A fun relaxing weekend in Eryri (Snowdonia) national park staying in Ffridd bunkhouse between the coastal town of Harlech and the Rhinogydd mountains.

Setting off on Friday night the long drive to the bunkhouse was interrupted by a stop at Asda in Morley where some members sampled the local Chinese restaurant before the vans continued on to navigate the narrow lanes of Snowdonia national park and reach the bunkhouse.

Saturday dawned with a biting dawn wind which luckily wasn’t complimented by the forecast showers. After freeing the vans from the soft grassy ground next to the bunkhouse the group travelled up to remote and beautiful Cwm Nantcol on the western side of the Rhinoggydd giving us a view of the rocky and heather covered terrain over which we would be traversing throughout the day. Setting out east along the wall to the bwlch avoiding the bogs and including some fun scrambles on the rocky boulders on the lower slopes to the south of Rhinog Fawr before returning to the bwlch for a spot of lunch before the ascent of Rhinog Fach. The steep slopes of Rhinog Fach provided a variety of route choices allowing some members the chance to scramble on some of the very grippy slabs whilst the rest followed the rocky path up. Upon gaining the ridge we were greeted with a strong breeze as well as encountering various different patches of frogspawn. Looking east from the summit views over Trawsfynydd reservoir, Arenig Fawr and Moel LLyfnant (Climbed on the December trip) and over to the Aran range which had a frosting of freshly fallen snow setting a wild scene coupled with the view west over the Irish Sea to the Llyn peninsula created a stunning panorama. After summiting Rhinog Fach (712m). We descended to the beautiful llyn Hywel over some boulders all the while battling the wind. Following the stream down from the llyn dropped us back out of the wind and back to the vans.

After an eventful return journey to the bunkhouse we were treated to a very tasty chicken curry from Jacob and much fun was had playing games.

After awaking and slowly getting ready on Sunday morning the vans drove up to the Ogwen valley to enjoy the beauty of one of the most picturesque valleys in the country with Tryfan and the Glyderau to the south and the Carneddau stretching north towards the sea. After parking at Gwarn Goch Uchaf at the eastern end of Llyn Ogwen we set off up the well trodden path and despite some members best efforts we all managed to find the path taking us up past Ffynnon Lloer to ascend the eastern ridge of Pen yr Ole Wen admiring the views as we took on a couple of rocky steps before climbing into the cloud where we dropped just off of the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen (978m) for lunch. After lunch we continued on to the summit of Carnedd Dafydd (1044m) with some small breaks in the cloud revealing the stunning view north over towards Anglesey and the Menai straits. On the upper slopes of Carnedd Dafydd we encountered some very cool wind blown ice clinging to the rocks which which you could hear melting and falling as we walked across the loose rock. We the descended south back to Ffynnon Lloer and back down to the vans to then return to Newcastle.

Overall a very relaxing weekend with some great views, company and a little bit of wind. – Josh

Above: Llyn Hywel

Below: Rhinog Fach from Cwm Nantcol

Above: Llyn Hywel

Below: looking north from Rhinog Fach summit ridge towards Rhinog Fawr

Above: Bwlch Drws Ardudwy (between Rhong Fawr and Rhinog Fach)

Below: Summit of Carnedd Dafydd

Above: Tryfan and the Glyderau standing above Llyn Ogwen from the southern slopes of Carnedd Dafydd