with some capital rocks on or beside his path along the ridge. At the
very top he cannot fail even in mist to recognise the two upright
rectangular stones, which are so conspicuous from afar. The feat of
jumping from one to the other, by the performance of which Mr. Bingley's
friend made that eminent traveller's 'blood chill with horror' nearly a
hundred years ago, is not as difficult as it has been represented to be,
and the danger of falling over the precipice in case of failure is
purely imaginary. The unskilful leaper would merely fall on to the rough
stones at the base of the pillars. Of the two jumps, that from north to
south is the easier. Bingley's guide, perhaps anxious to cap the Saxon's
feat, told him that 'a female of an adjoining parish was celebrated for
having often performed this daring leap.' Large as the pillars are it is
difficult to believe that they were placed in the position they occupy
by unassisted nature; they seem too upright, too well squared, and too
level-topped; with a cross-piece on the top they would form a
nobly-placed 'trilithon,' of which any 'dolmen-builder' might be proud.
_The West Side._--A great part of this is occupied by a series of huge
slabs, which have been compared by F. H. B. to Flat Crags on Bow Fell.
In places luxuriant heather artfully conceals sudden drops and rolling
stones on account of which several tempting descents on this side will
prove annoying. The only important gully is well seen from Benglog. To
reach it strike south-east by the highroad at a point about half a mile
east of Benglog. About half-way up the gully trends away to the left,
and comes out at a deep notch in the summit ridge. Excellent scrambling
again may be found by climbing up eastward from the shore of Bochllwyd.
* * * * *
[Illustration: TRYFAEN FROM THE NORTH-WEST.]
=Moel Siabod= (2,860 ft.) is ascended most easily from Capel Curig, but
Dolwyddelan and Penygwrhyd are only slightly more distant, though
considerably more boggy. The ascent is worth making, for the sake of the
excellent view of Snowdon. The east side is by far the most abrupt, and
here a few good crags are found. From this side also the mountain looks
its best, but even seen from the west, the tamer side, it is,
especially when snow-clad and lit by the setting sun, a remarkably
effective feature in the landscape.
Readers of 'Madoc,' if such indeed there be, may remember that Southey
was benighted on the hills around Dolwyddelan. In that episode Moel
Siabod may well have played a part.
About the year 1830 Mr. Philip Homer was benighted on it, and died of
exhaustion. Mention of this accident is made both by Roscoe (1836) and
by Cliffe, who says he heard many details from an eye-witness. The body
was taken to Capel Curig and buried there.
* * * * *
=Snowdon= (3,560 ft.) is the loftiest peak in this island south of
Scotland, and one of the most beautiful that is to be seen anywhere. The
name seems to have originally described a whole district which the Welsh
called Craig Eryri (variously rendered 'rock of eagles' and 'rock of
snow'). The peak itself is called Y Wyddfa (pronounced 'E Withva'),
which is usually translated 'place of presence' or 'of recognition;' but
the splendid suppleness of the Welsh language admits of rival
renderings, such as 'place of shrubs or trees,' with which may be
compared the name Gwyddallt--i.e. 'woody cliff;' and even, as a
non-climber once observed, on seeing a panting form appear at the top of
a gully on Clogwyn Garnedd, 'place for a goose.'
Leland speaks of 'the greate Withaw hille,' and says 'all Cregeryri is
Forest,' and, in another place, 'horrible with the sight of bare stones
as Cregeryri be.'
[Illustration]
Snowdon may be climbed from many points. The nearest inns are
Penygwrhyd, Beddgelert, Snowdon Ranger, and Llanberis. The peculiarity
of Snowdon consists in the huge cwms which radiate from its summit, and
these will be found described in their order, following the course of
the sun, and the climbs to be found in each will be indicated.
Books on Snowdon are simply countless, and the same remark applies to
the pictures which have been taken of it and the panoramas which have
been drawn from it.
