The Glyders

The weather today was going to be a bit better with a high risk of rain after 4 in the afternoon so the plan was to go through Devils Kitchen on top do both Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach and come down off the side of Tryfan. Wow that sounds magic - i had been waiting for this for a while. The walk in was gentle with a great view of Lake Idwal and we couldn't take our eyes off a large bunch of climbers on the Idwal slab looking very precarious. It then started to rise up a staircase and with head down we were at Devils Kitchen in good time and had a good look around. We continued around the side on the stair case and were soon on the first level with some great views across to Y-Garn. The clouds were intermittent and when they opened out the views were great. I then started to understand the interconnecting paths and it opens up loads more walking on the range. No time for any photos as there was a tough scree slope to the top of Glyder fawr. A bit steeper than expected but i was feeling fairly good and it wasn't long that we were on top. It was like a moonscape on top and we picked our way across the ridge. We really just sauntered as there was so much to see with views on both sides when the clods lifted and also some tricky rocks and boulders to navigate around. There were a few trickier bits and we found ourselves boulder hopping and scrambling across them. Nice to see Dave on his arse even if it was part of the scramble! Looking back to Glyder Fawr it was surprising how far we had come - good fun. We took a break at Glyder Fach to look at the summit and the cantilever stone - no i didn't! I'll leave that too others. From here it was all down and wow what a down it was. As we dropped off the top we had Tryfan in front of us all the time looking dramatic and challenging. The scree slope we were on though was challenging enough and took most of the concentration as it dropped off 800 metres at a very steep angle. It was a little loose and tricky but i was pleased to be going down rather than up. As we hopped over the style in the saddle it was just a fast walk back to the car. After a sausage roll and can of coke at 4pm on the dot we sat in the car and it chucked it down - perfect timing. What a brilliant days walking - highly recommended!

A Wet Pyg

Yes the Pyg track was so wet today that I decided to leave the camera behind. We caught the sherpa bus fro Llanberis to pen-y-pass and it was raining constantly. That may not be a good thing but the car park was empty and not many people on the hill - great. James and Chris headed off for a horseshoe not including Crib Goch which is an great walk. We on the other hand - with gale force winds and heavier rain forecast - thought this would be a challenge enough. The water coming off the hill and running down the paths was spectacular. With all the flooding just to the north of us it wasn't quite that but the waterfalls were like snow and sparkling everywhere. The bit i didn't enjoy too much is that we were walking in water most of the way up. As usual the stairs are a real pain. This time though i felt stronger and and kept on without too many stops. As i reached the top we all went forward together and wow the weather hit. I don't know how fast the winds were but it was difficult to stand up. We trudged up to the top. There were a number that didn't bother with the trig point because it was too dangerous. After some food and a drying out in the cafe we decided on a route march down the llanberis pass and with the thought of a few pints waiting at the end it was less than a couple of hours before we were in the pub. Nice!

The Zig Zag Path

Arrived in Llanberis today on a wet Thursday and thought we would re-live Kev's earlier memories and head up the slate quarry zig zag path. A route when he was younger he would do each evening to get a pint each night, tough but worth it! Well for pint it was. The area was looking damp and sultry so took a few photo's to try and convey the mood. It was good walk that got the muscles moving, got the spirits up and put us in the right frame of mind for a few beers and a curry.