name on Snowdon; one is traversed by the ordinary route from Beddgelert
and that from Rhyd-ddu, and is precipitous on its curving north front;
the other forms the western wall of Cwm Glas Bach, and is traversed for
some distance by the pony path from Llanberis. Towards the Llanberis
Pass road it presents a fine rocky ridge, very steep and lofty, on which
good climbing may here and there be found.
* * * * *
=Moel Eilio= (2,382 ft.), less than three miles south-west of Llanberis
station, has a namesake on the west side of the river Conway, not far
from Llanrwst. The name is sometimes spelt Aeliau. The view from the top
is extremely fine; the ascent is easy, and, as there is a railway on
each side of it, access to the foot of it is very simple. The rockiest
side is towards the east. Early in the century a poor little fellow
named Closs, while trying to follow his mother from Bettws Garmon to
Llanberis, was lost on this mountain. The story is told by H. L. Jones
(1829) in his finely illustrated book, and by Wright (1833) and Bennett
(1838). The last-named gives his epitaph.
* * * * *
=Garnedd Goch Range.=--=Garnedd Goch= (2,315 ft.) (i.e. 'The Red
Cairns') is a very rugged and unfrequented range of hills lying to the
west of Beddgelert. The huge Nantlle slate quarries on the north side of
it have spoilt some very pretty scenery and some very pretty climbs.
Beddgelert and Snowdon Ranger are good starting-points, and better still
is Penygroes station, on the line from Portmadoc to Carnarvon.
* * * * *
=Moel Hebog= ('Hawk Hill,' 2,578 ft.) seems to have been ascended last
century by Lord Lyttelton, by the Ordnance surveyors, and in August 1857
by Mr. J. H. Cliffe, who in his book (published 1860) gives a clear
description of his ascent. In his opinion one of the cairns on the
summit was then 'very ancient.'
It is essentially a Beddgelert mountain, but can be conveniently taken
from many other places at the cost of more time, as, for instance, from
Snowdon Ranger on the north, Tremadoc and Criccieth on the south, and
Brynkir station on the west.
A man in the pink of condition who knows the way well can get to the top
from Beddgelert in about three-quarters of an hour, but most people take
1-1/2 or 2 hours. The horizontal distance is under 2 miles, nearly the
same as that from Wastdale Head to Scafell Pike; but the vertical
height is less by one-quarter.
The proper route is very simple. A shoulder runs down north-west on to
the Carnarvon road, and the ridge of it, after being reached by
proceeding due west from Beddgelert, is followed straight to the top.
This shoulder may, of course, be used by those who approach from the
Snowdon Ranger, but for them a better plan is to take, about 1/4 mile
after passing the Pitt's Head, a road which continues on the right bank
of the stream to Glan y Gors, a few yards beyond which a turning on the
right leads across a side stream and past the farm of Hafod Ryffydd to
the foot of Cwm Meillionen, and, by following either the cwm or the
ridge on the left hand, the top of Moel Hebog is easily reached.
The routes from Tremadoc, Criccieth, and Brynkir all take the dull side
of the mountain; but this disadvantage is counterbalanced by the
increased effect which this gives to the view of Snowdon on reaching the
top, and to the peep down into the valley of Beddgelert, below. The most
difficult way to hit off is that from Nantlle, but in point of rock
scenery it is the finest of all, and was chosen by the Alpine Club for
their excursion when they met here in 1883.
* * * * *
=Mynydd Mawr= (i.e. 'Great Mountain') rises just opposite to and west of
the Snowdon Ranger Inn.
The noble crag Castell Cidwm (i.e. castle of the wolf or robber) runs
steeply down to Llyn Cwellyn, and well deserves a visit. Borrow, on
seeing it from the south, was reminded of Gibraltar. Craig y Bera also,
which overhangs Drws y Coed, is part of this mountain, and has some very
striking rock scenery.
Denbigh.
This county has little climbing. A few rocks near Bettws y Coed offer
short climbs, which are more satisfactory than the limestone rocks of
Orme's Head, near Llandudno, or of the Eglwyseg cliffs, near Llangollen;
but we find in =Dinas Bran=, close by, an extremely steep,
castle-crowned hill, and much favoured by picnickers. It seems, however,
to have been the scene of some early climbing, made too, quite properly,
with the rope.
Leland says, 'Ther bredith in the Rok Side that the Castelle stondith on
every yere an Egle. And the Egle doth sorely assaut hym that distroith
the Nest goyng down in one Basket and having a nother over his Hedde to
defend the sore Stripe of the Egle.'
