in 2017 in good weather, but lacking the connecting ridge with the rest of the Mamores robs them of the same satisfaction inherent in the Mamores of stringing together multiple Munros along a ridge. Mountains are never at their best in isolation and the density of mountains in the Mamores is a large part of their appeal. These are not just one great mountain, but a whole string of great mountains connected by narrow ridges that are an immense pleasure to traverse.

The Lost Walks of 2004, part two

I have no record of some of the walks I did in 2004 because I didn’t have a camera and I hadn’t started this blog. This has resulted in them disappearing without a trace except in my ever more murky memory, but with no new walks to write about at this time I am going to try to remember some more of those lost walks of 2004

Cadair Berwyn

Sunday 8th August 2004

The day after my walk over Arenig Fawr I drove to the foot of the Berwyn Hills, which is a line of hills that lies outside Snowdonia even though the highest point is of quite considerable height, 832 metres. I was following the directions for the walk from the Walking Britain website, but had a problem as soon as I had parked where suggested. At the time the parking for the walk was on the corner of the road through Cwm Maen Gwynedd beside Tyn-y-ffridd farm, but soon after getting out of my car I was told I couldn’t park there as it would prevent farm vehicles from making the corner. I was advised to try parking beside the bridge over the Afon Iwrch where there were a few spaces. The Walking Britain website now says, “Parking is restricted [by the farm] and you may have to park further back down the road.” After parking correctly I headed back past the farm and up a lane past Maes farm to reach the corner of a conifer plantation as I steeply climbed the northern slopes of the valley. My abiding memory of the weather during this walk is the wind, which was exceptional threatening to knock me over and there was also a storm forecast to arrive before the end of the day.

Eventually I reached the top of the conifer plantation beside the cairn on Mynydd Tarw where a boggy ridge led me towards the main Berwyn range. Despite the wind I think I had clear views, but with no pictures taken during the walk I don’t know. Walking along the boggy ridge I passed over Foel Wen and Tomle before turning right across the craggy escarpment of the Berwyns on a bridlepath that crosses the range at Bwlch Maen Gwynedd where I turned north towards the northernmost peak in the Berwyns, Cadair Bronwen, where I seem to recall there was a large cairn, which the internet confirms. I had been trying to wear a wide-brimmed hat on this walk, possibly for the first time, but by this point the strong winds made this utterly futile so I guess I must have given up at this point. Turning back around I followed the cliff edge to the highest point in the Berwyn Hills, Cadair Berwyn, whose trig point is apparently not at the highest point. I returned to the Berwyns in 2008 just before Christmas, when the picture below was taken, but the weather was considerably more wintry.

Passing over the highest point I made my way to the final peak in the range, Moel Sych before turning around and at the col, before climbing back up to Cadair Berwyn, I turned right across the steep escarpment on a narrow path joining a fence that passes over Moel yr Ewig. My onward route was clear although I could also see the rapidly approaching storm clouds, so I hastily made my way down the ridge passing over the slight rise of Godor before descending through grassy fields to pick up a footpath down to the road in the valley where I had parked my car. The promised rain started half way down and was so heavy I was quite soaked by the time I reached my car. These hills are rarely visited and although I returned in 2008 I have never been back since. There is a dramatic escarpment facing east, but all the other slopes are vast, dreary, boggy moorland with little appeal except that you are unlikely to meet another person. Cadair Berwyn is the highest point in Wales outside of a National Park and for that it must merit more attention.

Saturday 28th August 2004

Moel Siabod and Moel Hebog

My holiday in Snowdonia in 2004 started with an epic trek up two mountains that are separated by ten miles, but I didn’t walk between them. My first walking holiday in Snowdonia was the year before and I was keen to return and do some of the other hills in the area. I started with Moel Siabod and completely failed to do my intended route. I returned in 2005 to attempt again and failed again, and it was only in 2007 that I finally succeeded to climb the Daear Ddu ridge. The key difference is the route that I had taken around Llyn y Foel. In 2004 I had kept to the foot of the steep ground below Moel Siabod and this seemed to lead me onto a steep run of stones in the corner of Daear Ddu and Moel Siabod. This mountain proved to be a real nemesis for me so once I had succeeded in doing the ascent I wanted I didn’t come back until 2019 when I once again managed to complete the whole walk as intended. Moel Siabod is a rather isolated mountain that doesn’t lend itself to long walks so I was back at my car by lunchtime.