Unfortunately a very large number of fatal accidents have taken place on
this mountain, and an interesting but somewhat incomplete article on
this subject will be found in _Chambers's Journal_ for May 1887. The Mr.
Livesey there mentioned as having been killed by lightning seems to have
been really named Livesley, and was of Ashton, in Mackerfield,
Lancashire. This occurred on Sunday, September 21, 1884 (the _Times_,
September 23).
* * * * *
[Illustration: CWM GLAS AND THE PARSON'S NOSE, FROM THE WEST]
=Cwm Glas.=--As there are three or four tarns on Snowdon called Llyn
Glas, so the name of Cwm Glas appears to have been confusingly popular.
Cwm Glas proper lies immediately under Crib y Ddysgl, and Crib Goch on
the north side; but, to say nothing of the next hollow to the west,
which is called Cwm Glas Bach (i.e. little), a recess lying just north
of both is called by the same name, and it would appear, from some of
the early topographers, that they understood the term to comprehend the
whole valley which forms the west approach to the Llanberis Pass. The
proper cwm can only be reached from Llanberis or from Penygwrhyd. From
the latter (the usual starting-point) the simplest, though not the
shortest, way is to go over the pass and down to Pontygromlech, and
there, instead of crossing by the bridge, bear away to the left, and up
into the cwm. Experts can save something by striking off much earlier
near the top of the pass. Those who come from Llanberis will leave the
highroad at a point 3-1/2 miles from the station and about half a mile
short of the cromlech.
Before the two pools come into sight several short but striking pieces
of rock are met with, and, indeed, the rock scenery on all sides is
extremely fine. Many people come here for that reason alone, and are
content to see the rocks without climbing them. For them there is an
easy way up to join the Llanberis path by way of the grassy slope west
of the Parson's Nose, of which more anon. Between the two a second ridge
is seen, smaller than the Nose, and roughly parallel to it, leading out
on to Ddysgl, much further up. Not far from this Mr. F. R. Wilton died
in 1874 (see _Crib y Ddysgl_) and Mr. Dismore was killed in 1882.
* * * * *
=Parson's Nose.=--The best known climb in Cwm Glas is on the rock called
Clogwyn y Person (i.e. 'Parson's Cliff'), alias the =Parson's Nose=. It
is a spur of Crib y Ddysgl, and is easily identified by its projecting
in a northerly direction between the two little pools in Cwm Glas. No
one seems to know the origin of the name; possibly it may have been
scaled by the famous climbing cleric who haunted Snowdonia half a
century ago. The most striking feature of this fine arete is the
wonderful excellence of the hold. Faces crossed by precarious-looking
ledges are found on a closer inspection to have behind those ledges
deep, narrow, vertical rifts, affording the perfection of hand-hold,
while the rock surface itself is so prickly and tenacious that
boot-nails grip splendidly, and the only difficulty for the fingers is
that some of them are apt to get left behind on the rocks. It may be
climbed direct up the face, either from the very foot or from a point
more to the right and some 30 ft. higher up. The height of the initial
climb is something like 100 ft. Again, there is a gully on each side of
the actual Nose, and it is usually climbed by one or other of these. The
western gully is blocked above by an overhanging rock, over or under
which it is necessary to climb or crawl. The gully on the opposite or
east side is longer, and generally much wetter, and is on that account
considered more difficult either to go up or to come down. The three
ascents unite close to the cairn. Above the cairn the ridge continues,
broken by only two respectable pitches, and leads on to the great tower
on Crib y Ddysgl, some 1,200 ft. above the beginning of the climb. It is
not, however, necessary, in order to get up out of Cwm Glas on to the
main ridge, to climb the Nose at all; by proceeding west and over some
white quartz slabs, close under the ridge, and then turning left, one
can get out easily a few feet from the top of the Nose, or nearly the
same point may be reached from the east side, only it will be after a
less interesting and generally somewhat wetter ascent. If a climb is
desired when the gullies are in a dangerous condition, there is a place
further to the right than the right-hand or west gully where a very
steep but safe scramble among big blocks leads up on to the bridge of
the Nose.
