There
are many areas that claim a mountain or hill is their “Matterhorn” and Wales is
no exception. My one and only previous
visit to Cnicht was 12 years ago and before I was actively ticking the
Nuttalls. I’d reached the summit on a
misty day and there was a chance that I had also bagged the north top but as I
hadn’t logged it, I may not have done.
But it gave me a good excuse to revisit this fine mountain.
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| Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge |
From
Croesor it looks steep and intimidating, not unlike the Matterhorn, but in
reality the ridge affords an fairly easy walk as the view is a classic example
of foreshortening. Easy to navigate and
easy underfoot, only the top section of the route offers a change in character
with some scrambling to reach the summit.
There were quite a few family parties enjoying a taste of adventure but
the shoulders of mums and dads were being used to carry the toddlers !
At
the small plateau below the scramble we saw a family with three small boys
descending the face to the left of the normal route. It looked a bit hairy so I kept myself ready
to help just in case they needed it – luckily they didn’t. At the same time a fellrunner took a direct
line up the face and made it look easy !
From
the summit we headed over to the north top.
As we got nearer it became clear that the path skirts the top and it was
obvious that I hadn’t been to it on my previous visit. A short detour bagged the summit and we walked
to the top of Cwm-y-foel, dropping down beyond the few snow patches into the
hanging valley to find a suitable spot for lunch.
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| Tremadoc Bay from Cwm-y-foel |
The
walk along the edge of the dammed tarn led to the descent into Cwm Croesor and
an easy walk back to the car, ending an enjoyable day out in one of Snowdonia’s
less popular corners.
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| Cnicht from Cwm Croesor |
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