26/04/14
We started the walk through some woods among Llyn Gwynant, then up the Watkin path. The weather was better than expected, the night before started clear and cold (this is the earliest I had camped and it was quite nippy sitting around outside in the evening), then there was some rain but it had cleared by morning. We had a few showers but they were short, and in-between was sunny and very clear. The mountains are craggy, spiky and covered in scree, grey slate with bands of white quartz. A few small patches of snow were clinging on above Glaslyn. The Watkin path follows Afon Cwm Llan up a gentle slope then turns more steeply to reach the path which goes over the ridge.
We turned left and had a view of the return route. The summit was mostly visible but became briefly hidden by cloud at this point. After lunch we headed on up the steep scramble until the route joins the Rhyd-Ddu path. The summit cafe was only visible when we were nearly at the top. Busy, sunny and windy. Stopped for coffee and flapjack. A train arrived as we left, our route following the rack initially then heading east for the Miner’s track.
Some steep descending to the edge of the tarns Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw. There are the remains of some quite substantial buildings here, it must have been hard work bringing materials up. Followed the path to meet the road and the Pen-y-pass youth hostel. The final stretch involved a bit more descending and then levelled out, my knees were quite sore by this point and it seemed to drag.
Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa: Furth, Hewitt, Marilyn; 1085 m
12.3 miles
Start/finish Llyn Gwynant campsite