The following ascents are noted in the book at Penygwrhyd, that by T. W.
and R. W. being probably the first:--
_1887, September 18._--W. E. C. and A. E.
_1890, June 21._--W. P. and G. B. B. tried the Parson's Nose, and,
climbing the cleft from the south side, crawled between the rocks which
block its upper part, then up the crags to the right for a short
distance.
_1892, April 2._--A party which had ascended the north gully of Tryfaen
the day before ascended the Parson's Nose up the ridge, starting from
the cleft. About 50 ft. above it a wall of rock is met which must be
climbed either round a corner on the right hand or up a steep chimney on
the left. The latter route was chosen, but a large stone (the middle one
of three on the left side of the chimney) slipped, and remained in a
dangerous position.
_1892, August._--W. H. P. and G. B. B. climbed the 'wall of rock'
straight up, which they thought easier than the chimney to the left or
the green gully to the right.
_September 23._--Mrs. H., Miss B., and a large party of gentlemen
climbed the Parson's Nose by the gully on the Llanberis side and the
jammed stone.
Bingley visited this cwm at the close of last century, and gives a good
description of it. He was much impressed by Caddy of Cwm Glas, the
strong woman. Her real name, by the way, was Catherine Thomas.
Cwm Glas Bach also has some fine rocks, and from the head of it up to
Cyrn Las a good climb may be had.
* * * * *
=Crib Goch= ('The Red Ridge') stretches down westward from Crib y Ddysgl
to about opposite the summit of the Pass of Llanberis. The name is
sometimes used for the whole length of both cribs. This is admitted on
all hands to be inaccurate, if convenient, but there is some difference
of opinion as to where the line of demarcation should be drawn. Some say
at Bwlch Goch (2,816 ft.), while others put it a quarter of a mile or
more further west. About 500 yards east of the Bwlch, at almost the
highest point (3,023 ft.) of the ridge, a side-ridge strikes away to the
north, while the main line continues eastward. The well-known pinnacles
(including the 'Crazy' one) are close to Bwlch Goch, and on the north
side of the ridge overlooking Cwm Glas. The southern side, sloping into
Cwm Dyli, though very steep, is much less precipitous and rocky than the
other.
[Illustration: CRIB GOCH
(Snowdon beyond)]
_Starting Points._--Penygwrhyd and Gorphwysfa have almost a monopoly of
Crib Goch, because for all other places--such as Llanberis, Beddgelert,
Capel Curig, or Bettws y Coed--the distance from Gorphwysfa has simply
to be added as so many extra miles along a highroad. In the case of
Capel Curig this makes very little difference, seeing that Penygwrhyd
lies on the direct route for any ascent of Snowdon, and to the latter
there is no nobler approach than that along this ridge. Some have
thought it sensational, and many have described its terrors in very
sensational language; in fact, it takes the place which among the
English lakes is filled by the far less striking Striding Edge on
Helvellyn; but in truth, though it is the sort of place where ice, mist,
and high wind may encroach to some extent on the margin of safety, to a
steady head and foot there is no danger whatever. As for the hands, they
are hardly required at all, though for those who like it plenty of real
climbing can be had on the way.
[Illustration: PINNACLES OF CRIB GOCH]
Any mountaineer worthy of the name will admit that the ridge walk up
Snowdon by Lliwedd and down by Crib Goch is for its length one of the
finest in Europe. The mere gymnast also finds here plenty of enjoyment
and almost infinite variety. He may mount by the east ridge or by the
north ridge, or in the corner between the two. Again, the north ridge
may be reached by either of two gullies in its eastern flank. Of these
two gullies the more southerly is the steepest and longest, and may be
recognised at some distance by a peculiar split or gap, while the other
and more northerly, formed in rock of most cutting quality, offers a
convenient passage to the foot of the steep part of the north ridge,
from which point there is, if required, an easy descent into Cwm Glas.
