All summer this has been on my ‘wish-list’.
In fact, at Easter I had considered going up there without squirt. But at the time I needed a veggie patch more and also needed to paint our sheds…
I had only once before tried to get to the top of Cadair Idris. Several years ago (I think it was Autumn 2009) I had gotten to about 100 meters from the summit. I didn’t know that at the time. Five of us had set out in drizzle which soon turned to heavy rain, low cloud, gusting wind and nil visibility. Our route at the time was the Pony Path (an easy route from the Dolgellau side), a do-able but steady climb. We didn’t know how close we were to the top (and the shelter) when we decided to turn back but we all agreed it was a good decision. It was worse for two of my walking buddies as that was the second (or possibly third) time they had nearly made it to the top! I know they have since made it to the summit, but it has bugged me ever since that I fell short. That, and the fact that on most nice days I can see the ridge from home made this a ‘must do’ walk…
So we packed rations, tent, mats and sleeping bags, warm clothes, water, dog food, map and compass and set off for Minffordd, just off the B4405 and A487(T) junction. We parked in the Visitor Centre car park at 5.30pm and paid the £5 all day (well til midnight anyway) parking fee and set off up the stepped path which climbs up steeply past the Visitor Centre. We met several walkers coming off the mountain and the lady cleaning the loos at the bottom had asked us if we were going up […this time of night?!?]. When we said yes and added that we were not planning to come down again today she commented that it would be very windy at the top and we should camp at the lake.
We got to the lake (Llyn Cau) and it was indeed pretty windy. The sun had dipped below the ridge and the lake looked sombre but beautiful in the shadows. We briefly considered the ‘straight up’ path which rises at the far end of the lake but with the amount of gear we had with us we decided it was just too steep. So we turned left and climbed to the ridge line and re-joined the Minffordd Path over the entire ridge. The path is described as a ‘Hard Mountain walk’ on the official Snowdonia National Park website and I think that is a fair description. At times the ‘path’ is just a strip of rocks and stones and you have to scramble up using hands and feet. The impressive cliff edge down to the lake is always on your right and at times the path takes you pretty close. I wouldn’t want to do this route in nil visibility, or snow for that matter.
Before you reach the main summit on the Minffordd route, there is a sharp down hill bit coming off Craig Cau, its a shame to loose all the height you have so painfully gained but that’s just how it is… A final short steep climb and a zigzag across more rocks (hardy a path) and you get to the trig-point and the stone shelter just below it. By the time we got there, it was going dark and it was now very windy, it had also started drizzling. We found the one sheltered spot just below the trig; a small area flat enough (and free of stones) for us to pitch the tent, sheltered by a rock face. We quickly put the tent up and tumbled inside, dogs and all and got water on the boil for our ration packs. Washed down with some Army hot chocolate we snuggled down in our sleeping bags and then the rain came down. At times the wind must have changed, as occasionally we got shaken about but on the whole it was a fantastic spot for a camp. The rain was torrential at times. Sleep was not in abundance but it did not matter.
Next morning we saw that the fog (clouds) were upon us and it all looked pretty misty and damp. Every so often it would lift a little as if to tease us with what the view could be like but then the cloud would roll back up again. The rain had turned to sporadic showers and in a gap between them we decided to pack up and move to the stone shelter to cook breakfast (more rations!). As we climbed up past the trig-point we saw a figure disappear into the clag off down the hill. Shortly after we installed ourselves in the hut, the heavens opened as we sipped our tea and ate our breakfast at a leisurely pace. We were in no hurry to leave the shelter.
It rained heavily on and off and the cloud remained down. I was starting to wonder if we were going to get off the mountain. Only one other person briefly joined us, tumbling through the doorway wet and soggy. We shared some of our breakfast with him and it turned out it was an ex forces chap from Telford. Small world…
By about 12 noon we decided that we couldn’t hang about any longer and we would have to make tracks so packed up our stuff. I kid you not, the minute we stepped out the door of the shelter to get going, the clouds lifted! The views were amazing, 360 degrees of awe. We took it all in for a bit and a number of other walkers arrived on the top. Our route down was easy to start with, a grassy slope following the horseshoe shaped ridge around high up above the lake. Further down, there are some rocky bits and some bogs too. However, when you cross the step stile, a ‘rocky path’ is an understatement! But we followed the fence down and crossed another stile to circle back to cross the stream at the top of the wood,which led us back to the visitor centre. We had one short, sharp hail stone shower whilst descending, but no other significant rain.
The smile on my face at the end was one of pride, happiness and total joy all rolled into one. I could not have imagined a better way to spend my birthday.
I took lots of pictures, and cant choose a small enough selection to put here so below a larger number in three sections 🙂
walkingbuddies 