A short winter backpack to one of our favourite locations in the Arenigs: the south ridge of Arenig Fawr, experienced this time in fantastic clarity and part snowy conditions. Arenig Fawr made a majestic backdrop to the snow and ice covered lakes and rocky knolls, and the superb frosty tent pitch in the little trodden heart of this winter wilderness was without doubt one of our best ever. The evening and morning accentuated colours highlighted the features in even sharper relief with a glowing sunset over Moel Llyfnant to the west.
The local landscape was augmented by very clear distant views all around to other snow capped mountains, from the Carneddau and Snowdon, to Cadair Idris, the Arans and the Berwyns, sometimes with dramatic skies. On the second day, after a very cold night and hardly a breath of wind, the waxing strength of the early March sun made for one of those rare occasions when we could sit on a mountain summit near deep drifts of snow and linger a while soaking up the views with a penetrating warmth on our backs.
4 Comments
Fantastic! What amazing weather, to be able to sit in snow with the sun warming you back is pretty good going at this time of year. Plus it was midweek, not fair when we are all at work! Its been a few years since I was up on the Arenigs, Arenig Fawr looks like a hill to return to. Cracking camp spot, may have to nick that one some time.
All going well will be backpacking the Moelwyns this weekend. Hoping that the peaks are free enough of snow as not taking crampons. Just need to decide on which of the many splendid lakes to camp next to……..
Incredible conditions and a dream camp spot, one of our special areas.
The weather looks terrific from Sunday into next week, maybe you’ll get sunshine on the Moelwyns lakes unlike my recent trip there. I don’t think you’ll need crampons, the patchy snowfields are nearly all avoidable.
I did this walk on Tuesday and Wednesday the 9th and 10th March about a week after yourselves. Some of the footprints I saw in the snow must have been yours and your others half’s. I couldn’t resist bagging Arenig Fawr first on the Wednesday morning, made for a pretty tiring day. Did you do a sitting glissade off Moel Llyfnant Geoff? Someone had. This was a great walk. I was already familiar with Arenig Fawr and Moel Llyfnant, but always coming from the lane and passing Llyn Arenig Fawr. This was a good introduction to a lovely wilderness area. I saw nobody at all on the off road bits. A big thank you.
A sitting descent would have been quicker but a lot less dignified!. No, we descended back northwards from the summit of Moel Llyfnant on the more gentle snowy slope and curved west around the steep snowfield covering the summit, it was less bother and quicker than putting the crampons on.
It is a fine wilderness area on that side and you see hardly any people. It’s even wilder and more remote further south in the badlands of Waun y Griafolen, that region is hardly trodden at all.
Llyn Arenig Fawr is certainly the most scenic ascent to the main summit, one of our backpacks approaches from Bala and joins that climb.