Under such circumstances a climber ought to find St. Paul a better
patron saint than St. Martin.
Montgomeryshire.
=Berwyn Mountains.=--The name is said to signify 'White Tops'
(Bera-gwen). The range runs parallel to the river Dee, forming its south
bank for many miles. It is not lofty, Moel Sych (2,716 ft.) and Cader
Fronwen (2,573 ft.) being the highest points. The individual hills are
not of striking form, and are really little more than high heathery
moors, on which large numbers of grouse breed, but there are many points
on the south-east side where small but striking rocks are found,
chiefly about the heads of cwms hollowed out of the 'Llandeilo' and
'Bala' strata. These cwms are occasionally visited for the sake of the
waterfalls, two or three of which are exceedingly fine.
The rocks at Llangynog would be remarkably good if they had not fallen a
prey to the spoilers in the form of quarrymen.
Merionethshire.
Merioneth mountains and shire Cardigan
To travel over will tire horse and man,
says Taylor, the Water Poet, and, indeed, as a climbing county it is
only second to Carnarvon, and contains such fine mountains as Cader
Idris, the Arans, and the Rhinogs. The climbing capital is Dolgelly,
though the excellent service of the Cambrian Railway makes it easy to
scale almost any mountain from almost any place in the county. The
reason of this is that all the places of resort are near the coast, and
the mountains are not far inland, so that the railway following the
coast puts them all in communication with each other, and it is almost
equally convenient to stay at Barmouth, Harlech, Towyn, Aberdovey, or
Machynlleth. Indeed, this is almost the only county where railways are
cheerfully accepted by the mountaineer as friends and not as enemies. He
does not love them at Bettws y Coed, he loathes them at Llanberis, but
here they are unobtrusive and at the same time supremely useful.
* * * * *
=Aberglaslyn.=--Through this beautiful defile lies the only correct
approach to Snowdon. It is a true mountain scene, somehow suggesting
Scotland rather than Wales, and of such beauty that, according to the
story, three Cambridge dons, who went round Wales criticising nature and
deducting marks for every defect, unanimously awarded full marks to
this. There is fairly good practice climbing on both sides of it, but
not very steep, in spite of the fears of some of the early travellers,
who (like Hutton in 1803) thought the sides would close before they got
through, and reached Beddgelert with a sense of relief.
It was one of the earliest scenes in Wales which the taste of last
century admitted to be picturesque. Sandby's view was taken about 120
years ago.
* * * * *
=Cnicht= or =Cynicht= (2,265 ft.), =Moel Wyn= (2,529 ft.)--Mr. J. H.
Cliffe ascended the former on September 4, 1857, and declared that he
could only hear of one man who had preceded him (the climbing
clergyman).
Under certain aspects and conditions it is one of the most striking
mountains in Wales, owing to its sharp, conical form, but it bears very
little really good rock.
Beddgelert is the best place from which to ascend, and if the old and
higher road to Maentwrog be taken to 1/4 mile short of the tramway in
Cwm Croesor, a ridge on the left hand can be followed right up to the
peak without fear of mistake.
If the ascent of Moel Wyn be included it adds less than an hour to the
time taken by the last expedition. On the other hand, if Moel Wyn is
ascended from Tanygrisiau, on the Ffestiniog line, it is equally easy to
take in Cynicht.
* * * * *
=Rhinog Fawr= (2,362 ft.--just north of Rhinog Fach) is one of the most
striking of the rocky hills which rise behind Harlech. It is more
visited than would otherwise be the case because the pretty lake of Cwm
Bychan and the famous pass of Bwlch Drws Ardudwy, both places of
considerable resort, lie at its feet, one on either side. It is one of
the barest and most rocky mountains in all Wales, and yet it has hardly
anywhere on it a crag of respectable height. Little nameless problems,
however, abound, and men who are content to enjoy a day's promiscuous
scrambling, without accomplishing any notorious climb about which they
will afterwards be able to boast, may be recommended to ramble over
Rhinog Fawr.
