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| Page Type: Custom Object Lat/Lon: 54.49387°S / 37.06289°W Object Type: Sandbox | Page By: Nanuls Created/Edited: Jun 23, 2008 / Nov 13, 2008 Object ID: 414660 Hits: 312  Loading... Page Score: 0% - 0 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Quote Box  | I must not pass over in silence the mountains called by the Welsh Eryri, but by the British Snowdon, or the mountains of Snow, which... seem to rear their lofty summits even to the clouds
Geraldus Cambrensis - Itinerarium Cambriae (1191) | |
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O Fawddwy ddu, ni ddaw-dimllan-
A ellir ei rwystraw;
Ond tri pheth helaeth hylaw,
Dyn agas, nod glas a gwlaw. | In Mawddwy black, three things remain,
False men, blue earth and ceaseless rain:
Of these they'd gladly riddance gain. |
Old Welsh jingle - Translation by William Cathrall (1828) |
Such as have not seen mountains of this kind are not able to frame an idea of them, from the hills of more champain or lower countries. For whereas such hills are but single in heights or storeys, these are heaped upon one another, so that having climbed up one rock, we come to a valley, and most commonly a lake; and passing by that, we ascend another, and sometimes a third and a fourth, before we arrive at the highest peaks.
Edward Lhuyd - History of Cambria (1695) |
"It [Welsh] has many features and words in common with the Sanscrit, and many which seem peculiar to itself, or rather to the family of languages, generally called the Celtic, to which it belongs. Though not an original tongue, for indeed no original tongue, or anything approximating to one, at present exists, it is certainly of immense antiquity, indeed almost entitled in that respect to dispute the palm with the grand tongue of India, on which in some respects it flings nearly as much elucidation as it itself receives in others."
George Borrow - Wild Wales (1862) |
Instructions
How to use the table
At the moment this is pretty simple, all you have to do is look at it. The key below explains what the different criteria mean.
Key
| Rank | Rank in order of absolute height. |
| Photo | If you need this one explained you need help |
| Name | Name of the mountain/peak |
| M | Height in metres |
| Ft | Height in feet |
| Range | The mountain/peak's parent range |
| Sheet 1:25k | The 1:25 000 OS Explorer map sheet the mountain appears on |
| Sheet 1:50k | The 1:50 000 OS Landranger map sheet the mountain appears on |
| Grid Ref | The OS grid reference for the mountain/peak's summit |
| Map 1:25k | Click on the icon to be taken to a 1:25 000 map of the mountain/peak |
| Map 1:50k | Click on the icon to be taken to a 1:50 000 map of the mountain/peak |
| Ma | Marilyn; for more information click here: Marilyns of the British Isles |
| SM | Sub Marilyn; for more information click here: Marilyns of the British Isles |
| H | Hewitt; for more information click here: The Mountains of Wales |
| SH | Sub Hewitt; for more information click here: The Mountains of Wales |
| N | Nuttall; for more information click here: www.nuttalls.com |
| BL | Buxton & Lewis; for more information click here: www.biber.fsnet.co.uk |
| D | Dewey; for more information click here: www.hillbagging.co.uk |
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Mountain Fun "Only a hill; but all of life to me, up there, between the sunset and the sea"
Geoffrey Winthrop Young (1876-1958)
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This section has the potential to be absolutely massive as there is almost no end to the fun that can be had in these mountains. However, in order to keep this page from becoming a never-ending scrollable mess, Ill try and keep this brief and focus only on the activities that will most interest SummitPost users (hopefully). Also, there is no way that this can even hope to be a comprehensive guide to all that is available, therefore it will only give a flavour of the best the area has to offer. So without further ado, I introduce to you hiking, scrambling, rock climbing, winter climbing, bouldering and mountaineering in Snowdonia.