Driving to the busy little tourist-filled village of Beddgelert I eventually managed to find a place to park opposite the Royal Goat Hotel despite the Bank Holiday traffic. I set off along a path that now runs alongside the Welsh Mountain Railway, but in 2004 ran alongside the remains of the old railway that has subsequently been rebuilt. Heading uphill I eventually took the excellent path up the great mountain that I climbed again in 2009 and in 2019. The other two times I had poor weather, but I can’t remember what the weather was like for this walk so it may have been good. I remember that after climbing Moel Hebog I crossed the gap of Bwlch Meillionen to reach the top of Moel yr Ogof and Moel Lefn before descending into the Beddgelert Forest. I have little memory of this walk, but Moel Hebog left a profound impression on me that encouraged a return visit four years later, but it is disappointing that the weather has not been friendly to me when climbing it as it is a fine mountain that deserves much more.

Great Mountains: Scafell Pike

Previously I wrote about Snowdon and the many routes of ascent up that great mountain. Now I am turning my attention to another great mountain that is similarly afflicted with crowds of people who climb it simply because it is the highest and not for the reason they should be climbing it: because it is a great mountain. However, height is no guarantee of greatness since I wrote in 2012: “I don’t consider Ben Nevis a great mountain”. Despite the crowds struggling up the Brown Tongue route to the top of Scafell Pike there is much to appeal about this mountain. The principle attribute that makes Scafell Pike great is an abundance of rock. All proper mountains are rough and rugged with rock everywhere and Scafell Pike most definitely has this in all manner of states from the endless loose stones that cover the summit to the sheer crags congregated around Mickledore that make the area look most dramatic. I first climbed Scafell Pike on my first visit to the Lake District in 2002, but I didn’t follow the tourists starting from Wasdale Head. I started from the Eskdale Youth Hostel climbing on a path known as the Terrace Route that is the easiest route up Scafell, but in ascent is slow and the middle section crossing the gathering grounds of Cowcove is drab and featureless, however, this route excels in descent, which I have done twice and plan to do again as soon as I am able.

On that first time I had climbed to the top of Scafell I could see Scafell Pike a short distance away, which ordinarily would take less than fifteen minutes, but in fact takes more like an hour such is the awesome scenery between Scafell and Scafell Pike. To someone standing at the summit of Scafell the top of Scafell Pike appears as a simple ridge walk away, but unsuspecting is the sheer cliff face of Broad Stand that cannot be climbed, or descended, by mere mortals. This obstacle needs to be circumvented and the recommended route, and the one that I took in 2002, is to descend a broad scree slope to Foxes Tarn and then scramble down a rough, wet gully. Then, after descending far more than you would want to, you now have to climb back up to the short ridge between Scafell Pike and Broad Stand. In 2005 I did the route again in the opposite direction and wrote in this blog that even though it is not easy, it is nevertheless fun! The only alternative to Foxes Tarn is a route that is legendary among fellwalkers, but over the last twenty years it has been severely discouraged due to the danger of rock falls. A large boulder had fallen into Lord’s Rake just before my ascent in 2002 and there were warning signs about its immanent collapse, but in 2006 with the boulder still showing no sign of collapse I tackled Lord’s Rake for the first time.

The rake is full of loose stones that have fallen off the crumbly Scafell Crag and make the ascent exceptionally difficult and worthy of the warnings that have been issued about Lord’s Rake. The large boulder was eventually dislodged from its precarious position at the top of the rake in 2016, but it remains a very slippery and dangerous route, however, partly because of the difficulty, it is a really exciting climb for those who enjoy the adrenaline rush. It is routes such as this that make a great mountain as it acts as a draw to those who love the excitement of the dangerous or tricky and sets apart the fearless from the mice. I have accomplished the challenge of Lord’s Rake three times with the last time being in 2011 and I hope it won’t be too long before I feel the need to prove myself again by tackling Lord’s Rake for a fourth time. In 2008 I took an alternative route up Scafell Pike from Eskdale that bypasses Scafell ascending from Great Moss near the head of the River Esk up the steep, surprisingly grassy southern slopes to the prominent peak of Pen before crossing Little Narrowcove to join the crowds at the summit. This route has the appeal of avoiding the crowds on the other side. I did it on a sunny Bank Holiday Monday and never saw anyone until I reached Broad Crag Col.

