Snowdonia Scrambling - A Classic Ogwen Circuit

As part of an international whirlwind tour from Vancouver, my good friend Daragh stopped by The Cottage, via Dublin, to see us and hang out for a few nights. Going out on a mountain walk together is a grand way to chat about what's been going on and hear each others news, while getting a bit of exercise and refreshment and the same time. The weather forecast was suggesting that it might just be a day for a low level walk in the wet, but we left The Cottage anyway, with a waterproof each, a snack bar and a bottle of water. I was keen to try out the new 'Alpha Flux Jacket' from Rab, which I had just been given to test, so we settled on a quick nip up Tryfan to stretch the legs as much as anything. 'We'll be back for lunch' Daragh cheerfully called out as we left The Cottage, in the rain.

Up in the Ogwen valley, things seemed a little brighter, so we set off up the North Ridge Route (a classic Grade 1 scramble), nattering away as we went. We soon arrived at the Cannon Stone, where a Polish hiker took a photo for us in the classic stance. (Recognize it Mom?!)

Things brightened further as we enjoyed the scrambling and the feeling of gaining height. (PS, I have to mention, the jacket is amazing - super light, windproof and with a warm fleece inside!).

We sought out every difficulty we could find along the way, which made a change from when working with students and I'm always looking for the safest options.

In just under ninety minutes we were sat on Adam and Eve at the summit, by ourselves, enjoying the view. It was windy, but mostly dry.

After a quick jump between the two, we decided to scramble down the South Ridge to make a traverse of the mountain before heading back for lunch.

However, down at the south col, instead of turning down to the valley, we suddenly decided to climb 'Bristly Ridge' (another classic Grade 1 scramble). After a brief flick through the guide book, we easily located the correct starting gully and started climbing again.

I'd not been up there in a few years and had forgotten how excellent it is!

As we were now out of food, we had planned to turn east at the top and return down the scree slopes, but while we were up high (and as Daragh had traveled so far to be here), we went over to find the cantilever stone on Glyder Fach.

From there, it makes a nice circuit to carry onto the Gribin Ridge (another Grade 1 route) and descent that to Ogwen Cottage, down at the A5. It was 16:00 when we got back to the van and a unanimous decision that tea and cheesy chips at Pete's Eats Cafe was going to be in order. As we began driving around to Llanberis, it started raining again! Luck of the Irish!

It was a late lunch at 16:30, but one that was well received! We saw it as 'starter' before returning round to Bethesda for dinner in the pub, via a coffee and a shower at The Cottage. Another shared experience to add to the tally of adventures that we've had together over the years since meeting on the Outdoor Education Degree program at John Moores University in the late 90s. Great days indeed...