Snowdon - The hard way
(or excursions on Crib Goch and the Snowdon
Horseshoe)
The 1st Climb of Crib Goch.
Greg and I needed to climb Crib Goch and Crib-y-Ddysgl, also known as Garnedd Ugain, to complete the Welsh 3000’s and I must admit the thought of tackling Crib Goch, the "Red Ridge", filled me with trepidation. Most of the Snowdonia walking books I had read that referred to Crib Goch indicated that you needed to be an experienced scrambler and, although I’d climbed the other high hills in Snowdonia, I wasn’t sure if my ability was up to it. I knew however I would have no trouble with Crib-y-Ddysgl. If I had had my wits about me on previous Snowdon excursions I could have walked the short distance from the Llanberis Path, near the top of Snowdon, and "bagged" Crib-y-Ddysgl with the minimum amount of effort and without any concern about "scary bits". However, Crib Goch would be something different and so it was with real apprehension that Greg and I set out on 13th August 1993 to climb it.
The route was from the Pen-y-Pass car park and followed the Pyg Track to Bwich y Moch – the Pass of the Pigs. This is a wonderful introduction to the mountain. The path rises quickly and as it does you are treated to wonderful views of the Llanberis Pass as it slopes down the hill to Llanberis. With the Glyders on the other side of the pass, with rock faces adjacent to this, it is a terrific panorama and as good as the start of any walk. But it is hard work. Although over the years the path has been improved, and probably even more so since my last trip, you still have to clamber over rocks and it does seem to get steeper as you ascend, so it is with relief when the Pass of the Pigs is finally reached.
I’d been at the pass at least 3 times
previously and had always looked to my right at the
path up to Crib Goch and wished I could go that
way, and envied the walkers/scramblers that had
left the Pyg Track at this point to go up it. Now
it was my turn. The weather was good. The sun was
out. The wind was minimal. The conditions were
perfect. No excuses. So we ascended the path up to
Crib Goch.
Initially it is no more difficult than the Pyg Track but I suppose about a 1/3 rd of the way up a "wall" is reached and I remember looking for a suitable route to get past this. However, immediately before this point is a large flat area, a perfect place for a break with wonderful views down to Llyn Llydaw and across this water to the twin tops of Y Lliwedd. A breathtaking sight.
Having looked for, and found a suitable
route, we were in scrambling territory, and the use
of hands became necessary all the way to the top. I
particularly remember the final 20 yards or so when
I felt really exposed, but fortunately the nature
of the rock with many hand and foot holds made it
less difficult than it initially looked. On later
excursions I made use of a less exposed route to
the right of this, which I considered easier.
Once on the top we stopped a short time to admire the views from this exposed elevation, but we could not stay at this point forever. The ridge that we would have to negotiate beckoned. However, with wind now being more noticeable, the drop to the north side of the ridge being considerable and me with no real head for heights, I left the walk along the arête for Greg and the more adventurous. I walked a couple of yards down from the edge on the on the south side of the ridge, the less steep side, using the rocky top "shelf" for hand holds. This technique is ok but there is a temptation to go further down the slope than is advisable, which can create problems. So if I did stray downwards I made sure that I got back close to the ridge route as soon as I could.
The next test is the three pinnacles. Maybe
because I was down the slope the first two were not
that noticeable. I just by-passed them, but the
third was something else. I suppose you could
by-pass this but being unsure of what difficulties
this could result in if I ventured too far down the
slope, I followed the correct route. This was not
difficult except at one point you step over fresh
air. On reaching the other side of this "gap" there
is a short scramble of a yard or two upwards and
you are over the last pinnacle. And I was most
relieved to see below me to the west an easy
descent to the Bwich Coch, the col between Crib
Goch and Crib-y-Ddysgl.
Col reached, we started towards Crib-y-Ddysgl
but being unsure of the way we ventured to the
south of this ridge when we would have been better
going at it from the north side. However, this was
soon remedied with a stiff climb to the ridge and
then it was a comparatively easy walk to the top of
Crib-y-Ddysgl and our completion of the Welsh
3000s. Many thanks to the walker who kindly took
the photograph of Greg and me at the trig point on
the top. From here it was onwards to the top of
Snowdon before descending down to the Miner’s
Track. A pleasant walk by Llyn Glaslyn and Llyn
Llydaw took us back to Pen-y-Pass with many
opportunities to look upwards to Crib Goch and
think "we climbed that".
