Blog Posts in Category: North Wales

Weekend in North Wales

Alastair BegleyNorth Wales, Scrambling, Walking Short Link

I spent last weekend catching up with friends from University in North Wales. Thankfully we were treated to some excellent weather on Saturday. As were were a large group we decided to stick to grade 1 scrambling ground so that we could stay together as a group. We elected to avoid the classics which we have all done before, and we headed around to the back side of the Carneddau to climb the Llech Ddu spur which is a *** grade 1 scramble. The walk up towards the black ladders was lovely and very warm in the morning sun, and were soon at the start of the steep climb up to the start of the scrambling, and into the cold wind. The scramble was brilliant, there were outstanding views out towards Anglesey and there was just the right balance of interest to keep everyone engaged without terrifying anyone. After the scramble we walked over to Carnedd Llewelyn, before descending back down to the hut we were staying in. After an enjoyable evening with chilli and games we awoke to a less favourable forecast on the Sunday. So we enjoyed a mostly dry. Read the full article…

Clogwyn y Person Arete & Crib Goch

Alastair BegleyNorth Wales, Scrambling Short Link

We had an excellent weekend in North Wales in Snowdonia prior to Lou and Mango leaving for Munich. The first day was meant to be fairly damp, but we enjoyed a surprisingly dry day on the classic north ridge of Tryfan. Instead of heading straight down we stayed high and headed over to Y Foel Goch which was an enjoyable end to the day and it was great to see a different perspective of Snowdonia. The second day had an excellent forecast so we decided to head for the classic scramble of Clogwyn y Person Arete which climbs a ridge up towards Crib y Ddysgl. The scramble was excellent, with sustained scrambling for numerous pitches before the ridge eased and we were able to walk up to the top. It was just a shame that the route was in the shade! Unfortunately by the time we got to the top, Snowdon had started to form it’s own weather system which meant that we were still not in the promised sunshine. Thankfully we were still well below the cloud which meant that the traverse of Crib Goch was as stunning as. Read the full article…

The Arrival of Winter

Alastair BegleyMountaineering, North Wales Short Link

Having not been out in the mountains since getting back from the Alps it was great to spend a weekend in North Wales. This was made even better by the arrival of winter and a good cosmetic covering of snow. There was a strong wind in the morning as we headed up out of Ogwen, but the air was clear and the sun was shining. We decided to head up towards the Carneddau and ended up having a fantastic day out in excellent conditions.

A Dream of White Horses

Alastair BegleyNorth Wales, Rock Climbing Short Link

I have been lucky enough to spend another weekend up in North Wales, the original plan for the weekend was for lots of moving together in the mountains, but poor weather combined with me feeling ill meant that I ended up spending two days at Gogarth. According to both mountain forecasts, Friday was supposed to be a sunny day. However, when we woke up in the morning we discovered that the forecasts were very wrong and it was in fact raining. After breakfast in Capel Curig we headed to Castell Helen, unfortunately on the drive over I started to feel pretty sick and it didn’t go away after the walk to the crag. I decided to abseil in anyway and we climbed Blanco, which has some fantastic climbing and amazing rock formations, given my sickness and lack of energy it felt pretty hard and at the top I decided that it was best to head back. The next day was forecast to be sunny, but given the deluge which had hit the mountains the day before we decided to head back to Gogarth for some warm sunny rock. After another. Read the full article…