My descent route in 2002 was over the subsidiary peaks of Broad Crag and Ill Crag that collectively used to be known as the Scafell Pikes. The rough, stony terrain continues along this ridge and makes for really arduous walking as you attempt to jump from boulder to boulder with any sort of dignity. The only time when I did not find this ridge difficult was at Easter 2010 when soft snow covered the top and filled all the treacherous gaps between the boulders. The view of the Scafell Pikes is best seen from the other side of Sty Head Pass upon Great Gable and is described by Wainwright as “the finest mountain scene in Lakeland”. The view of this range from the other side on the diminutive Hard Knott, looking across the head of Eskdale, is also renowned providing a great perspective of the range. An important characteristic of a great mountain is its appearance from afar and the summit here falls down, but is redeemed by the accompanying view of the whole range of the Pikes from Scafell to Great End that can be seen from many places in the western half of the Lake District.

An alternative to the difficult boulder-hop across the Scafell Pikes is the excellent Corridor Route that starts from Sty Head and heads across the northern slopes of the Pikes. This is a great path that takes a rough, rugged route over several deeply cut ravines heading to Lingmell Col where it joins up with the tourist route from Wasdale Head. I have taken this path many times even when I have no intention of going up Scafell Pike such as in 2013 when I was walking from Wasdale to Borrowdale in the rain. Great mountains have great paths and the Corridor Route is definitely a great path and even though it has suffered from its popularity in recent years it remains a great route through the awesome, rugged scenery of the Scafell Pikes. It is a shame that mountains such as Scafell Pike are afflicted with tourists, non-walkers who climb it simply because it is the highest, and the heavy footfall damages the paths putting the whole landscape in jeopardy.

It must be said that Scafell Pike is not the best mountain in the Lake District. The views from the top, when you have them (I usually don’t), are not particularly special with its broad top detracting from the views. When I started writing this article I never questioned that it is a great mountain and the whole range including Scafell definitely deserves that accolade, but the summit itself is not so great. It is too broad and individually it doesn’t stand out, however, the picture above taken from the waterfalls on the River Esk shows this striking mountain from its finest angle. The crowds on the Brown Tongue path ruin Scafell Pike, but on the Eskdale side is a mountain of quiet majesty with no hint of the noise from the tourists at the summit. It is only when climbed from Eskdale that Scafell Pike can be considered a great mountain and even more so when the full traverse of the range is done from Scafell all the way to the end of the ridge at Great End.

The Lost Walks of 2004

Since I am unable to walk up a mountain at the moment I have nothing to post in this blog, so I have been going back through time to check whether there are any old walks that had not previously been described here and there are some walks in 2004, but they are difficult to put on here. I have no pictures taken from my walks in 2004 as I didn’t start taking a camera with me until a year later and I have very little written down about them. They could almost be described as the lost walks as they have slipped between the gaps by taking place before I got a camera and before this blog started, but with a good trawl around in my memory it may be possible to reconstruct them.

Snowdon for the third time

Saturday 21st February 2004

After going up Snowdon for the first time in 2003 and again the day after I was keen to go up again so when some of my friends suggested spending the weekend in North Wales I immediately suggested we go up Snowdon despite it being February so it would probably be covered in snow. Surprisingly my suggestion was not rubbished and everyone was eager to climb the highest point in either England or Wales. I never fail to be amazing at the widespread attraction for climbing one particular mountain over any other, simply because of its height. Fortunately the weather was perfect with almost no snow anywhere on the mountain and clear views all around so while some people were beginning to have second thoughts we drove over to the village of Llanberis. I parked in the Padarn Country Park car park, which I have used several times since and is an excellent place to park in Llanberis. However after putting on my walking boots we got a call from the other car to say they had parked beside the Royal Victoria Hotel, which was slightly closer to the path and they had permission, so I drove round there to join them. I doubt this Hotel would allow parking for Snowdon these days, but I’ve never tried.

