Cwm Bychan to Beddgelert Circuit

Today's mountain walking plans had been in doubt ever since the rain woke me up at 4am. The constant drumming on the skylights and subsequent 40mm of rain didn't seem to be lending itself to an enjoyable day of hill walking in the great outdoors. As always, planning is everything and after some detailed checking and rechecking of every available forecast, I decided to take my group down to Beddgelert.

The gamble paid off and after a long wet drive, the rain stopped as we arrived at the tranquil shores of Llyn Dinas. The clouds began to lift as we made the steep but short climb up the mountainside. On the summit of Cwm Bychan, we stopped for lunch and took in the views. Up and out of the valley, there was a chilly breeze, but we were glad that it was at least dry.

The ground was completely waterlogged and the path down to Nantmor was flowing with water and unforgivingly slippery. On the plus side, the waters of the Aberglaslyn Gorge were looking superb. We didn't see any kayakers, but levels looked just right.

On the way up the gorge, we had a quick look in the old mine. I'd never been in before, but as I had my head torch in my rucsack and the group were an adventurous bunch, we went into the first part (having been told that it was safe to do so - it soon gets to a dead end, so you can't get lost!).

From the mine, we carried on up to Beddgelert village to see the famous grave (fact or fiction?!)...

My plan of resting in the village and re-fuelling with hot drinks had to be aborted due to lack of time and instead, I had to push the team on to get back to the bus. It was a shame not to stop, but the guys did well, pushing on, even though they were pretty exhausted.

The sun broke through the clouds on the last few hundred meters, bathing us in a beautiful autumnal light.

It had been a long day for the group, but they were all pleased with their achievements. A beautiful finish to what had started as a grim morning!