Hiking
Hiking has a long tradition in Snowdonia and most visitors to area will have engaged in one form of hiking or another, whether it be a valley stroll taken by the casual tourist, a multi-day backpacking expedition or an approach to a remote rock climb. Hiking in the loosest sense of the word, has in all likelihood been practiced since people first began to call the valleys and forests of the area home thousands of years ago; but it wasnt until the 18th century that visitors really began to arrive in the area for the sole purpose of leisure. Young wealthy gentlemen would come and visit the area as part of their Grand Tour, a practice which grew in popularity in the latter part of the century when war and revolution barred their access to the continent. Although many would make a token ascent of Snowdon or Cadair Idris, most didnt see the need. For the children of the Romantic Movement viewing the landscape from the valley floors was enough. Today hikers in their thousands descend on the area every summer, attracted by its spectacular scenery, rich history and distinctive cultural identity.
 The northern Rhinogydd are remote and heathery, you must be a competent navigator to hike here though as there are no paths or anything helpful like that (Photo by Nanuls) |  The Llanberis Path on Snowdon is probably the most popular trail in the area avoid if you dont like crowds, trains, seagulls and litter (Photo by pdebruyn) |  Given the right conditions winter hiking can be the most pleasurable experience Snowdonia has to offer be sure to pack your ice axe, crampons and a woolly hat! (Photo by Nanuls) |
It would be impractical, nay impossible, to even attempt to describe all the area has to offer in a section such as this. It would even be impossible to give an adequate summary of the areas very best hikes; after all there are multi-volume books which attempt this, and even the authors of those would admit that they can only hope to share with you the very tip of the proverbial iceberg.
This leaves a conundrum regarding the direction of this section, so first of all a suggestion, and this might seem obvious take a look at the Area/Range and Mountain/Rock pages attached to this page. All have information on routes, and most have their own route pages attached to them. Each range or area has its own unique blend of characteristics which combined create any number of distinct personalities. A hike in one range can provide a completely different experience to hiking in another, even if they are in reality, only a few kilometres apart.
Secondly, Id like to make a personal recommendation. Most people coming to the area will be familiar with, or at least heard of, the larger ranges such as Snowdon, the Glyderau and the Carneddau, as well as the areas other more popular areas. But few ever pay attention to those ranges south of this main group, the ranges of Meirionnydd, which is a shame, since among these are the Rhinogydd, which in my opinion at least, are without equal when it comes to opportunities for hiking. While unable to match their northern counterparts in terms of scale, these little mountains more than match them in sheer ruggedness, quiet wilderness and raw atmosphere. The ranges summits are interesting enough, but the most satisfying and remarkable hikes can only be found by straying from the obvious paths and into the heather-clad terraces and hidden valleys to their north.
Thirdly you could just ignore all this, buy a map (or dont!), and just head for Snowdonia with the intention of exploring somewhere not mentioned in any of these pages, the guidebooks or at the tourist information office; for this way, you will be sure to stumble upon one of the small, hidden or obscure treasures this area has to offer, and that few have ever seen.
Rock Climbing
Rock climbing came early to Snowdonia, and the area can boast the first recorded rock climb in Britain which took place on Snowdon in 1798, impressively on the most formidable rock face in Snowdonia Clogwyn Dur Arddu, which lies a mile northwest of the summit. The ascent was made by Rev. William Bingley and his friend Rev. Peter Williams, who were familiar with the area having made a number of mountain expeditions to Snowdonia in search for botanical specimens. On this occasion they were studying the flora at the base of Cloggy and decided to search the cliff for more specimens; Bingleys description (which can be read on SummitPosts Snowdon page) of their climb indicates that they ascended the crags East Terrace.
In the late 19th century Welsh climbing grew up and matured among the mountains and crags of northern Snowdonia. It was a golden age for climbing in Great Britain; the Scottish Mountaineering Club had been established in Glasgow; the Fell and Rock Climbing Club were exploring the mountains of the Lake District; and the Pen y Gwryd and later Pen y Pass Parties were pushing the limits of technical rock climbing on the precipitous faces of Y Lliwedd, Clogwyn Dur Arddu and the Devils Kitchen.