The north ridge gives a short, pleasant scramble, and is somewhat
sheltered from southerly winds, which are sometimes an annoyance on the
east ridge.
Further west there are several good gullies on the Cwm Glas side,
especially round about the pinnacles. The Crazy Pinnacle may be ascended
either on the north-east or on the south-west side. The former is now
more favoured since the fall of a certain large stone on the latter,
which gave a useful hold in former days. Thirty years ago this ridge was
almost unknown. A writer of 1833 seems to imply that it had been
ascended by saying that 'the passage of it is hazardous, from the
shortness and slippery quality of the grass at those seasons of the year
when the mountain may be approached;' but this is evidently a mere
misapplication of what others had said about Clawdd Goch (Bwlch y Maen),
on the other side of the mountain, and we do not hear of anyone climbing
here before C. A. O. B. (1847) and F. H. B. a few years later. Between
1865 and 1875 it became better known, and in the books at Penygwrhyd we
find it recorded that in April 1884 H. and C. S. climbed from Cwm Dyli,
thence along the ridge by Crib y Ddysgl to the summit of Y Wyddfa.
In 1887, on June 30, E. K. climbed Crib Goch from Cwm Glas by the gully
to the left of the outstanding or Crazy Pinnacle. Near the top two big
stones are jammed in, and this compelled him to leave the gully; but on
June 29, 1890, G. S. S. found these stones climbable by the aid of a
crack in the rocks on the left hand. From this point the ridge can be
reached by taking to the rocks on the right. They are sound, which is
more than can be said for those on the left of the gully a little
farther down.
[Illustration: PART OF CRIB GOCH]
On July 31 and August 2 E. K. scrambled up the other gullies nearer
Bwlch Goch, and found them easier than the first, which is the main one
seen from Cwm Glas. He pronounced these climbs well worth trying, but
not fit for beginners.
On June 17, 1890, W. P. and G. B. B. ascended to Bwlch Goch, and bearing
round the foot of the first pinnacle, climbed the gully between the
first and the second. They found the holding good, but the rocks by
which the gully is blocked somewhat difficult to pass.
In 1894, on September 14, W. E. C., S., and B. climbed Crib Goch to the
central cairn from Cwm Glas.
On December 9, 1894, J. M. A. T., H. H., and H. E. climbed the face from
Cwm Glas beside an insignificant watercourse, reaching the ridge at the
ruined cairn, then, passing along to the Crazy Pinnacle, scrambled down
the gully on the Llanberis Pass side of it. The latter climb they
describe as short but excellent, and the former as also good. No more
climbs here are described in the _Book of Penygwrhyd_, but many others
have been made. The truth is that for the last quarter of a century
hardly a climber has visited Wales without making Crib Goch a primary
object, and consequently there is not a climb on it whereof men say
'See, this is new.'
* * * * *
=Crib y Ddysgl.=--The name is pronounced practically 'Cribbythiskle,'
and sometimes written 'Distyl,' a spelling probably due to a desire to
support the common derivation of the name from 'destillare' i.e.
'dripping ridge.' The climate of Wales, however, is not such as to make
any ridge remarkable merely because it drips, and moreover the
derivation will not account for the other instances of the word. For
instance, two or three miles west of the Pitt's Head we have Trum y
Ddysgyl, and the proximity to it of Cwmtrwsgyl suggests that some
distinction is expressed by the penultimate syllables. Attempts to
derive the name from 'disgl' (= 'dish') seem equally futile. Possibly
the explanation may be found in the word 'dysgwyl' ('watch,' 'expect')
(compare Disgwylfa, in Cardiganshire), which would make it parallel to
names like Lookingstead, &c.
The highest point of Crib y Ddysgl is called Carnedd Ugain, and is a
worthy rival of Y Wyddfa itself, being, according to the Ordnance
surveyors, only 69 ft. lower--viz. 3,491 ft.--and from some points of
view a really beautiful peak.