The 2nd Climb of Crib Goch and the Snowdon Horseshoe.
The following August (1994) the family were
again in North Wales and Greg and I decided we
would "do the Horseshoe". The day was not unlike
the one we enjoyed the previous year. The sun was
out, visibility was good and we looked forward to
another good day on the Snowdon Massif.
It probably seemed harder this time going up from the Crib Goch. The adrenaline of the year before was reduced. However, we were far more aware of the easier bits on Crib Goch, but, as always on the scrambling bits, I was still apprehensive, and there was relief after crossing the gap to reach the final pinnacle and
start to the safety of col (Bwich Coch)
before the climb to Crib-y-Ddysgl.
Once Snowdon was reached we passed the infamous railway station and summit café - least said the better - and continued generally southwards until a large monolith is reached on the left. This "guards" the Watkin Path that took us to the Bwlch-y-Saethau - The Pass of the Arrows – which, like the rest of Snowdon, has legendary connections with King Arthur. This path is very steep. Although I had a walking pole with me to give extra stability, great care needed to be taken as a misplaced foot could find you reaching the bottom a great deal quicker than was originally intended. It is therefore with surprise that other walkers are spotted to the left by-passing this path and tempting fate by more direct routes both up and down. Needless to say
there have been a number of fatalities in the
past because of these foolhardy actions. However,
we reach Bwich-y-Saethau in safety and in good
spirits and enjoy what is a comparatively easy
clamber to the top of the West Peak of Y Lliwedd.
Although this peak is steep to the south, to the
north it is vertical and while we were on the top
we could hear a motor whirring. A look northwards
and down gave us a view of a helicopter just below
the peak. Very strange. I’ve never looked down on a
helicopter flying before.
From West to East Peak takes only a few
minutes and soon after we were descending via
Lliwedd Bach and heading towards the Miner’s Track
on the south bank of Llyn Llydaw, near the
causeway. A mile or so later we are back to the Car
park at Pen-y-Pass. It had been a wonderful day.
The 3rd Climb of Crib Goch.
A local walking group, that Larry and Ray walked with, were having a day trip to Snowdon in the Spring of 1995 and Greg and I were able to secure places on the coach. There were to be two walking parties, one to go up the Pyg Track and down the Llanberis Path while the other would try the "Horseshoe". Unfortunately at the last minute Larry had to drop out. In some ways he was very fortunate.
The weather going to North Wales was wet. We
had rain, lots of it, and it became more obvious
the closer we got to Pen-y-Pass, the starting
point, that conditions would be very difficult.
However, with waterproofs on we walked up the Pyg
Track and started on Crib Goch which was even more
difficult in the rain. Fortunately it was not too
windy and we were able to go over it fairly easily,
with me taking my low-level path away from the
precipitous north side of the ridge. Eventually we
all reached Snowdon and sheltered in the lee of the
café - it wasn’t open - and had our sandwiches.
However, time was not on our side. The bad weather
had reduced our speed and it was with reluctance
the party leader decided that if we attempted to
complete the "Horseshoe" we would be unlikely to
reach Pen-y-Pass on time for the rendezvous with
the coach. We therefore decided to go down via the
Zig Zags and the top of the Pyg Track to the Miners
Track and enjoy a leisurely walk along the banks of
Glaslyn and Llydaw, which we duly did, reaching
Pen-y-Pass and the coach with 15 or so minutes to
spare. I was pleased to have done Crib Goch again,
but rather than feeling elated afterwards I felt
more like a "drowned rat".
The 4th Climb of Crib Goch.
In August of 1995 Anne, Greg, Ian and I
returned to Snowdonia and stayed at our usual base,
the Princes Arms Hotel in Trefriw. By now Anne had
heard Greg and me talking about Crib Goch and she
was keen to take up the challenge. Greg and Ian,
although he had
not done it before, agreed to take care of
their Mum and so I ventured yet again on to my
"favourite" arête.
