Northern Carneddau

Peaks/Crag: Moel Wnion/Northern Carneddau
Routes: Aber Gully (wI/II:sol), Bera Gully (wI:sol)
After a heavy dump of snow over the weekend, stuck in London enjoying novel wintry runs through Leyton and Walthamstow, an unexpected further front over Snowdonia meant the weather gods were against me again. Yesterday Neil and I had enjoyed an early morning run up Moel Famau in very cold (-12c) but sunny conditions. By contrast this morning, it was obvious driving west that the snow would continue for most of the day. I didn't fancy getting stuck, so decided to take advantage of the unusual conditions (snow on the beach in Conwy) to sample the easy, low-altitude and 'maritime' gullies around the Northern Carneddau. A mountaineering day seemed appropriate. Parked literally under the A55, and enjoyed the walk towards the falls in awkward ice and thick snow. This became very thick, inevitably unconsolidated, as I traversed above the falls towards the Cwm Afon Goch. Aber Gully leaves this traverse path and twists up the hillside towards Llwytmor. I've rarely seen snow in it before, and although it was unconsolidated, it did at least take a boot. True neve conditions are virtually impossible here anyway, I would have thought. An initial 100m of steepish snow led to a squeeze past an unfortunately positioned tree, before more snow led to a tricky chockstone. This took a bit of thought, but I eventually negotiated it on the right - slippery and unconsolidated - to gain a snow fan. The gully twists right, past more awkward trees, to gain the hillside below Llwytmor. Upward progress was tricky in the drifts, so I descended to the Afon Goch and descended the lower gully to the partially frozen main falls. After lunch, I looked at Rhaedr Bach, not frozen, then spied an obvious shallow gully line through the crags that fringe the northern spur of Bera Mawr. Easy slopes gain the line, all a bit too easy-angled, before an obvious left-hand finish through a well defined wide gully. Esoteric, and quite pleasant - Bera Gully seems an obvious descriptor. Wind and drifts then made life very difficult for the crossing of the plateau below Drosgl. The drifts were chest-deep in places, making for exhausting progress over the summit of Moel Wnion in worsening conditions. Heavy snow fell as I descended the fell race route to the village. A six mile run along a snowy coastal path from Colwyn Bay was a nice finale.