These days, Snowdonia as a climbing venue is extraordinarily well developed, with crags and routes to suit all types of climber. The vast majority of crags are entirely given over to traditional climbing and no bolting is allowed whatsoever, those abusing this simple rule will likely incur the wrath of the British Mountaineering Council, the Countryside Council for Wales, the entire Welsh climbing community, and if youre particularly unlucky, a heavily armed farmer. I know you Americans and Europeans out there seem to love bolting everything, but over here its just not acceptable, I really cant stress this enough. There are certain locations where sports routes do exist, and where, with the permission of the first ascentionist, bolting is allowed. The vast majority of these are located on Snowdonias old slate quarries such as Dinorwig Quarry near Llanberis. Its best to check the guidebooks before heading to these locations, particularly if you intend to add new bolts, as the existence of a quarried rock face does not necessarily equate to a permissible bolting policy,
Eryri remains to be the most popular destination for rock climbers; its home to the highest crags, the cleanest rock and has the best transport links. Many novice climbers will have cut their multi-pitch teeth on one of the many, now classic routes of the Idwal Slabs in the Glyderau or on one of the many south facing rock faces of the Pass of Llanberis. Clogwyn Dur Arddu, one of Snowdons more imposing cliff faces, is well know for the quality of its rock, and is considered to be something of a climbers paradise. British climber Leo Houlding called it the best crag in the world, and such is its fame that it rightfully deserves a special place in the history of Welsh climbing, having been explored by many of its great characters. Affectionately known as Cloggy, so numerous are the routes that the Climbers Club have produced a guidebook solely for this outcrop, with bona fide classics in just about every grade.
When the weathers poor, which it often is, the areas valley crags offer a good alternative to a day of suffering on the high mountains. Craig Bwlch y Moch near Tremadog offers one such alternative. Located on an old sea cliff on the now drained Glaslyn Estuary, the crags are sheltered, close to the road and close to Erics Cafι a cafι owned by Eric Jones who is famous for, amongst other things, soloing the North Face of the Eiger. The crag has many classic climbs including Christmas Curry (S), One Step In The Clouds (VS 4c), The Plum (E1 5b), the unbeatable Vector (E2 5c), Void (E3 6a), Zukator (E4 6a) and of course Strawberries (E7 6b) and Dream Topping (E7 6c).
Climbing in Meirionnydd is much wilder in nature. On the whole, with perhaps the exception of Cadair Idris, the crags are smaller, remoter and veggier in nature.
Bouldering
"An hour's practice . . . will do more to get your climbing muscles in order than many of the recognized moderate courses. . . . you put in twice as much work and that work is two or three times as difficult. It is extremely hard to convince some climbers of this. They must go off and do something big, and megalomania bears them away captive . . . Nevertheless, if one can do so, one will be more than repaid by bouldering."
Claude E. Benson - British Mountaineering (1909)
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Although bouldering, in some form or other, has probably taken place for as long as people have had rocks to climb on, the practice wasnt documented until much more recently. According to John Gill, credited by many to be the father of modern bouldering, bouldering as a sport, as a method of preparing for longer climbs, began in Great Britain in the 1880s and was championed by one Oscar Eckenstein (1859 1921) - a short but sturdily built gymnastic climber capable of one-arm pull-ups. Scholars of early British climbing will know of Eckenstein as an English rock-climber and mountaineer, and a contemporary of Aleister Crowley, G. W. Young, J. M. Archer Thomson, O. G. Jones and George and Ashley Abraham.
 Cae Du Area 3 (Photo by Nanuls)
A railway engineer by profession, his combined appeal for mathematical and scientific work, his very precise nature, his love of climbing and his gymnastic talent may well have drawn him to focus on what would have seemed to be an unusual amount of his time climbing on boulders. He spent hours exploring and perfecting technique which he would later transfer to his longer climbs. Although he climbed in the Alps, Karakoram, Himalaya, Mexico and all over the British Isles, he spent most of his Alpine career climbing in North Wales with his friends Crowley, Young and Archer Thompson. It was here, on the boulders of The P ass of Llanberis, that he first practiced the sport. It seems that he loved the concept of bouldering, and enjoyed the sort of strenuous play that would become popular fifty or sixty years later. He may well have been the first climber to appreciate bouldering for its own sake.
