Walk Report: Snowdon via Yr Aran & Y Lliwedd
To try and continue my report of my weekend spent walking over the Bank Holiday I turn now to the Sunday when I returned to Snowdon for the second time in the month. This time the weather was considerably better and it was also considerably busier. Driving up from Dolgellau where I'd overnighted I parked in Nant Gwynant near the car park. Already it was full and I had to park in the lay-by at Bethania, by the afternoon the cars would be parked up and down the road on the grass banks. It was going to be a very busy day on Snowdon. I had picked an off-path route but it would not avoid the crowds at the crunch. One simply had to accept that if you are stupid enough to climb Snowdon in good weather on a Bank Holiday weekend you get everything you deserve!
Starting off I went along the track at the start of the Watkin path ascending into Cwm Llan. Before reaching the masses clustered around the Gladstone Rock I veered off to the left along the path towards Bwlch Cwm Llan. Keeping straight on at the old tramway I headed up to another old track which I took curving up the hill-side to reach a scree slope. Above the stones I came across a large hole in the ground no doubt another relic of all the mining that has happened around here over the years. Skirting the edge of the chasm I headed steeply straight up the hill-side until I reached the top of the ridge just above Clogwyn Brith. With the hard work over I headed off along the ridge looking out on all the people ascending the Watkin Path down below me. It was a pleasant stroll up the gradually steepening slope eventually reaching the summit of Yr Aran, the prominent satellite of Snowdon.
The behemoth itself lay before me to the north and was my next destination, that is if I felt like braving the crowds. I wasn't really here to go to the top and had even contemplated missing it out! Descending Yr Aran I returned to the Wall Ladder I'd crossed earlier and followed the wall around Y Geuallt down to Bwlch Cwm Llan. Quickly traversing the pass I headed up the ridge in front of me over Allt Maenderyn and above Clogwyn Du. Soon the ridge levelled off and I was joined by the tourist path from Rhyd-Ddu and dozens of tourists. The deluge I had been avoiding was now here, and there was now no getting away from it. From here on I was simply surrounded by people all the way up as we passed across the narrow ridge of Bwlch Main, and became even worse when we were joined by the people on Watkin path. The final climb up to the café was horrendouss as I weaved my way around people going up much slower than I was capable of even when heavily laden.
Actually when I reached the junction with the Watkin path I seriously considered going down it; the only reason I went on was so I could use the toilet in the café. So literally squeezing into the café building past all the people also trying to get in I used the toilet and then quickly left again. I had never seen so many people on Snowdon, with all the people walking up and the people taking the train up it was busier than a supermarket on a Saturday afternoon. Since supermarkets are not my favourite places I ran back to the path down to the start of the Watkin path without even going up to the summit. I'm sure the view was amazing from the top, it certainly was going up, but I never saw anything from the top; all I could see were people!
My next target was Y Lliwedd a hill I had intended on going over on May Day but decided against when it started raining heavily. Today the weather was completely different and my biggest problem was not the rain but the people of me walking slowly down the path. Setting off down the Watkin path I started using my greater confidence on steep slopes to skip past many of them as they gingerly made their way down. I wasn't in a hurry but I just felt like I would like to overtake all these people who were holding me up and show them that I am much more experienced at walking over mountains than they were. I know, it was very silly and pathetic and if I had been overtaken by someone racing down the hill like that I would have shaken my head at their carelessness and waited for them to fall. I didn't fall, instead I had tremendous fun just sailing down the rocky slope that it quite simply the most tricky part of the Watkin Path.
When I reached Bwlch y Saethau I left the main path and kept to the top of the ridge scrambling over the rocks near the edge of the cliff, simply for the fun of it, and after passing Bwlch Ciliau I began the scramble up Y Lliwedd. I thought I would now leave all the crowds behind me as the Watkin path continued to descend into Cwm Llan but quite a lot of people followed me up the steep rocky hill and I realised that I had joined the people attempting the Snowdon Horseshoe. These are the people who had earlier traversed Crib Goch and were now going over Y Lliwedd, all credit to them, but there was an awful lot of them. Rather undermines an achievement like that when so many other people are doing the same. Well, that's snowdon for you.
Keeping as close to the edge as possible I completed the scramble onto the top of Y Lliwedd and then (after a short rest!) headed over to the East Peak and then down to the lesser peak of Lliwedd Bach. The path now headed steeply down the hill towards Llyn Llydaw, but I was now to leave the crowds well atrulyely behind as I left the path headed across the pathless country to the east of Y Lliwedd. Skirting the boggy ground and rocky outcrops I kept to the higher ground heading towards Gallt y Wenaullt. At the end of this high peninsula I descended steeply down into the valley west towards the remains of a mine, which I reached by following an old wall low down in the valley. From the mine there is a right-of-way that led all the way back to the Watkin path, but after following it for a while I left it keeping north of the wall and the wood.
