The
club’s post-Christmas walk took aim for a familiar mountain this year 16 of us
met up at the Siabod café to consume some calories before making strides along
the tracks leading to Moel Siabod’s Daear Ddu ridge.
 |
| on the approach |
I
wouldn’t necessarily say that conditions were full-on winter, but there was
enough snow on the higher ground to give the walk a seasonal feel. We had soon passed through the long-deserted
quarries and successfully negotiated the boggy area of ground just west of Llyn
y Foel before reaching the base of the ridge.
 |
| the Daear Ddu ridge |
 |
| nearing the ridge |
If
there is an obvious start to the route gaining the Daear Ddu ridge it wasn’t
clear as there were a few possibilities presenting themselves. However once on the ridge, progress was
steady with route-finding options available to vary the challenge if you felt
the need to with some of the rock steps presenting some thoughtful decisions
when selecting footholds in particular as they were partially obscured by
snow. The group had now extended itself
along the ridge and I stayed towards the rear to ensure that nobody was left
behind. I think that if I had been on a
solo trip I would have put on my crampons just to make life a bit easier.
 |
| approaching the summit of Moel Siabod |
The ridge leads inexorably to the summit trig point at
which the strength of the wind let itself be known. The highpoint was not a place to linger and
enjoy the view so everyone started their descent promptly. We followed the path – boggy in places – that
leads towards Plas y Brenin and once amongst the forest the trail took us back
to the Siabod café where cake was the chosen restorative for many!
No comments:
Post a Comment