The Snowdon Horseshoe, part 2

Saturday 11th August 2012

To conclude the account of my walk over Snowdon in August that I started last week, I had reached the packed summit of Snowdon having tried to get to the top as early as possible to avoid the crowds, but it hadn’t worked, everyone else had had the same thought. Quickly I left the summit and crossed Bwlch Glas to Garnedd Ugain, Snowdon’s twin peak. Despite the early hour I had my lunch behind a crag before starting my crossing of Crib Goch. This was the fourth time I had crossed Crib Goch and the second in this direction, the other two times being in the usual east to west direction. In the direction I went this time the ridge seems to get harder and harder with the trickiest and narrowest part of the ridge (the actual edge of Crib Goch) coming at the end. I think the usual direction is the better direction as the terrifying exposure along the knife-edge of Crib Goch is quickly over which leaves you to enjoy the following succession of exciting scrambles along the ridge.

Crib Goch is an awesome ridge but I find it positively terrifying every time I go over it. I am not great with heights; I probably didn’t look down throughout the entire crossing, just keeping my eyes fixed on the rocks in front of me. Unlike in 2006, I was trying to make the crossing as easy as possible with no diversions to more challenging climbs as it’s difficult enough without making it more difficult. The technically hardest part of the ridge is over the pinnacles of Crib Goch and these have been particularly challenging for me in the past, especially the last time I went across in 2007. This time I followed the route that I took on my first crossing: a steep, exposed descent followed by an even steeper, exposed ascent around the pinnacles. My first time across Crib Goch was the scariest thing I’ve ever done and despite now having been across four times I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed it. It is a terrifying ridge; I don’t believe that there is any other word for it. It is very thrilling, but also nerve-wracking. However, I hadn’t made it easy for myself as I seemed to be only person going in an easterly direction. Crib Goch is so narrow there are no passing places so I had to wait perched precariously on the edge of a sheer drop three thousand feet high while seemingly hundreds of people passed by before I was able to go on. I don’t think I’m going to be in a hurry to return to Crib Goch.

When I finally reached the eastern peak I descended the steep south-eastern ridge that is normally a good scramble, but I found that in descent you don’t need your hands as much as you do in ascent. You can just calmly walk down the rocky ridge while others are carefully scrambling up the ridge. It was fun in a scary sort of way. When I got down to the Pyg Track, instead of turning left towards Pen-y-Pass, I turned right towards Snowdon, but soon left the path dropping down the grassy slopes. There is a path near Snowdon marked on OS maps that I had never been on before, or even seen. It links the Pyg Track with the Miners’ Track and passes to the south of the Horns. I wanted to find this path and did find a faint path that could have been mistaken for a sheep trod so I followed it, but half way along I saw another, clearer path further down the hillside. Thinking this must be the illusive path I dropped down and followed that around the hillside above Llyn Llydaw. With hindsight I think I should have stayed on the higher path as the lower path just went to a disused sheepfold that is marked on maps.

When I reached the sheepfold I had a pedantic idea that in order to complete the horseshoe one must return to the point where you started it, but that is not Pen-y-Pass even though that is usually treated as the start of the Snowdon Horseshoe. Geographically the starting point of the horseshoe is the outlet of Llyn Llydaw Reservoir. I first climbed the ridge from that point, so I must come down at that point. A short walk along a low, grassy ridge, which I’m sure few people walk along despite the thousands who walk beside it, led me down to the Miners’ Track and the shore of Llyn Llydaw. This was a slightly boggy but fun diversion to end a thrilling day on Snowdon and finally a stroll along the Miners’ Track and the new path led me back to the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel. This was a thrilling and at times terrifying walk. It was so great to get my hands on rock again and do a truly great mountain walk up a truly great mountain. I must have been walking on rock for the majority of the walk. I love walking in rugged terrain and Snowdon has that in abundance, it’s just a shame that mountains like Snowdon are so rare. That’s why everyone loves Snowdon.

The Snowdon Horseshoe, part 1

Saturday 11th August 2012

Over the last couple of years I have been doing one-off walks in the middle of the summer. Last year I walked along the Walna Scar ridge in the Lake District, the year before I walked up Snowdon, and in 2009 I did a mammoth walk around the Kirkstone Pass in the Lake District. Without deliberately realising it I had started alternating my high summer walk between the Lake District and Snowdon, possibly two of the greatest mountain areas in England and Wales. I probably picked those areas because I had been trying to maximise my opportunity for one great day up a mountain in the middle of the summer. The actual reason I chose to walk up Snowdon this year was because I have always walking up Snowdon at least once a year, and I hadn’t been up this great mountain yet this year. When I realised this I was briefly a little disappointed with myself that I felt compelled to follow form instead of anywhere else I may have been thinking of walking, but when I thought about the prospect of walking up Snowdon again I became excited at the thought of climbing that great mountain again.