_Easy Ascents._--Several stations on the Cambrian line are convenient
for the start, especially Harlech and Llanbedr. Vehicles can be got in
summer to take visitors to near Cwm Bychan (about 5 miles), from the
east end of which to reach the top of the mountain requires a long hour,
by way of the lakelet of Gloywlyn and up the western slope of the
mountain. From Dolgelly the way is not so easy to find. Bwlch Drws
Ardudwy, the pass between the two Rhinogs, is the first place to make
for, and for this the best plan is to go by the Precipice Walk or by the
Trawsfynydd highroad to the Camlan stream, which comes in on the left
half a mile or more beyond Tynygroes Inn. A path follows the stream for
nearly 3 miles to a slate quarry, which can also be reached rather more
quickly by crossing the bridge at Penmaenpool, especially if the train
be used as far as that station. Half a mile up the stream beyond the
quarry the course leaves the brook and strikes away north-north-west
round Rhinog Fach, rising as little as may be, so as to join the track
up Bwlch Drws Ardudwy. From the head of the pass, rugged as it looks, a
way may be picked northward to the east slope of the summit, but many
people prefer to descend to the west a long way, so as to strike the
easier south-western shoulder. A yet simpler route than the last, but,
as involving 3 miles more of the hateful Trawsfynydd road, intolerable
unless a carriage be taken, turns out of the route to the left half a
mile beyond the ninth milestone, and makes for the north side of Rhinog
Fawr. The path for nearly 3 miles is that which leads to Bwlch Drws
Ardudwy, and is quitted just after passing through a wall. The stream on
the right hand is now followed up to the pool at its head, until a turn
to the left and south brings the pedestrian up on to the summit. This
route may also be used from Trawsfynydd (where the Great Western have a
station very useful for Ffestiniog on one side and Bala on the other),
and there is no better place to start from if climbing is wanted, for of
that there is plenty to be found in Craig Ddrwg, the ridge which
stretches away to the north. In winter this range is very fine, but as
stern and desolate as it is possible to imagine anything. The writer has
reason to remember that here, in January 1895, he experienced the most
intense cold that he has met with in Great Britain.
* * * * *
=Arenig Fawr= (2,800 ft.) is called 'Rennig' by Daines Barrington, who,
writing in 1771, adds that it 'is commonly considered as the fifth
mountain of North Wales in point of height.'
The ascent from Arenig station, on the Great Western Railway, between
Bala and Ffestiniog, is very easy, as the rise is only 1,700 ft., and
the distance about 1-3/4 mile. The usual and most expeditious way of making
the ascent is by proceeding westward from the station for 1/4 mile to the
farm of Milltergerrig, but for scenery and for climbing an opposite
direction should be taken for nearly a mile, till the stream is struck
which issues from Llyn Arenig, really a very fine tarn and backed by
most respectable cliffs. Further south than the tarn again good rocks
will be found. The usual, and indeed the proper, way of dealing with
this mountain is to traverse it from north to south, ending up at
Llanuwchllyn station, on the Great Western line from Bala to Dolgelly.
The eastward view is extremely fine, and superior by far to that from
many of the highest points in Wales.
This was one of our earliest mountain meteorological stations, as it was
here that the Hon. Daines Barrington conducted his experiments on
rainfall in 1771.[18]
[18] See the _Philosophical Transactions_, p. 294, of that year.
Its height, too, was measured, as Pennant (1781) tells us, by Mr.
Meredith Hughes, a surveyor of Bala.
One of the ancient Welsh writers mentions this mountain in a most
contemptuous manner. Borrow alludes to this, and remarks that upon him,
on the contrary, none of all the hills which he saw in Wales made a
greater impression.
* * * * *
=The Arans.=--This mountain is the highest in Merionethshire, and by
many wrongly considered the second highest in Wales. It lies between the
Berwyns and Cader Idris.
Like the latter, it is of volcanic trap rock, heavily speckled in parts
with quartz, and exposed on the east side, where it has been subjected
to much weathering. There is a good deal of old _debris_ from the face,
that is now grass-covered.
[Illustration]
The road between the Aran and the outlying hills of the Berwyn is over
1,900 ft. high; we have, however, to descend to 860 ft. in passing from
the Aran to Cader Idris. The main ridge runs almost exactly north and
south for 6 miles, its west side--a large tract of marshy
moorland--sloping down gently to the vales of Dyfrdwy (= the goddess's
water; sometimes called the Little Dee) and Wnion, and its east side,
irregularly escarped, falling for the most part very rapidly for the
first thousand feet. Its ridge culminates in two peaks 1-1/2 mile apart,
Aran Benllyn (2,902 ft.) and Aran Fawddwy (2,970 ft.) The word _Aran_
means an 'alp,' or a 'high place;' _Mawdd_ is said to mean 'spreading,'
and the terminations _ach_ or _wy_ mean 'water.'
_Aran Benllyn_ was one of several of which the height was measured in
Pennant's time by 'the ingenious Mr. Meredith Hughes, of Bala,' who made
it out to be 30 yards less than Cader Idris.