Setting off we headed along a quiet residential street and up the road onto the Llanberis Path. I remember it wasn’t long before some of our group were complaining about the steepness despite still walking on the road so it shouldn’t come as a surprise when I reveal that not everyone reached the top of Snowdon. Halfway up Snowdon on the Llanberis Path is a café in a building called the Halfway House. There we stopped for a rest and after much debate at least half our group decided they had gone far enough and would prefer to visit the ruins of Caernarfon Castle instead. I was desperate to keep going as the weather was fantastic with hardly a cloud in the sky, which had not been the case on my two previous visits when I had not seen anything from the summit due to low cloud. Eventually I managed to persuade two of my friends to accompany me up to the top of Snowdon while the rest went back down to Llanberis. Setting off again one of my friends soon revealed that she was getting blisters on the back of her feet. Refusing to turn back I gave her some micro-porous tape to put on her feet and this worked a treat so we were able to keep going all the way up to the top of Snowdon.

Despite the wintry month there was no snow on Snowdon with just a little frost in sheltered spots and very cold temperatures the only consequence of the time of year. I remember some people were asking why the café at the top of Snowdon was not open, but it was not because it was February, and the train wasn’t running. We had fabulous views and I really wish I had taken a camera with me. I have been up Snowdon seventeen times and I have had a good view from top on only a handful of times. Turning around we headed back down the Llanberis Path and I was very grateful to my two friends who had stuck with me while everyone else had turned back. The weather was surprisingly good and I loved being able to enjoy every moment as our shadows gradually got longer during the slow descent all the way back into Llanberis.

Arenig Fawr

Saturday 7th August 2004

Another walk I remember in Snowdonia that year was in August when I got away for a weekend exploring a quiet part of the National Park going up Arenig Fawr, which is a mountain that I have a lot of fond memories for, which begs the question why the only time I have been up it since was just before Christmas 2008 in terrible weather.  If I recall correctly I think I parked for this walk at the car park marked on maps at the junction with the B4391 on the A4212 road. This is not particularly close to Arenig Fawr and there is a better place to park on the minor road that branches near this junction parking near the disused Arenig Quarry. I had to walk along this road for a mile or two until I reached a track that heads up to the reservoir of Llyn Arenig Fawr where a path continues the climb up the great rocky ridge of Y Castell. The climb may have been relentless, but in the excellent weather that I had in 2004 I had a very enjoyable climb all the way up to the top of Arenig Fawr. Although it was very windy, I had fantastic views from the top that included almost all of the mountains in Snowdonia. I particularly remember seeing a noticeable pass between two hills far to the west that prompted me to seek out those hills and the following year I did a walk up the Rhinogs.

I completed this walk by heading south along the summit ridge before crossing the col and climbing steeply up to the top of Moel Llyfnant. I then descended the long grassy northern slopes that took me onto the track of a disused railway line that I was able to follow all the way back down to my car. I had reached the car early, about mid-afternoon and I had considered climbing Arenig Fach on the other side of the valley, but the slopes seemed tedious and boggy so I just went off in search of the youth hostel. I have a lot of affection for this walk up an oft ignored mountain where I remember an abundance of rock and tremendous views, so it is tragic that the only time I have been up since was in really bad weather. It is a very isolated mountain with nothing else nearby that appeals, which mean this is a very short, but worthwhile mountain walk. I really must return when I am able.

Great Mountains: Snowdon

Normally at this time of the year I would spend a few days in the Lake District before Christmas, but this year that is not possible. It is heartbreaking for me to not go to the Lake District, but that will only make the moment when I am finally able to return all the more special. With nothing to write about in this blog I thought I’d start an examination of some of the great mountains in Britain and Ireland and I am starting with the mountain that I have climbed more times than any other: Snowdon. My total is now seventeen times since my first ascent in 2003, however they were almost all in the first ten years having achieved my fifteenth ascent in 2012, and when I realised I was climbing Snowdon every year simply out of routine, I stopped. So, what had motivated me to climb one mountain so many times in such a short space of time? The best answer is because it is a great mountain with few others in Britain that come close. First off, the appearance of Snowdon from a distance looks like a mountain rising to a sharp peak as we always imagined mountains to do when we were children. From the eastern approach, particularly on the Miners' Track, the top of Snowdon makes a striking appearance from near Llyn Teryn, the first and smallest of the three lakes that are passed on this path.