Needless to say Anne was apprehensive about parts of the ascent. Certainly the last stretch to the top of the east side of the ridge would have caused problems but the little protected
route to the right made this part of the
ascent easier. However, it was misty that day and
our hopes that the sun would burn the mist away
were not answered so the full splendour of our
location could not be appreciated. But on the plus
side Anne did not see the precipitous drops along
our route. Mist or not, the final pinnacle had
still to be
crossed with the fresh air below being
replaced by a grey misty gloom. I don’t know if
this made it less or more difficult. However, once
across this the worst was over and all that was
left was the haul up to Crib-y-Ddysgl and then on
to Snowdon. Needless to say Anne, like Greg and me
the first time we did Crib Goch, was elated with
her achievement and enjoyed the route home along
the Pyg Track with inevitable self-satisfied
glances to the "Red Ridge" above.
Greg and I needed to climb Crib Goch and Crib-y-Ddysgl, also known as Garnedd Ugain, to complete the Welsh 3000’s and I must admit the thought of tackling Crib Goch, the "Red Ridge", filled me with trepidation. Most of the Snowdonia walking books I had read that referred to Crib Goch indicated that you needed to be an experienced scrambler and, although I’d climbed the other high hills in Snowdonia, I wasn’t sure if my ability was up to it. I knew however I would have no trouble with Crib-y-Ddysgl. If I had had my wits about me on previous Snowdon excursions I could have walked the short distance from the Llanberis Path, near the top of Snowdon, and "bagged" Crib-y-Ddysgl with the minimum amount of effort and without any concern about "scary bits". However, Crib Goch would be something different and so it was with real apprehension that Greg and I set out on 13th August 1993 to climb it.
The route was from the Pen-y-Pass car park and followed the Pyg Track to Bwich y Moch – the Pass of the Pigs. This is a wonderful introduction to the mountain. The path rises quickly and as it does you are treated to wonderful views of the Llanberis Pass as it slopes down the hill to Llanberis. With the Glyders on the other side of the pass, with rock faces adjacent to this, it is a terrific panorama and as good as the start of any walk. But it is hard work. Although over the years the path has been improved, and probably even more so since my last trip, you still have to clamber over rocks and it does seem to get steeper as you ascend, so it is with relief when the Pass of the Pigs is finally reached.
Initially it is no more difficult than the Pyg Track but I suppose about a 1/3 rd of the way up a "wall" is reached and I remember looking for a suitable route to get past this. However, immediately before this point is a large flat area, a perfect place for a break with wonderful views down to Llyn Llydaw and across this water to the twin tops of Y Lliwedd. A breathtaking sight.
Once on the top we stopped a short time to admire the views from this exposed elevation, but we could not stay at this point forever. The ridge that we would have to negotiate beckoned. However, with wind now being more noticeable, the drop to the north side of the ridge being considerable and me with no real head for heights, I left the walk along the arête for Greg and the more adventurous. I walked a couple of yards down from the edge on the on the south side of the ridge, the less steep side, using the rocky top "shelf" for hand holds. This technique is ok but there is a temptation to go further down the slope than is advisable, which can create problems. So if I did stray downwards I made sure that I got back close to the ridge route as soon as I could.
The 2nd Climb of Crib Goch and the Snowdon Horseshoe.
It probably seemed harder this time going up from the Crib Goch. The adrenaline of the year before was reduced. However, we were far more aware of the easier bits on Crib Goch, but, as always on the scrambling bits, I was still apprehensive, and there was relief after crossing the gap to reach the final pinnacle and
Once Snowdon was reached we passed the infamous railway station and summit café - least said the better - and continued generally southwards until a large monolith is reached on the left. This "guards" the Watkin Path that took us to the Bwlch-y-Saethau - The Pass of the Arrows – which, like the rest of Snowdon, has legendary connections with King Arthur. This path is very steep. Although I had a walking pole with me to give extra stability, great care needed to be taken as a misplaced foot could find you reaching the bottom a great deal quicker than was originally intended. It is therefore with surprise that other walkers are spotted to the left by-passing this path and tempting fate by more direct routes both up and down. Needless to say
The 3rd Climb of Crib Goch.
A local walking group, that Larry and Ray walked with, were having a day trip to Snowdon in the Spring of 1995 and Greg and I were able to secure places on the coach. There were to be two walking parties, one to go up the Pyg Track and down the Llanberis Path while the other would try the "Horseshoe". Unfortunately at the last minute Larry had to drop out. In some ways he was very fortunate.
The 4th Climb of Crib Goch.
Needless to say Anne was apprehensive about parts of the ascent. Certainly the last stretch to the top of the east side of the ridge would have caused problems but the little protected