Crossing a wall near some sheep pens I came out overlooking Cwm Llan and all the crowds in the valley. Steeply descending the hillside I came down to the river which I crossed over some large stones which I are marked as a Ford on the map. I was now back on the Watkin path at the point where I had left it and all that was left was a simple stroll back down the path to my car. It was a good and interesting walk over a variety of surfaces including some fun scrambles. It was just a pity I was not alone.
Starting off I went along the track at the start of the Watkin path ascending into Cwm Llan. Before reaching the masses clustered around the Gladstone Rock I veered off to the left along the path towards Bwlch Cwm Llan. Keeping straight on at the old tramway I headed up to another old track which I took curving up the hill-side to reach a scree slope. Above the stones I came across a large hole in the ground no doubt another relic of all the mining that has happened around here over the years. Skirting the edge of the chasm I headed steeply straight up the hill-side until I reached the top of the ridge just above Clogwyn Brith. With the hard work over I headed off along the ridge looking out on all the people ascending the Watkin Path down below me. It was a pleasant stroll up the gradually steepening slope eventually reaching the summit of Yr Aran, the prominent satellite of Snowdon.
The behemoth itself lay before me to the north and was my next destination, that is if I felt like braving the crowds. I wasn't really here to go to the top and had even contemplated missing it out! Descending Yr Aran I returned to the Wall Ladder I'd crossed earlier and followed the wall around Y Geuallt down to Bwlch Cwm Llan. Quickly traversing the pass I headed up the ridge in front of me over Allt Maenderyn and above Clogwyn Du. Soon the ridge levelled off and I was joined by the tourist path from Rhyd-Ddu and dozens of tourists. The deluge I had been avoiding was now here, and there was now no getting away from it. From here on I was simply surrounded by people all the way up as we passed across the narrow ridge of Bwlch Main, and became even worse when we were joined by the people on Watkin path. The final climb up to the café was horrendouss as I weaved my way around people going up much slower than I was capable of even when heavily laden.
Actually when I reached the junction with the Watkin path I seriously considered going down it; the only reason I went on was so I could use the toilet in the café. So literally squeezing into the café building past all the people also trying to get in I used the toilet and then quickly left again. I had never seen so many people on Snowdon, with all the people walking up and the people taking the train up it was busier than a supermarket on a Saturday afternoon. Since supermarkets are not my favourite places I ran back to the path down to the start of the Watkin path without even going up to the summit. I'm sure the view was amazing from the top, it certainly was going up, but I never saw anything from the top; all I could see were people!
My next target was Y Lliwedd a hill I had intended on going over on May Day but decided against when it started raining heavily. Today the weather was completely different and my biggest problem was not the rain but the people of me walking slowly down the path. Setting off down the Watkin path I started using my greater confidence on steep slopes to skip past many of them as they gingerly made their way down. I wasn't in a hurry but I just felt like I would like to overtake all these people who were holding me up and show them that I am much more experienced at walking over mountains than they were. I know, it was very silly and pathetic and if I had been overtaken by someone racing down the hill like that I would have shaken my head at their carelessness and waited for them to fall. I didn't fall, instead I had tremendous fun just sailing down the rocky slope that it quite simply the most tricky part of the Watkin Path.
When I reached Bwlch y Saethau I left the main path and kept to the top of the ridge scrambling over the rocks near the edge of the cliff, simply for the fun of it, and after passing Bwlch Ciliau I began the scramble up Y Lliwedd. I thought I would now leave all the crowds behind me as the Watkin path continued to descend into Cwm Llan but quite a lot of people followed me up the steep rocky hill and I realised that I had joined the people attempting the Snowdon Horseshoe. These are the people who had earlier traversed Crib Goch and were now going over Y Lliwedd, all credit to them, but there was an awful lot of them. Rather undermines an achievement like that when so many other people are doing the same. Well, that's snowdon for you.
Keeping as close to the edge as possible I completed the scramble onto the top of Y Lliwedd and then (after a short rest!) headed over to the East Peak and then down to the lesser peak of Lliwedd Bach. The path now headed steeply down the hill towards Llyn Llydaw, but I was now to leave the crowds well atrulyely behind as I left the path headed across the pathless country to the east of Y Lliwedd. Skirting the boggy ground and rocky outcrops I kept to the higher ground heading towards Gallt y Wenaullt. At the end of this high peninsula I descended steeply down into the valley west towards the remains of a mine, which I reached by following an old wall low down in the valley. From the mine there is a right-of-way that led all the way back to the Watkin path, but after following it for a while I left it keeping north of the wall and the wood.
Crossing a wall near some sheep pens I came out overlooking Cwm Llan and all the crowds in the valley. Steeply descending the hillside I came down to the river which I crossed over some large stones which I are marked as a Ford on the map. I was now back on the Watkin path at the point where I had left it and all that was left was a simple stroll back down the path to my car. It was a good and interesting walk over a variety of surfaces including some fun scrambles. It was just a pity I was not alone.
posted by David Keates at 7:45 pm
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