If you, like Eckenstein, have a love for the delicate and intricate art of bouldering then Snowdonia still has much to offer. Unfortunately, as bouldering has become more popular in the UK, the incidents of vandalism and littering have also become more common. Anyone who has climbed in the Pennines or the Peak District will know of the damage careless and irresponsible people have done to some of the more popular crags. Luckily the worst antics of England are yet to make their way to North Wales; so for the sake of everyones enjoyment, the environment and future access I ask you to follow the following 10 Commandments set out in Bowldro Gogledd Cymru/North Wales Bouldering (2004):
- Thou shall not chip existing holds, or new ones, onto the boulder,
- Thou shall not use a blow torch to dry wet rock even on coastal crags, dry it with a towel or come back on a dry,
- Thou shall not use a wire brush, use a nylon brush if cleaning new problems,
- Thou shall not use unnecessary chalk and also brush/wash away any tick marks or excessive build up at the end of your session,
- Thou shall not drop any litter at the crag, and take home any that you find,
- Thou shall not leave carpet patches at the crag, they are an eyesore and quickly become sodden and thus useless. They also kill-off any vegetation they cover,
- Thou shall not use resin,
- Thou shall not use glue to add or stabilise holds. If a hold breaks off so be it,
- Thou shall use a bouldering mat to decrease the impact on the vegetation at the base of popular problems,
- Thou shall not garden the indigenous vegetation.
 RAC Boulders (Photo by Nanuls) |  RAC Boulders (Photo by Nanuls) |
The area is now well explored and is known to have some of the finest bouldering in Britain. Of particular note are the Cromlech Boulders located high in the upper reaches of the Pass of Llanberis. With easy access and a massive density of quality problems ranging from V0- to V11, the area is rightfully popular and is definitely worth visiting by anyone from novices to experts. It is fortunate that the boulders exist at all, as on the 6th of December 1973 they were within an hour or two of being blown up by the Gwynedd County Surveyors men for road widening purposes. Luckily for us, locals, climbers, historians, conservationists, geologists and ordinary people from all over Britain, had been campaigning diligently for the boulders to be saved, and at the 11th hour they were, through a direction from the then Secretary of State for Wales, Peter Thomas.
Other highlights such as the Clogwyn Bwthyn Idwal, The Orion Boulder and Gallt yr Ogof can be found in the Ogwen Valley; and in the Capel Curig area, the Plas y Brenin Boulder, Mallory Boulder and RAC Boulders add further interest to the area. The RAC Boulders are of particular note as they offer a good range of fun mid-grade problems away from the crowds that often plague the Cromlech Boulders. Another plus point for the RAC Boulders is that they are located in a nice little sun-trap, making them ideal for winter bouldering or when the sun has set over the generally sheltered and cold recesses of the Pass of Llanberis.
 Problem 9, Area 4, Cae Du (Photo by Nanuls) |  Somewhere at Cae Du (Photo by Nanuls) |  Beware of the tide! (Photo by Nanuls) |
Bouldering in southern Snowdonia is less well documented however there are limited opportunities at locations such as Craig Cywarch and Craig yr Aderyn where small crags and pinnacles intersect the main rock faces. One site of particular note is Cae Du, a short section of coastal crag on the Meirionydd coast between Barmouth and Aberdyfi. The crags have some of the best bouldering in Snowdonia, and if it werent for their relative isolation from the areas main climbing venues, they would be crawling with eager boulders. As things stands though they are rarely visited, and instead offer a beautiful and tranquil location to while the afternoon away. Its important to note that the crags are tidal, so if you do plan to head there be sure to check the tide timetables first. Table v2 |
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