Southern Carneddau Wander

A Wander Along The Southern Carneddau

Distance: 13 miles approx.

Time: 5-6 hours

Terrain: rocky ground insterspersed with grassy ridge walking, bits of scree especially on the ascent of Pen yr Ole Wen plus very easy scrambling on Pen yr ole Wen and Craig yr Isfa. Tedious tarmac trudge on A5 to starting point. Sheep.

Where is it? Snowdonia, the ridge runs along the Ogwen Valley directly opposite the Glyderrau, Tryfan, Cwm Idwal and Y Garn, which means great views as far as Snowdon if the weather's half decent.

Maps: Landranger 115, Outdoor Lesiure 16 and 17. Online map.

The slog up Pen yr ole Wen from Ogwen Cottage was recently voted one of the worst mountain routes in Britain on the OM forum, so how come I ended up slogging up it on a hot August day? Obvious really, kick the stuffing out of your body and your mind shuts up as well. But that's another story.

Actually it wasn't as bad as I remembered. The lower section's been restored and while the upper is a scree-covered slog, you can also find and Everest SW Face-style rock band with some straightforward scrambling to keep you awake, but the real key is to look back as the views over to first Cwm Idwal, then the Glydderau and Tryfan, Y Garn, then as you get higher, Snowdon open up. Makes it all seem worthwhile, maybe...

As you get higher, the views keep getting better - this is Cwm Idwal from just below the summit of Pen ye ole Wen

You can dodge the dodgy intital pull by coming at things from the other side by the way and scrambling the easy east ridge instead.

And Y Garm further round

The summit itself is disappointingly flat for a 3000-footer, but the views are great in every direction, back towards the Glydderau, up to the sea and along the line of the Carneddau. You can almost sense the ghosts of thousands of Welsh 3000ers on theit last leg, in both sense of the word.

And there is it, the dramatic summit of Pen yr ole Wen, actually from here it looks vaguely interesting, it isn't believe me.

But the company was great. Outoors web site editor seeks climbing / walking partner with two legs and smooth coat.

From Pen yr ole Wen, it's a broad, ridge then a gentle pull up to the summit of Carnedd Dafydd then along the ridge again towards Carnedd Llwellyn. Below to the north - your left - is Ysgolion Duon, 'The Black Ladders', home of the Crib Lem Spur scrambling classic and some of the best winter climbing in Snowdonia.

The view from Pen ye ole Wen as the path rolls towards Carnedd Dafydd

The path running along the top of the Black Ladders, one of the best winter crags in the area and very, well, black. Grade 1 Crib Lem Spur scramble well worth it

The path then arches rockily round to towards Carnedd Llewellyn before a final zig-zagging former scree haul to the broad summit. From here you can see the rest of the range disappearing towards the coast, but you don't want to go there.

The broad rocky ridge that curves north from the top of Black Ladders towards Carnedd Llwellyn

Oh no, instead I dropped down the very obvious rocky flank towards Craig y Ysfar. Look over the edge on a good day and you'll spot climbers on classics like the Chasm face, but the ridge itself is broad and rocky with no scrambling.

Climbers on Craig y Ysfar, yes look closer they are there...

Sit up top and bask in the views and the sun. The valley running away northwards is the remote Cwm Eigiau, but you don't want to go there either. There's just a gas-powered climbing hut. Instead head over the rocky ridge and the scrambly, broken haul up to the top of Pen Llithrig y wrach - usually translated as the hill of the slippery witch or maybe the slippery hill of the witch. Anyway, from here head down the flank towards the A5 then swing back towards the obvious tarmacced road running all the way out.

The final nail, the slippery witch thing, with minor broken scrambling from here's it's all downhill to the A5

From the road it's a long slog - safe verges - back to the starting point near Idwal. Nice and relaxing and a change in character from the stuff opposite.

Joy, tarmac, at last, the end...