Rhinog Fach, South Ridge

With a keen sense of adventure and plenty of warm clothes, we set off to explore one of the lesser frequented areas of Snowdonia - The Rhinogs. These are the mountains between the main Snowdon massif and Cader Idris. Just getting to the end of the tarmac was an adventure in itself, finishing with about 5km of single track, winding lane up to the lonely farm at the end of Cwm Nantcol. After furnishing the friendly farmer with two gold coins to allow us to leave the car, he pointed out the start of the footpath. It was a very wet and boggy path, but with just enough stepping stones to see up into the hills with dry socks. Our guide book had warned that 'only grief will be found by those straying from the path here'. It seemed sound advice as we bashed our way onwards and gradually upwards.

Not that there had been much in the way of habitation, down in the valley, but once we gained the higher areas, it felt ever so remote. Just a few old walls and a wobbly stile to show that we weren't the first people to discover the mountain.

A smaller and steeper path to the south, eventually brought us up to Llyn Hywel, below Rhinog Fach.

We stopped here for some much needed food and drink. Although the skies remained mostly clear, it was bitterly cold, with a wind chill of well below freezing level. It would have made an idyllic camp a few months ago, but today, we just huddled by some rocks while we ate a sandwich and surveyed our objective - the south ridge of Rhinog Fach. (the right-hand summit skyline).

It didn't take long to scramble up the scree slopes to the base of the ridge, where we geared up with helmets and rope. On closer inspection, the ridge is made of several broken rocky ribs; some of which looked more solid than others. We chose the best looking way and headed off. We climbed in multiple short pitches to keep us both moving and to make use of any sheltered areas we came across as on one side of the ridge, the wind was vicious and threatened to blow us off it. From the ridge, the views were excellent and we could see right across and over the Lleyn Peninsular and Bardsey Island.

Before long, we reached the summit and sheltered on the lee side of some boulders to take in the view.

All that remained was the long walk down. Instead of following the guidebook descent, which essentially set off in the wrong direction for us, we spotted another path to the north, that looked more direct. We took the gamble, and thankfully it paid off.

Back in the lower Cwm, we were at least sheltered from the wind and began to warm up a tad.

The walkout was glorious. The sun was low in the sky, the light felt warm and the clarity of the air was superb.

We arrived back, just as the creeping shadows reached the car, feeling content and exhausted. It had been a great exploration of somewhere new, yet not so far away...