EIC Hill Walking and Mountaineering Section Trip Report

North Wales Meet – 27-29th July 2018

The inaugural meeting of the newly formed EIC Hill Walking and Mountaineering Section was attend by a select band of three members on what had been the worst weather weekend of the long hot summer; gales, wind and rain! To explore the Glyder mountain range was the objective.

Friday evening saw the weekend team assemble in a warm and cosy Cottage hired from Peterborough Mountain Club in Gefnan a small hamlet above the former coal mining town of Betheseda at the foot of the Ogwen Valley. Dinner was sought in Bethesda high street with salutary guidance (learnt from past experiences) from section captain Lee Farmer as to which pubs did and did not welcome people from east of the Welsh border! A decent dinner and ale was obtained from The Llangollen Inn and the satiated team returned to the Cottage without incident for a few night caps.

Despite the poor weather the team struck out for completing the original plan of the meet, being a traverse of mountains in the Glyder Range of the Ogwen valley, starting with the popular ascent of the north face of (918 metres), which is graded as a grade one scramble. Tom Golden expertly led the group and took a line of ascent consistent with the weather conditions and a third of the way up headed for a distinctive rock called ‘The Cannon’ which is angled upwards at 45 degrees. Tom pictured below deftly scaled the cannon for the section’s posterity.

Onwards the team scrambled before reaching the rocky summit, which is famous for Adam and Eve, twin three metre high monoliths. Mountaineers who jump the 1.2 metre distance between the two are said to gain the ‘Freedom of Tryfan’. The team considered the 20-30 mph wind gusts and rain, and decided that the risk of a slip or fall far outweighed getting the freedom of the mountain.

During the decent to Blwch Tryfan (the gap between Tryfan and Bristly Ridge of ) the weather began to lift and the rocks dried quickly. Lunch was had on the leeward side of the stone wall in the gap and was followed by a stiff ascent following the wall and seeking out ‘sinister gully’ for some stiffer , then cresting Bristly Ridge and the crux of the whole route ‘Great Pinnacle Gap’ which required coordinated movement in the whole body to breach it with any finesse. This exposed gap gave great views across Nant Ffrancon and Cwm Idwal, possibly one of the best examples of a glaciated valley in the UK.

The crest began to level off and the team soon reached the boulder strewn summit slopes of Glyder Fach (994 metres) and sought out ‘the cantilever stone’ the picture below shows Tom Golden and Nick Newman testing out the cantilever of the Cantilever stone despite their best efforts they couldn’t tip it!

Ahead the team spied Castell y Gwnt (Castle of the Winds) and these weather split sharply angled rock towers looked like something out of a Tolkien trilogy. Onto (1004 metres) and past it’s summit, the long rocky talus descent into the cwm between Glyder Fawr and neighbouring mountain Y Garn, they descended the rocky steps of the Devils Kitchen appreciating the alpine flowers such as saxifrage, alpine ladies mantle, and hair bell all trapped survivors of a time when the Ogwen Valley was covered in glacier ice some 15,000 years ago.

Past the well known climbing routes on Idwal slabs they struck across open ground to make it back to the car, parked on the A5 at the foot of Tryfan. Amazingly within a few minutes of returning to the car the heavens opened, and the team felt relieved and even slightly smug that they were in the shelter of the car and not in the pelting rain.

Upon returning to the cottage for a wash, brush up, and cups of tea, the team decided to stick with what they knew best and seek sustenance and libation once again in the sanctity of ‘The Llangollen’ in Bethesda high street; again returning to the cottage for a few ‘night caps’. The weather forecast was also checked and it seemed to be worse for tomorrow; gusting up to 45 mph, section leader Lee Farmer knew the high mountains were out for Sunday’s adventure. A low level walk of around three hours was in order and he knew exactly where to go - Aber Falls.

After bacon and egg rolls expertly cooked by Nick Newman in the cottage and a quick clean of said premises, the team struck out in the rain to the village of Abergwyngregyn and parked around a mile from the village in Aber Falls car park. After a few kilometres they reached the Aber Falls which seemed no less impressive for the long spell of dry weather as white spume plunged down the 115 metres of the falls.

The team crossed a foot bridge and skirted around the foot of Moel Wnion and as the weather improved, were treated to long ranging views of the Menai Straits.

Wrapping the weekend up at about 11.30am back at the Aber Falls car park everyone agreed it had been a great weekend and first meet; just what the mind, body, and soul had needed. All left looking forward to the next EIC Hill Walking and Mountaineering event.

ends

Copy: Lee Farmer Photo The Cannon Nicholas Newman Photo The Cantilever Lee Farmer