Snowdon is a broad mountain that has many different paths that can be used coming from all directions. The one that I used on my first ascent, in 2003, was from the west passing over the lower foothills before joining the Snowdon Ranger Path that starts from the shore of Llyn Cwellyn. This is one of the easier routes of ascent, but involves a satisfying climb up the ridge above Clogwyn Du’r Arddu. There are so many different routes up Snowdon that the very next day after my first ascent I climbed Snowdon again, this time using one of the most difficult routes up Snowdon, along the Watkin Path. Perhaps this is another reason why Snowdon is such a good mountain as there are so many different routes you can keep coming back and hardly traverse the same path twice. Officially there are six different routes up Snowdon, however I have used another four. How many other mountains have this many different routes of ascent? The Watkin Path starts from Nantgwynant to the south climbing through the valley of Cwm Llan before reaching the saddle of Bwlch Ciliau and from there climbing across the steep, southern slopes below the summit.

This is a great path and is one of my favourites, but the best place to start an ascent is at Pen-y-pass to the east where two different paths set off towards Snowdon. The Pyg Track is an excellent path that must rank as one of the best routes up any mountain in Britain. It climbs rocky ground that requires some scrambling to Bwlch y Moch before traversing the slopes below Crib Goch and Garnedd Ugain. For all of its difficulty it is pretty safe, which cannot be said for a variation that leaves the Pyg Track at Bwlch y Moch to climb with some serious and steep scrambling to the knife-edge ridge of Crib Goch. I first climbed this way in 2005 in bad weather, which is not a good idea, but somehow I succeeded in the hair-raising traverse and returned the following year in much better weather. Subsequently I have done the traverse two more times in the opposite direction and it has always terrified me. The routes up Snowdon vary considerably from the tame to the terrifying and there are others even more difficult than Crib Goch that I have never done. Whatever level of difficulty you want there is a path or climb for you.

Also starting from Pen-y-pass is the Miners' Track, which is very easy while gently climbing to the shore of Glaslyn, but then a steep climb leads up below Garnedd Ugain to join the Pyg Track up to Snowdon. The Snowdon Horseshoe walk ascends by Crib Goch and descends over the ridge to the south of the Miners' Track passing over Y Lliwedd before descending to join the Miners' Track. This is one of the greatest mountain walks in Britain and I did it in 2006 and again in 2012 in the opposite direction. It is an unrelenting trial of your scrambling skills and of your head for heights as you traverse the two narrow ridges either side of the lakes passed on the Miners' Track. Seeking an unorthodox route in 2007 I came off the Miners' Track just before Glaslyn and scrambled up a ridge called Y Gribin that leads steeply up to the Watkin Path between Bwlch Ciliau and Bwlch y Saethau. This is a great climb, but all too short, though it shows that variations of the official routes are always possible and only adds to the appeal of this great mountain.

The route up Snowdon that I have least used is actually one of the best. It starts from the village of Rhyd-Ddu, south west of Snowdon and lends its name to the path. I ascended by the Rhyd-Ddu Path in 2009 and it is initially pretty straightforward with a gradual gradient before climbing steeply to the top of the western ridge of Snowdon that is called Llechog. An excellent ridge walk continues the ascent even when the terrain steepens again with the path taking the gradient through a series of severe zigzags. In 2009 I discovered snow at this point that threatened to force me into turning back, but I judged the snow to be soft enough to proceed even as the ridge narrows deliciously. At this point the southern ridge above Clogwyn Du joins as the Rhyd-Ddu Path passes over Bwlch Main before a final ascent takes the path up to the summit. The southern ridge is often used as the return route for the Rhyd-Ddu Path and is also an excellent route, but I have only ever used it with the Watkin Path, and it works equally well with either. I have been guilty of forsaking the western slopes in favour of the more famous eastern approaches from Pen-y-pass, but the routes from the west are no less great and I must make a point of climbing by that way again, when I am able.

It doesn’t matter which route you take to climb Snowdon even if you follow the hordes of people on the longest and gentlest route that starts from Llanberis. Snowdon is a proper mountain with rock in abundance on its upper slopes and many narrow ridges branching in many directions. There is a reason why I have climbed it so many times, but also a reason why I have not climbed it much since 2012. Snowdon is such a great mountain it draws in people who don’t ordinarily climb mountains, many of them doing the ascent purely for charity. But Snowdon is too good to climb simply for money and deserves to be climbed simply for its own sake. Unfortunately the immense crowds now put me off as I love to get away from people when climbing a mountain and on Snowdon that is not possible. If only it was a little lower and everyone was crowding over Carnedd Llewellyn instead so they can leave Snowdon for those who appreciate it for what it really is and not simply the highest mountain in Wales. That is not why I have climbed it seventeen times. I have climbed Snowdon seventeen times because it is an utterly great mountain.