Tryfan and the Glyders
Date: 28-Jul-2008
Map: Landranger 115
Weather: Warm sunshine with some cloud and mist on nearby peaks.
A Tryfan scramble followed by a ridge walk, up to Glyder Fach then on to Glyder Fawr, down to the Devils Kitchen and then up to Y Garn. Down the ridge to Llyn Idwal and return to the start: 7 miles on the map, but it feels like 20 miles the next day
Well I
woke up this morning with the
Looking up to Tryfan from the road The
view back down to the road before the paths diverge I spent
a lot of time today with arm stretched out to steady myself,
and that will give you some idea of how steep this is, with
much of the time is spent with three points of contact, and
plenty of four points of contact. At times the ground ahead
is within touching distance of your hands, and every time I
looked back and down to the valley road, the road never got
any further away – apart from vertically. As I made steady
progress I saw a party of about 6 gents starting out below
me, which gave me some incentive to get to the top first.
The wind was blowing today, but thankfully for me it was
sheltered on the north ridge. The path diverges after a
little while and goes off to the left to the Heather Terrace
path that runs up along the east side of Tryfan for access
to the south peak. I took the path heading straight up – the
first of many gulps! Some
airy hairy scrambles ahead Yikes
and I’m not even a third of the way yet One of
the hardest things today was deciding which was the best
route up as there are several alternatives on the way. My
criteria was that if it looked impossibly steep, it probably
was. I found myself up a steep rockface once or twice and
had to retrace my steps to find an alternative way up. But
there was no getting away from a few good scrambles. They
certainly make the adrenaline flow and that helped me keep
going. I would have
hated to have to go back down – too steep a descent. I
tended to follow any well worn paths / smooth rocks and I
didn’t go too far wrong. There are flat ledges periodically
along the way as you gain height and I took the time to
admire the views and put an extra top on to keep warm.
A
glimpse of the summit now free of mist Guess
what this one is called? Y Garn in the background I
think a move to the left is in order A good
landmark to know you are on the right track is ‘The Cannon’,
a rock splinter leaning over at an acute angle. There is
some interesting Geology to see on the way up these slopes,
with plenty of volcanic rocks. Most obvious are the
quartzite veins, sparkling white in the sunshine and
providing a good rough surface for my boots to grip on.
Looking up above the cannon is a large boulder seemingly
wedged in by a smaller stone – I moved away to the left just
in case. A little higher up the gradient ease before the
final pull to the top of Tryfan. This notch gave a welcome
breather and a chance to appreciate the surroundings without
fear of falling off anywhere. The road below still didn’t
appear any further away from me horizontally, but vertically
was a different story. I was still ahead of the nearest
group to me, but only just and I was like the Duracell Bunny
today – just kept on going. I imbibed deeply and carried on
for the top, one final climb. I looked around for an easy
route but there weren’t any, so it was up and over – plenty
of good handholds but a little scary in places. I passed by
a couple of very steep gullies that come up from the sides,
and one of these has to be crossed and climbed up and over.
Then the top comes into view and you know the worst of the
day is over (nearly) and what views. One
last scramble to the top – which way to go? The
gully to the east side – crossed from the left and up to the
right It
was so steep and that road is still close by The
north summit – Adam and Eve in site Only
me – I was so used to the slope on the way up I couldn’t
stand straight! I
scrambled over from the north peak to get to the Adam and
Eve pillars just before the rest of the crowd! It took me 2
hours of strenuous effort to get here, but the views were
fabulous. The top had cleared of cloud and although a little
hazy around I could see clearly the Carneddau to the north,
with fantastic views of Llyn Ogwen far, far below me. The
summit was a massive jumble of splintered boulders, mostly
of a huge size that made for careful walking. The two
pillars of Adam and Eve almost look like they have been
planted there for the tradition of jumping from one to the
other. The gap between them is little more than a stride,
but if you don’t watch out the drop to the east side is
enormous, so don’t be too cocky! The next part of my journey
was across the bouldery top to the The
view across to Bristly Ridge from the The
view down over Cwm Bochlwyd and over to Glyder Fawr The
slopes down off Tryfan were steep and did require a little
scramble but nothing like the ascent of the north ridge.
Once I was down at the col, I had a good drink and a snack
for some energy, and chatted with a family who were thinking
about going up Tryfan. The boys gave me a look that said
“Don’t say anything that will put Mum off”, so I did my best
to reassure them that if they took their time they would be
OK. I did see the rescue Helicopter later in the day, but
that was the other side of the valley so I didn’t feel
guilty. There is
a confluence of paths here, but my route ahead beside the
Bristly Ridge was clear enough. I let the group of 6 gents
go ahead of me and get some distance away, as I didn’t want
a face full of scree as I followed them up.
Bristly ridge up to Glyder Fach ahead – the path is up the
left side
Tryfan from Bristly Ridge, a great view back with the
Carneddau beyond
Cresting the ridge up to Glyder Fach – Tryfan starts to
disappear It was a
stiff climb up the side of the ridge and I stopped
frequently to catch my breath and look back to Tryfan. It
looked as good from the south side as from the north side,
like an upturned ice cream cone, almost alpine in nature. As
I crested the rise up to Glyder Fach the Snowdon range came
into view and although it was misty, I could recognise the The
famous Cantilever Stone – it’s huge It
would take a rugby team to topple this – don’t try it! The
view back to Tryfan from my lunch break – very bright light
now The
path ahead towards Glyder Fawr After a
well earned rest, I scrambled back down off the summit to
something resembling a path – a faint light coloured track
across the stony ridge.
Looking back towards Castell y Gwynt and Glyder Fach The
The
moonscape towards the summit of Glyder Fawr
Looking back to Glyder Fach Three
penguins looking at The
scree slope down to Llyn y Cwn and Y Garn beyond From this point down
the hillside was a massive scree slope and not great for
walking down. It was very steep and loose in places, but as
before the views more than made up for the shortcomings.
Down below me was the small
Tryfan still poking his head above the slopes, the Carneddau
beyond Y
Garn tempts me with her charming curves – walk this way sir A
panorama of today’s walk – you know Tryfan by now
Tremendous views down the valley And
now the car was far below and away by Llyn Ogwen Bags
of boulders for path maintenance
Devils Kitchen – Gordon Ramsey is nowhere to be seen Pen
yr Ole Wen across the Ogwen valley
Tryfan showing the whole of the north ridge – left to right The
route down from Y Garn – from Llyn Idwal – spot the white
bags If
you’re in a jet turn right here – quick As the
various paths converged, so did a steady stream of walkers –
some kitted out for a full blown Everest expedition and
others with cardigans and flip-flops on. As I dropped down
into Idwal Cottage over the stream, another jet roared by in
spectacular fashion, a nice tribute to my great days
walking. I bought myself an ice cream and a fizzy drink and
meandered along the A5 towards the car park. Guess
who? Begins with ‘T’ Tryfan
once again dominated my viewpoint and I smiled as I thought
about the scrambles of this morning. Another challenge
ticked off and for a change clear views from the top. The
next day my legs and shoulders felt like I’d been down at
the Gym all day, but with walking like this, who needs the
Gym? This isn’t just any hill this is a walking, scrambling,
climbing hill – it’s all brilliant.