ron-t climbing
02 September 2017 ................ Foel-goch and Y Garn
The last day of quite a good spell of weather before a wet spell arrived - so although it was a Saturday and I knew the mountains would be busy, I reckoned it would be a pity to waste the weather.
Now I have seen the number of cars that can try and find somewhere to park around Pont Pen-y-benglog and Llyn Ogwen on a busy day - but this was the worst I have seen - they were everywhere - on pavements, verges, double parked so that the early birds wouldn`t be able to get out.
It was pretty obvious that Tryfan would be unbearable, so I turned, and headed down the old A5, and found somewhere to park down there.
Since I was down that way, I decided I would do a horseshoe of Foel-goch and Y Garn, and headed off up through the oddly named slopes called "The Mushroom Garden", then veered off to the right to head up Y Llymllwyd.
I got a brief glimpse of two people away up Y Llymllwyd high above me, but apart from them, I had the whole hillside to my self.
Part of the way up Y Llymllwyd now, and a good view across to Tryfan - and the hundreds of people queueing up to climb the scrambly bits !
I wonder when someone will decide that it would be a good idea to put a cable car system up Tryfan, and put a cafe at the top.
And for health and safety reasons to put a stainless steel bridge between Adam and Eve - can`t have people jumping across - far too dangerous.
A bit further up now, and a rather good view looking into Cwm Cneifion - or The Nameless Cwm.
It is actually quite a useful picture, because it shows quite well some of the classic scrambles in that area - on the left side of the cwm is of course the ridge Y Gribin, and the edge of the bulge of rock up the side of Y Gribin is the classic grade 3 scramble, the Cneifon Arête.
I never understood where it was before, so that is good to know - although I don`t think I`ll be doing it anytime soon.
On the right hand side of the cwm above the the rock face is a grade 1 scramble, Seniors` Ridge - since I qualify as a senior, maybe I`ll have a look at that sometime.
Something else I have never found out is whether the name Idwal Slabs refers to the whole of that exposed rock face, or one specific bit of it.
However time to head on up Y Llymllwyd - up on the highest point of Y Llymllwyd now, looking up to the top of Foel-goch.
Looking across to the next ridge that heads up Foel-goch - Yr Esgair.
Now it was purely by chance that I ended up ascending Y Llymllwyd to get up Foel-goch, rather than ascending Yr Esgair - it was just because of where I had found somewhere to park - opposite Cwm Cywion, rather than opposite Cwm-coch.
And it was just as well - if you look at the upper end of the ridge Yr Esgair you can see a slot before it meets Foel-goch for real.
Here is a closer view of it -
When I was looking at it, I was wondering if you could climb up out of the slot and up to the summit of Foel-goch - it would have been really frustrating if I had climbed up Yr Esgair, met the slot, and found that I couldn`t go on up.
Back at home later on, I did some research - Google knows everything about everthing, so provided lots of answers.
You can climb up out of the slot - well, some people can climb up out of the slot - it is graded as a grade 3 scramble, but a pretty horrible one - and in his guide book "Scrambles in Snowdonia", Steve Ashton says of it -
"Only those experienced in dangerous terrain should consider ascent, and they would be wise not to bother."
From various comments on the web, it appears that it becomes a more attractive, but still challenging, possibility as a winter climb.
So there you go - I don`t think I`ll be doing it.
The final picture from the top of Y Llymllwyd - looking across Cwm Cywion to Y Garn -
Up on Foel-goch now, and time for lots more pictures - a not very inspiring view of Elidir Fawr -
Away to the south, looking across to a rather dark Moel Eilio and Mynydd Mawr, the Nantlle Ridge and Craig Cwm Silyn with its hat on, and a rather faint Yr Eifl further down the Lleyn Peninsula.
Looking over to the Carneddau -
The Glyders in deep shade -
A closer view of the two upper cwm`s on Glyder Fawr -
Looking down on Y Llymllwyd - now when I was looking at Steve ashton`s guide book, I discovered that there is a listed scramble on Y Llymllwyd - it is called Needles Eye Arête, it is grade 3, and I think that it roughly follows the edge of Y Llymllwyd as you see it in this picture.
Now when I was just about finished taking pictures, I got a visitor - here it is heading towards me right in the middle of the picture -
It casually wandered past me just below the edge of the summit, and then stood and posed for a picture -
It then headed off down the hill.
Time to head off for Y Garn, with Snowdon just about cloud free in the background.
Heading across to Y Garn, and the Glyders aren`t so far away now -
A closer view of Bristly Ridge - I wish there was a way up Bristly Ridge that doen`t involve climbing either Dexter Gully or Sinister Gully - they are both somewhat scary, and I don`t believe for one minute that they are grade 1 scrambles, despite what the guide books say.
Up on Y Garn now, looking back along the way I had come - Foel-goch is the triangular peak on the right, and further back is Mynydd Perfedd and Carnedd y Filiast.
Another view of the Carneddau -
Another view of the northeast end of the Glyders - with of course Tryfan and Glyder Fâch at the back, then the long Y Gribin ridge cutting right across the middle of the picture, and Llyn Idwal down at the bottom.
Quite an interesting looking flat topped spur sticking out from the coll between Y Garn and Glyder Fawr - I think that is called Castell y Geifr, if I am reading the OS map correctly - the Devil`s Kitchen would be just beyond it.
One of the problems that I always seem to have is that different forms of media have different names for different features - and the OS maps often don`t show them.
So somewhere around the west side of Y Gribin there are various places such as the Sub-Cneifion Rib, Craig y Cerddinen, and Clogwyn Du - they are all known climbing venues, so maybe it doesn`t matter to me, but it would be nice to find a map or maps that showed all these names, - I guess just to satsify my curiousity, as this is quite a good view of the west side of Y Gribin.
A bit round to the right, and more of Glyder Fawr -
I spent quite a time at the top of Y Garn, it was very nice if you could avoid the quite strong and cold wind - various individuals or small groups came and went, but generally it was pretty quiet.
Eventually I headed back down the way I had come, then turned and started to follow the well worn path down the north east ridge of Y Garn before turning off to the left - part of the way down now, looking across to Y Llymllwyd - when you see it like this it is not surprising that I found it quite hard going climbing up it.
Sad to see Foel-goch looking so small and insignificant from this angle -
Back down now, and a couple of hours after leaving the summit of Y Garn, I was along at the north end of Nant Ffrancon - and the weather has changed - the front is arriving - and the Glyders looked like this -
I can`t end with Foel-goch looking small and insignificant - it looks so much better from down here, much more like it really is.
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