From the highest point a narrow crest runs due east, reaching in about a
quarter of a mile the huge buttress called Clogwyn y Person, which comes
up out of Cwm Glas and has been described with it. This part is
sometimes spoken of as the Gribin, a name which the large Ordnance map
does not give, and I know of no other authority for it, though it is
quite a likely place to bear the name. The main ridge continues east
until it joins Crib Goch. The ridge, though sharp, is not a likely place
for an accident to a climber, and, indeed, no accident seems to have
occurred actually on the ridge, but more than one death has taken place
close by. On August 10, 1874, a young man of great promise, Mr.
Frederick Roberts Wilton, son of Mr. Robert Wilton, of Doncaster,[12]
and a master in the City of London School, ascended Snowdon from
Llanberis, and seems to have asked his way to Capel Curig, and to have
been informed (not quite accurately) that he must turn to the right
'near the spring,' which is a good bit beyond the proper point of
divergence from the Llanberis path. His body was ultimately found a
fortnight later 'in the slippery course of a small mountain stream which
descends sharply from the most southerly branch of the miners' path
immediately below Crib y Ddysgl into the basin known as Cwm Glas.
Evidently he had gone down a steep shingly slope with a wall of rock on
his right hand over the entrance of a rocky watercourse.' These details
are taken from a letter of his colleague, Mr. W. G. Rushbrooke. As the
body was found in a posture of repose, and there was no sign of any
injury sufficient to cause death, there is some reason to fear that this
unfortunate gentleman died of exposure. For further details see the
_Times_ for August 22, 24, 26, and 28, 1874.
[12] See the _Doncaster Chronicle_.
Another death from exposure took place here in the following
year--namely, that of Mr. Edward Grindley Kendall, of Crosby, near
Leicester, of whom something will be said under the head of _Cwm Dyli_.
* * * * *
=Cwm Dyli= (pronounced 'Dully') is the great eastern recess of Snowdon,
and universally admitted to be the finest thing of the kind in Wales.
The long sharp ridge of Crib Goch and Crib y Ddysgl bounds it on the
north, while the almost equally fine, though less regular, ridge and
majestic crags of Lliwedd shut it in on the south. It contains Llyn
Llydaw (Hluddow), the largest lake, and Glaslyn, the finest tarn on the
whole mountain, and is one reason why the ascent of Snowdon from Capel
Curig is the finest of all.
The stream forms some fine cascades (800 ft. above sea level) in its
descent to the Vale of Gwynant. Half a mile above these cascades Clogwyn
Aderyn, on the north bank of the stream, and Clogwyn Penllechen, between
it and Llyn Teyrn (1,238 ft.), have a climb or two on them. At this llyn
the path from Gorphwysfa comes in, and along it the great majority of
people enter the cwm. The next landmark as we ascend is Llyn Llydaw
(1,416 ft.), nearly a mile long, the elevation of which so close an
observer as Cliffe over-estimated by more than 1,000 ft. Climbers bound
for Lliwedd leave the lake entirely on the right, and find a foot-bridge
close to the exit of the stream from it. The path to Snowdon crosses the
lake by a stone causeway, which is rarely submerged by floods. From the
head of Llyn Llydaw there is a steep rise--555 ft. in a quarter of a
mile--to the tarn called Glaslyn (1,971 ft.) Between this and the sky
line at the head of the cwm, 1,290 ft. higher, only one more hollow
remains, called Pantylluchfa, and here the crags of Clogwyn y Garnedd
show up magnificently. It may be mentioned that many people get
hopelessly confused in reading or giving descriptions of Snowdon,
because they fail to distinguish Glaslyn, here, from Llyn Glas, half a
mile to the north of it, in Cwm Glas, and another Llyn Glas less than a
mile due west in Cwm Clogwyn. If they know Glaslyn they naturally assume
that it must be in Cwm Glas, and if they know Cwm Glas they place
Glaslyn in it. Some of the confusion would be avoided if the latter
were called by what would seem to be its older and true
name--Llynffynnonglas.
