Snowdon Horseshoe
Early breakfast? Nah. We'll be up and down in 6 hours.
We didn't rise early anyhow as we'd had a bit of a cabaret last night as our neighbours, [Rob, ?, ?, & Kate?], loudly talked bolx and about their plans for tomorrow's assault on Snowdon.
The weather looked dry if not clear. The tops were in mist so we decided to take the Pyg track, leaving the airy Crib Goch for another day.
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| The hydro electric 'church' half way along the path from Llyn Gwynant |
The views were opening up even before we reached the pass.
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| Selfheal - good for wounds apparently |
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| Heath milkwort |
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| Nearly time for elevenses |
When we arrived at the YH we saw these old cars. Maybe Alvis Owners Club?
'Elevenses'. In Mallory's Bar, before the off..
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| Up the Pyg Track. Only eleventeen miles to go |
As we climb higher we came across more and more people.
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| Llyn Llydaw |
I suppose we shouldn't have picked a Saturday...
As we met more people the terrain steepened and the mist thickened until at the summit....
...we find crowds as thick as the mist and ques for everything; food, the train and what looks like a twenty minute wait for a summit picture.
Less a wild mountain experience more a social club outing.
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| Ten minute wait for an 'Oggie' (a giant Welsh pasty) and a cup of tea. |
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| Views? who needs them |
Buy contrast, the second half of the horseshoe was almost completely empty.
We had a little trouble following the path(s). We met a guy who had completed the horseshoe many times. "I loose the path as well" he said, "Just head downhill until you meet the pass"
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| Tiny ferns |
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| Looking down on the Cwm Tregalan, the Watkin path is seen coming down from the left |
As we progressed round the mist lifted a little...
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| If only we'd kept on this. |
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| Bwlch Ciliau |
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| Llyn Llydaw again from the other side Miner's track in the distance |
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| This looks interesting: the West Peak |
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| On the West Peak |
...revealing grand views.
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| 'grand views' |
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| Looking back at the 'West Peak' from the 'East Peak' |
As we descended down the East Peak toward Lliwedd Bach we decided not to return to Pen Y Pass but to carry on along the ridge 'cross country' towards Gaullt Y Wenallt with the view to drop directly down to our campsite.
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| Boggy ground |
The map showed potentially boggy ground ahead. In the end constant debate evolved our route into a bog-avoiding meander down to meet a footpath at a disused mine or 'levels'.
We followed this for a while before heading for and crossing the Afon Merch at some falls.
Continuing down in the same manor, avoiding more bogs and ankle turning tussocks, we met a rather steep and rock filled wood, where each rock was encrusted with moss. Which we crossed with an even more ungainly slithering and cursing kind of gait.
A little tired but overjoyed at our success we completely overlooked the footpath to the North of Llyn Gwynant and made for the road.
Just in time to order pizzas. The bar, inexplicably, had closed mid-afternoon! No pint then...
Also David had picked up a tick. Even with the proper 'tick tool' the little bugger was difficult to remove.
It freaked him out a bit I think. It was quite small though, probably a nymph. Which may mean it had no chance of ingesting Lyme filled blood before it met David.
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