Pete's Eats - The well known walker's and climber's caff in Llanberis.

Weather Links

MWIS. Weather forecast for Snowdonia.

Met Office. 5 day mountain forecast.

Snowdonia Snowline - Daily record of the Carneddau Snowline.

Metcheck weather - Longer range forecasts.

Advertise your Snowdonia Business here! Email for info.

Accuweather

Snowdon Weather Station Project. Weather data and Webcams of Elidir Fawr and Moel Eilio.

Snowdon Sherpa Bus Timetables

Welsh Highland Railway.

Travelline Wales.

theTrainline - Timetables and online booking

The Welsh 3000s - website just about the 14 peaks.

The BMC - British Mountaineering Council.

The Mountain Bothy Association - yes, there are bothies in Eryri...

TAC - The Angry Corrie Scottish hillwalking fanzine, read it free.

Eryri - Snowdonia National Park.

Oggy Cam . Ogwen Mountain Rescue and a Ogwen Valley webcam.

BBC North West Wales.

Graham's Wales Photos. Loads of excellent pics on Eryri in here.

North Wales Photographs Beautiful photos of North Wales by Simon Kitchin.

Cambrian Mountains National Park A 'Should-Be' fourth welsh national park.

Snowdonia Society Charity which looks after the interests onf the National Park.

eryriway.org.uk Sister site to walkeryri, emphasising long distance trails.

Moel Eilio in Snow
Distance and Ascent 11km, 710m OS Map Required OS Explorer 17 Landranger 150 Time 4 hours Difficulties none - usually - some nav in mist. Start Location Llanberis. End Location as start Grading Hard Facilities Most facilities in the village. Public Transport Sherpa Buses and local buses from Caernarfon and Bangor. GPS Files

You never get snow like this in North Wales. Snow had fallen in different areas from Tuesday night onwards, and last night had seen the heaviest overnight snowfall so far. Unfortunately, this left me stuck in the town, while all the fun was happening miles away! Fortunately, it melted before lunch and I was able to find my way to Llanberis.

The route started from the same place as many of my other Moel Eilio jaunts. You need to find the Snowdon Railway station, pass it towards the Victoria Hotel, and turn right at a mini roundabout. Follow this road (with a terrace to your left) until there is a right turn that takes you under the Railway Viaduct. Continue, keeping to the left where the road forks and you will see a cattle grid to your left with a sign for the “Waterfall”.  Follow this road, and then there is a path at the end of the road (before a farmhouse) where the path continues quite clearly across a couple of fields.

Cross the fields and you will arrive on a muddy road, turn right along this until you come to another farmhouse and a tarmac road going right (and into the village). There is also a stile, across which we go and head for the ridge of Braich y Foel. You can head straight for it, or veer left around the side of the ridge, and gain it by less steep ground. That’s the way i should have gone today, but instead i took the direct line.

I’d left the crampons in Llanberis, thinking the snow would be deep and no ice would be encountered. Well, I needed them on this ascent, which became almost vertical! After a few hairy moments, sliding back, and I finally reached the top and the gentle ridge lay ahead. It’s grassy, and steepens as you get higher. There is a fence to your right that you can follow as far as the summit. Though, before the summit, you reach a ninety degree turn in the fence where you follow the fence obviously left. Over a stile and you’re at the summit shelter.

Were it not so cold, i could have stayed here a while. Visibility was superb. I also had a timing problem, needing to be in Llanberis for half five (2 ½ hours away). I should have descended, but all the snow on the ridge meant I’d be a fool to miss out. So I set off down the rest of the ridge, knee deep in snow to make the most of such a rare day.

Obviously others were doing the same, and I have never seen so many people up here. That’s saying something as I’m sure I’ve been up more than twenty times. It included a party of 30 or so who I reckon had something to do with the Llanberis Film Festival, or the Ramblers. There were numerous other solo walkers, couples and groups; a few paragliders and a snowboarder to complete the cosmopolitan feel of the summit.

The rest of the ridge is pleasant, with views of the Nantlle Ridge being my pick of the bunch. I was glad to reach the final summit, Foel Goch (not to be confused with Y Foel Goch or Foel-goch on the Glyderau ridge) as there were storms closing in on the Nantlle Ridge and Glyderau. It was a steep descent on snow to Maesgwm, fortunately remaining on my feet for the entire descent, and retaining my dignity.

So I was quite proud with myself when i got to the bottom, where i promptly lost a leg down a snow filled drainage ditch. With the surprise i tried to balance myself and instead managed to fall head first into the corresponding drainage ditch on the opposite side of the path. All there was to seen was a leg, part of an elbow and most of my head. So much for a dignified descent.

Nothing hurt, and nobody there to see me, so I got away with it. So I packed my ice axe and headed down to Llanberis, along the well used path. The problem with well used, compacted snow that now lay ahead is that it resembles a toboggan run. So it was a slow descent, made worse by the fact that I would not be in Llanberis until about six (and my lift would have to wait for me).

Next time, I’ll take my crampons.

General Links

Snowdonia attractions Several great reviews about some of Snowdonia's better known attractions. 

English-welsh dictionary Links and resources to help you translate that welsh word into English.

Walking shoes - Another site that I found that sells walking shoes online.

Merrell Walking Shoes from fitnessfootwear.com, decent little site i found for Merrell walking shoes.

Whalley Warm and Dry - paramo stockists, great service and range.

V-G Walking and Backpacking. Inspirational website detailing one to three (and more) day walks around the UK.

Trekking Britain. Route descriptions & experience as opposed to guide book.

OutdoorsMagic - Forum based website, lots of information on here.

Phil George - Mountain Leader Training in Llanberis.

Peak and Fell Walking - A photographic guide to walking in Britain's National Parks.

Wild Tramp.co.uk - New site on walking in the UK. Looks promising.

Tracklogs IMHO the best mapping for PC.

MemoryMap Still good, but route handling clumsier.

Viewranger mapping for smartphones.

Fugawi and Anquet are also popular.

Quo The new kid on the block.

Open Street Map - Open source mapping as featured on this site.

Multimap - Free online mapping.

Get a Map - Free online mapping from the OS

Access Land in Wales - online mapping from CCW.