Our first backpack of 2012 and another short outing in the Carneddau for brief daylight hours, this time a 2-day circuit from Capel Curig around Cwm Tal-y-braich over the south eastern tops of Pen Llithrig y Wrach and Pen yr Helgi Du. The return is a pleasant hike along the valley track of Telford’s old road.
The weather since late November had been dreadful from a backpacker’s viewpoint, only a handful of isolated good days and never more than one at a time, the rest being formidably wet, windy or both. Here at last was a sunny cold forecast and the conditions were excellent on this trek, the highlight being a fantastic pitch on Pen Llithrig y Wrach with turbulent skies at dusk and a very cold clear night of thick crunching frost beneath a gleaming moon.
27 Comments
It’s a great route for a day walk, too. And you picked a brilliant spot for a pitch there!
Looks like you had cracking weather for it, Geoff. Again - beautiful photographs. Thank you.
Another wonderful looking wind camping pitch, you chose a perfect weather window to get out after a very long wet and windy spell.
Lovely stuff again Geoff. Lets hope for a few more days like these. Question is, did you eat the flap-jack?
Roddy,
Ah yes, it would have been an easy day walk a few years ago but not now on a joint trip!. That’s a new blog for us to follow and a very interesting post about the Dee and Dduallt - I’ll be coming back to that soon.
Alan - thanks again, very favourable lighting conditions for photos.
James - a brilliant pitch, a spot we’ve used before. This weather window was a long time coming.
Karl - a terrific spot well seized in fine conditions, although we could have made it a 4-dayer in hindsight. Oh yes I ate it, no ill effects. I don’t pay much attention to those best before dates on products like that(within reason).
Superb conditions you had. High camp and fine views. Photos are top class and thanks for that Geoff.
WOW! Amazing photos especially the shot of the Ponies with Tryfan is incredible!
A really enjoyable report there, thank you - especially relevant to me as I mirrored your trip on the same day, but from the South Western Carneddau. I came across the very same group of ponies on Y Braich as I descended towards that boggy stretch about 2 hours after you. The conditions were splendid, although your photographic skills are definitely superior to mine.
You picked your weather window just right again. My daughter is keen to go back to the Carneddau to try out the new Rab down bag she got for her birthday. I had hoped to take her snow holing, but it looks as though Wales may miss out on the white stuff this year.
Martin - a camp to remember that one, definitely one of the best in an excellent spot and conditions.
Jamie - lovely clarity again for the photos, one of the best times of year. That shot of the ponies does seem to be very popular, they thoughtfully posed in just the right spot to get Tryfan in the background.
Jim - the Y Braich descent is well suited to an east or west part-traverse, I remember doing the western one starting with Pen yr Ole Wen. There were quite a lot of walkers around the Carneddau, we almost crossed paths this time. A good DSLR and lens + Photoshop accounts for a lot, plus the excellent lighting!.
Ian - it could have been a 4-day trip in hindsight, still we were very pleased with that. Strange there is virtually no snow in Wales, but there is still time: one of our snowiest trips was in early March 2006.
Excellent, Geoff. Absolutely love that pic of the ponies and Tryfan. That’s worthy of a frame and place on any wall mate.
Terry - Thanks a lot, an exquisite outing. Another vote for the ponies, the stars of the trip!.
The photo of the ponies is pretty special, but so many of them are. Great stuff Geoff - thanks for letting us share vicariously in your trip.
Those are fantastic photos, just what I needed on a dark winter’s morning. Thanks for the inspiration to get out there with the tent again.
Mark - Thank you, all trip photos are special for reliving a backpack, a real tonic as a slideshow at the end of the year.
Alistair - Thank you too, the morning was certainly gloomy down here today. I hear there is a bit more snow on the way for parts of Scotland, maybe a wintry pitch is on the cards.
Smashing photos Geoff, like others have said the ponies one is very special I like that one alot.
Thanks Phil, very few days like that this winter.
Geoff good to see that you managed to get out at long last. As you say such poor weather this winter so far. I have only managed day walks and only one of them I could see more than 20 feet ! Great photos of a fine landscape.
Thanks Mark. I could have benefited from the exercise on some of those murky days but the time, effort and cost never seem worth it - minimum two days now.
Hello Geoff - a little late in catching up with this. Looked like a really good little walk with some great photos as usual.
Thanks Phil, short but very sweet this one.
Sorry Geoff, I’ve been a little tardy in catching up with my blog reading. Stunning day out and some superb photos. Waking to that cold and frosty dawn must have a been really special. Your night-time “excursion” reminds me of my alpine bivvy days, watching the carpet of stars and the shooting stars. A decent sleep was almost a disappointment
Thanks Andy, that is one advantage of having to get out every night without fail, I never miss any glorious stellar display that may be on offer. Just the conditions I craved many years ago when observing with my old astro C8 telescope, light pollution was always the problem then.
Really like the picture on this one. Looks like a clear night!
Bob - a glorious night, and the moon was a bonus!.
Hi, first time post. Your picture of the ponies is truly beautiful. I have stared at it for hours, thank you.
Marty
Welcome Martin, yet another admirer of the ponies. A timely post too, it reminded me to add the close-up picture of them to that report, I have just uploaded the new photo and files. The fourth horse is walking along at the back.