[Illustration: SNOWDON FROM GLASLYN
_a_, Bwlch y Snethan.
_b_, Summit, with Clogwyn y Garnedd below.
_c_, Junction of paths from Penygwrhyd and Llanberis.]
Cwm Dyli was the scene in 1875 of one of the strangest of all the
disasters which have happened on the mountain. The victim was Mr. Edward
Grindley Kendal, of Crosby, near Leicester, who on June 11 left Gwynant
Valley in order to ascend Snowdon. Nothing more was heard of him or his
till the end of that month, when a Mr. and Mrs. David Moseley,
descending with a guide, found on the edge of Llyn Llydaw a wet and
mouldy pair of boots, each containing a stocking marked 'Kendal' and a
garter. It was at once surmised that the missing man had been wading and
become engulfed in quicksands, which were stated to be numerous. His
friends went so far as to employ a professional diver to explore the
bottom of the lake, though it would seem that if the body was in the
water simpler means would have answered the purpose, and if it was below
the water the diver could neither find it nor follow it. At any rate he
did not find it, because it was not there. It was found about ten days
later on Crib y Ddysgl uninjured--it was identified by Mr. Ison,
brother-in-law of the deceased and the jury at Llanberis found a verdict
of 'death from exposure.' It was not precisely stated on what part of
Crib y Ddysgl the body was found, and nothing transpired as to the
condition of the feet; but it is simply amazing to anyone familiar with
the character of the ground that a bare-footed man should ever have got
so far. Why he did it and how he did it will always remain among the
mysteries of Snowdon.[13] Other deaths have taken place in this cwm,
for which see under _Lliwedd_ and _Clogwyn y Garnedd_.
[13] The _Times_, July 2, 6, 8, and 15, 1875.
It is curious that two of the lakes in this valley are among those
mentioned 200 years ago by the learned Edward Lhwyd as 'distinguished by
names scarce intelligible to the best Criticks in the British.'
* * * * *
=Clogwyn y Garnedd y Wyddfa=--i.e. 'the Precipice under the Cairn of
Snowdon'--has been commonly known by the first three words only for at
least 200 years. It is one of the grandest cliffs on Snowdon, and gives
very fine climbing.
For more than two centuries this precipice has been famous as a refuge
for rare ferns and plants. The guide William Williams, well known as a
botanist, lost his life here while in search of the Woodsia; so at least
says Mr. T. G. Bonney, though he is far from accurate in the date of the
accident, which, writing in 1874, he describes as having taken place
'some twenty years ago.' The actual date was June 19, 1861.[14] The old
guide had taken up a lady and gentleman from Llanberis, and went from
the top alone to gather ferns. The fall was 'down a declivity of three
hundred yards.' The body was found at the foot of the precipice, after
'scouts' had been sent out. He had fallen from the point where the slope
suddenly changes from about 45 deg. to, perhaps, 75 deg. or 80 deg. The spot where
he slipped was for many years, and perhaps still is, marked by a white
stone.
[14] See the _Times_, June 25, 1861.
On the shore of Glaslyn, at the south-west corner, there is a small
cross of wood marking the spot where the body of Mr. Maxwell Haseler was
found. He was making for Snowdon by the Lliwedd ridge, and fell from a
short distance above Bwlch y Saethau. The party seem to have been well
equipped, and contained members of experience, who were not without
ropes and axes. They started on January 26, 1879, for Snowdon by
Lliwedd, and, after lunching about 1 P.M. on Bwlch y Saethau, proceeded
in the direction of Snowdon. Mr. Haseler took a separate course, more to
the right hand, and almost immediately seems to have slipped and fallen.
His body was found next morning by the shore of Glaslyn, and it was
reckoned that he had fallen some 600 or 700 ft. The inquest was held at
Penygwrhyd. The victim of this accident was only twenty-three years
old.[15]