I got up in the middle of the night and drove all the way from Leicester to North Wales parking near the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel at the same spot I’d parked the year before when I had led a group of guys from my Church up Snowdon. Soon after 7am, with the sun just beginning to appear over the tops of the hills, I set off from my car along the new path that was laid in the spring of last year. It didn’t take me long to climb up to the Pen-y-Pass car park, but even at this early hour the car park seemed to be full, which I found astonishing and, to be frank, rather stupid. The Pen-y-Pass car park charges £10 a day whereas where I had parked it was only £4, and a lot of people were prepared to pay that amount and get there at the crack of dawn for the privilege! My reason for starting so early was so that I could get the mountain to myself, but that was obviously not going to happen. Most people were heading off along the Pyg Track so I set off along the Miners’ Track around the small lake of Llyn Teryn and just before reaching the second lake I branched off the path past the inlet for the pipeline to the Cwm Deli Hydroelectric Power Station.

I had decided that I was going to climb Snowdon by the ultimate route: the Snowdon Horseshoe on top of the sharp ridges that lie to the east of the mountain. The horseshoe is usually (probably almost always) done in an anti-clockwise direction starting along the northern ridge of Crib Goch. Since that was the direction that I had taken six years ago when I climbed Snowdon on the horseshoe, and since everyone else was going that way, I followed the narrow path that climbs to the top of the southern ridge, Y Lliwedd. This is a great way round Snowdon, especially at this time of the morning as I literally didn’t see anyone during my climb over the top of Y Lliwedd, unfortunately I didn’t see much else either as it was very hazy with the humidity ruining my view despite blue skies overhead. This was a great disappointment as I had come to Snowdon expecting excellent views but it was just too humid, which is typical of this time of the year. Nevertheless it was great to feel solid rock below my feet again and to have the energy to make the most of it thanks to a determined effort to improve my fitness since returning from Scotland.

After visiting the East and West Peaks of Y Lliwedd I climbed down tricky, steep, rocky terrain to the col of Bwlch Ciliau and joined the Watkin Path where I saw my first people since leaving the Miners’ Track. It was still very early and yet here were people climbing the Watkin Path who must have started as early as me; it seemed like everyone had started early to climb Snowdon. I immediately left the crowds behind, coming straight off the Watkin Path to follow the top of the ridge and I had great fun weaving my way along the top of the crags. At one point I walked along a narrow edge that could have challenged Crib Goch, if it had three thousand feet sheer sides. When the gradient sharply increased I spurned the Watkin Path in favour of a direct ascent of the steep hillside climbing straight up to the top of Snowdon. I had taken this route in 2007 so I knew that it is a very tricky ascent and requires a careful picking of your route. You’ve got to stay away from the scree on the southern slopes as it’s difficult to get a grip on loose stones and these could fall down onto anyone on the Watkin Path, but you’ve also got to stay away from sheer cliffs on the unclimbable eastern slopes. A course has to be found between the treacherous loose stones and the dangerous cliffs up rocks that are both slippery and requires some scrambling. It’s no surprise this route is not recommended, but because of the difficulty I found it an exciting route up and there was no one around to interrupt my fun.

Eventually I reached the top of Snowdon and was disappointed to find the summit packed with people despite it being only 10.30 in the morning. Any other mountain in Britain would have been empty at that time of the morning, but not Snowdon on a Saturday in the summer in good weather. Snowdon seems to be getting more popular every year and that is beginning to put me off climbing it, which is a great pity as it has got to be the greatest mountain in Britain, but it’s a victim of its own greatness. I climb Snowdon every year because it is a great mountain, but if I am unable to climb the mountain without being surrounded by hundreds of other people I may stop doing so. One of my reasons for climbing mountains is to get away from the sort of crowds you’d find in a typical shopping centre, but the top of Snowdon is just like High Cross in Leicester, only higher. I found out on this walk that even if you get up ridiculously early in the morning you’ll still not get the mountain to yourself. Snowdon is just too good.