In April 1881 the Alpine Club had one of their informal meetings at
Bala, and chose the east front of the Aran as their route from there to
Dolgelly.
The ordinary ascents of the Aran are effected from Llanuwchllyn in 2
hours, from Drws y Nant in 1-1/4 hour, and from Dinas Mawddwy in about 3
hours.
_Rock Climbs._--These are never extensive, though there are many little
pieces that require much ingenuity to surmount. Excepting for a few
boulder climbs on the ridge itself the crag work is confined to the east
face of the mountains, the side overlooking Lliwbran and Craiglyn Dyfi.
Climbers are often asked, where can a man start practising rock work?
The Arans are first-rate for this. Whatever the difficulty on the
mountain a few minutes' traversing will generally take one out of it, if
direct ascent or descent be considered undesirable. The mountain face is
so broken up that we have no gullies or aretes separated by impossible
walls of rock from the easy parts of the mountain. In short, from the
enthusiastic shin-scraper's point of view the architecture of the Aran
face is defective.
(_a_) _From Lliwbran._--The rocks rising from Lliwbran are columnar in
structure, and by the time a generation of climbers have torn away the
grass from the holds they will show up plenty of neat little problems
from 50 to 100 ft. high.
Looking up from the lake the crag, which is a high dependence of Aran
Benllyn, shows on the right an almost unrelieved slabbiness at an easy
angle, which gives good practice in small footholds. Up to the centre of
the crag is a steep grass gully, in a line with a large boulder down
near the lake, with an overhanging wall that blocks the direct ascent of
the gully, and with a fine clean-cut buttress on the left. We may creep
up the corner of the wall on the left, or circumvent it by traversing
round to the right.
The route to the ridge from the big boulder is easiest up an oblique
gully just invisible from it. Between our crag and the summit of the
Benllyn is an easy walk due east down to the green shoulder south of
Lliwbran, that takes us quickly by Nant y Barcud and Cwm Croes to the
Twrch valley and the main road. This descent to Llannwchllyn, though not
direct, recommends itself in wet or misty weather, and is in any case
worth taking as a variant. Aran Benllyn itself offers nothing on its
broken escarpments; though the face shows up rather well in profile from
a distance, the climber need scarcely use his hands in zigzagging up the
face to the cairn. The view from the summit justifies our traversing the
peak on the way to Aran Fawddwy. It includes the length of Bala lake and
a goodly extent of Llyn Fyrnwy, and the outline of Aran Fawddwy shows up
magnificently.
Passing along the ridge to the south of Benllyn we keep up at a high
level for the whole distance of 1-1/2 mile to Aran Fawddwy, the greatest
depression being less than 250 ft. below Benllyn. If we bear to the
left, just dipping below the ridge, we pass along the foot of an
overhanging mass of rock of considerable length that is undercut in a
remarkable fashion. There are many places along it where one may shelter
comfortably in bad weather. It is difficult to climb up the rock direct,
but towards its south extremity we may work up into a small cave and
climb out by the left on to the ridge again.
Five minutes then bring us to a fine cairn that marks an easy descent to
Craiglyn Dyfi, the source of the Dyfi river, with a good view of the
best rocks on Aran Fawddwy. The final ascent of this peak begins after a
few feet of descent to a wall that crosses the ridge at its lowest.
(_b_) _On Craiglyn Dyfi._--A small terrace at about the level of the
wall just referred to leads round the rocks to the left into a large
scree gully, which offers good sport in snowy weather. Half-way along
this terrace is a 'problem' of unusual severity--a narrow crack in an
overhanging face, with very scanty hand-holds where the crack closes,
some 20 ft. up the face. The pleasantest bit of scrambling is on to the
summit of Aran Fawddwy from the lake, by the arete that is seen in
outline from the large cairn on the ridge, from which point the two
vertical portions of the arete are well marked. It can be reached easily
from the lake, or we may descend from the cairn for some 600 ft., and
then traverse across to the south till a small gully is passed that
shows a cave pitch at its lower extremity. The rock arete forms the
south side of this gully and runs up for 400 ft. It reminds us of the
easy climb up Tryfaen from the Glyder side, though in one or two places
we have difficulties here, whereas there are none on the Tryfaen
scramble.
It begins below the level of the cave, and after passing over rough
rocks at an easy angle we come to a fine wall with a wide crack up it on
the left. A huge splintered block is fixed in the lower part of the
crack, and we may surmount the block and just squeeze in, passing out on
to the roof. There are one or two variations possible here. In fact,
instead of starting on the arete we might pass up the gully to the cave.
