Saturday 12 January 2013

Snowdon Via the Bwlch Main Ridge/Watkin Path

Our good luck with the weather continues and as we headed towards the start of yesterday's walk up Snowdon, this is the view that greeted us - clear blue skies and sunshine!  This is our 4th walk of the year which has been rain free - which already seems like more than we had last year - we had so many wet walks with no views last year I just hope this is the start of a run of good luck for us weather wise!!

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Snowdon's peak still looking a bit icy on top!
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Gary can never resist a photo of his favourite Welsh ridge, the knife edge of Crib Goch, although it doesn't look like a knife edge from this angle
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it was a gorgeous walk up from Nant Gwynant, the morning mist just sitting in the valley, this photo is taken on the Watkin path as it leaves the woods below
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the Watkin path is lined by stunning waterfalls - the ridge at the back of the photo is the ridge we will be climbing to the summit of Snowdon
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Holly looking beautiful as always - she loves being out with us, her tail never stops wagging
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Just about to start the final pull up on to the Bwlch Main ridge to Snowdon summit
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Just a bit of scrambling on the way up
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looking towards Y Lliwedd
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a zoomed in shot of the summit cafe which is closed throughout the winter
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beautiful looking down at the clouds below us, stretching out as far as Arenig Fawr (on the left) and the Aran ridge (on the right)
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the Moel Elio Horseshoe comes into view
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and Mynydd Mawr beyond Snowdon's Rhyd Ddu path - a mountain we have not yet climbed - maybe next week!
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the ridge narrows as we get closer to the summit
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not a full inversion but lovely to look out over the clouds and see the tops peaking out in the distance
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the post which marks the top of the Watkin path which will be our route down later
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amazing how in the last few hundred metres of the climb, it became really icy and cold
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the Snowdon cafe, closed of course as it only opens to the train tourists in the summer months - us walkers have to sit out in the cold!
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looking down to Crib Goch - you can now see it's knife edge!
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happy to be at the summit - a wonderful walk with amazing views -  but time to get my coat on - it's freezing!!!!
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that's better, a bit warmer now with a coat! Holly pretty happy too!!
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a kind walker offered to take a photo of the two of us....
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Crib Goch ridge ... again!
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looking down at the clouds below from the top of England and Wales
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on our way down now and this is Y Lliwedd, looking wonderful from this angle - now that's a sheer drop from the top!
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Moel Siabod - from the top of Moel Siabod you can pretty much see all of the Welsh 3000 mountains stretched out before you, and there's a fantastic view of the Snowdon Horseshoe from its summit
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Looking back at Snowdon's summit, looking rather different from this angle
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Thank you for looking and please don't forget to leave a comment so we know you've dropped by!


Photos by Gary, comments by Sharon!

5 comments:

  1. Well, hard to choose one or even 3-4 favorites from this bunch but I do like the foggy valley one and the one with the sheep. Reminded me of a Far Side cartoon - the sheep were all standing upright and chatting and dancing and playing cards (they like Go Fish) until they saw you and then someone shouts out "Hikers" and down they go, looking like the usual fat and fluffy sheep again :) Thanks for sharing - and I do think anyone who walks as far as that cafe should have a hot drink at the top, no matter what the season!

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  2. No point in taking up a lot of word space here Gary. You don't leave the camera idle for very long on these walks - or shouldn't that be climb - and I think if I was really going to choose my favourite it would be the one with 11 sheep and the mist below in the valley....brilliant image, too many runners up in this series though.

    Keep on keeping on Gary/Sharon.

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  3. Great photos as always. Holly is looking so healthy! I love the one of Crib Goch (knife edge one)reminds me of that wonderfully terrifying day last year.

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  4. Lovely photos again. I was lucky enough to climb Snowdon last year on a beautiful day. Crib Goch looks like a serious challenge.

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  5. Wow another blog with you two in it. Lovely and Good Luck with it.

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