It has mossy walls and a dripping interior. It is marked by a small pile
of stones on the right and a well-bleached sheep's skeleton in the gully
just above. The pitch may be taken on the left by steep wet grass, which
is unpleasant, or we can attack it direct. We go well inside, and with
back to the right we find good holds on the left, thus working up until
the roof itself offers hold for both hands. From here it is best to pass
on to the arete a few feet below the crack above described.
The way is then easy, but interesting, and leads to a straight-up crack
in a wall in front of us that has to be negotiated. It looks severe, but
the surface of the rock is so rough that no real trouble is experienced
with it. The crack is much more formidable to descend. Shortly after
this we find ourselves out on the open face again, the gully on the left
having disappeared, and only a few crags above us marking the summit of
the mountain. Striking directly upwards we reach the top in a quarter of
an hour, the last 25 ft. being, if we choose, by way of a chimney, that
begins with some difficulty and lands us just to the left of the large
cairn that marks the highest point.
(_c_) _By Llaithnant._--Passing due south of the Aran Fawddwy cairn,
along the route to Dinas, we see a fine rock in front between us and the
near end of the Dyrysgol ridge, forming the head of Llaithnant. It is
marked by an overhanging rock half-way down the left-hand ridge. A steep
and wet scree gully leads down to the valley, and we may go part of the
way down until we are about 100 ft. below the overhanging block.
Here we can strike across to the arete, and keeping close to the gully
on our right have 250 ft. of fairly good scrambling. We skirt close
under the big boulder, and passing to the right of it (a traverse can
also be managed on the left, lower down) clamber over rather loose rock
to the grass terrace above the pitch. Then good rock follows, and
bearing towards the right we come in sight of a square-walled chimney
overlooking the main gully, marked by small cairns at top and bottom.
Its holds are all on the left, so we back up on the right and find
ourselves close to the main ridge again. Another chimney still further
to the right might be taken, but it is always very wet; the two pitches
in it are both very small, and it is only interesting when ice is about.
A grass gully separates our arete from a few rocks nearer Dyrysgol,
which are of basaltic character and rather interesting to descend.
* * * * *
=Cader Idris.=--The name ('Chair of Idris') includes the whole mountain
range, some 7 miles long, that separates the Mawddach from the Dysynni.
It is a continuation of the outcrop of volcanic trap rock that stretches
from the Arans down to Cardigan Bay, and, as usual with such mountains,
its volcanic origin has had much to do with its grand scenery.
The range runs in an E.N.E. direction from the sea south of Barmouth,
and reaches its greatest elevation at Pen y Gader (2,929 ft.) It forms
two other noteworthy peaks on the chain, Tyrran Mawr (2,600 ft.), 2
miles to the south-west, and Mynydd Moel (2,800 ft.), 1-1/2 mile to the
north-east.
The north side presents a fairly even front of precipitous rock for 3-1/2
miles. Near the highest point, however, a huge amphitheatre of rock, a
thousand feet in height, suggesting a volcanic crater half fallen away,
breaks the continuity of the ridge, and contributes the finest bit of
mountain scenery that this side of Cader can offer. Probably this hollow
suggested first the name of 'Cader,' though there is a recess on the
summit ridge that is usually taken to be the seat in question.
But the mountain can show something even better on the south side. Its
high dependency Mynydd Pencoed joins the main ridge almost at the summit
of Pen y Gader, and its extremity Craig y Cae forms with Cader itself
another crater-like hollow, which, with Llyn y Cae lying at the foot of
the crags, is even wilder and more magnificent than the one on the north
side. Excepting the crags in this cwm the south side of Cader consists
of steep grass slopes, and the general aspect of the mountain is
uninteresting.
An account is published in the _Gentleman's Magazine_ (vol. xxxviii. p.
147) of an ascent of the mountain in 1767 by L. N.
Cader Idris was also climbed in 1863 by Prince Arthur.
Several members of the Alpine Club worked their way up the direct route
from Llyn y Gader in 1881, and there is some mention in the _Alpine
Journal_ (vol. xii.) of a few ascents by Mr. H. Willink.
The gullies along the north face of the mountain were explored for many
years by F. H. B.
The wandering Borrow wordily describes a night adventure on Cader Idris.
A pleasantly-written chapter on it may be found in Paterson's
_Mountaineering Below the Snow Line_, and just recently an article has
appeared on the same subject in the _Scottish Mountaineering Journal_.
This latter article has a good general view of the whole length of the
north face.