Nant Peris loop

Peaks: Elidir Fawr, Y Garn
Area: Glyderau, Eryri
Blasts of wind shook the Vags hut all night, and prospects were grim this morning with the clag down and rain sweeping up the Pass in time-honoured fashion. Nothing unusual, however, so we (me, Peter, Steve) set off for the quarries after a convivial evening following the Fowler lecture in Capel. My idea was to avoid the full-frontal climb up Elidir by trotting past Twll Mawr then up the giant incline through the quarries to gain the open hill below Elidir Fach. The wind was howling up here, misty and wet. The final slog up Elidir Fawr wasn't too bad and we got to the summit in exactly an hour despite the circuitous route. From here, slippery and slow progress along the Pedol race route, skirting Foel Goch to gain the climb up Y Garn. A nice tailwind in places, although it was cold and wet in running gear, so we pelted off the summit down to Llyn y Cwn. We then took the excellent path slanting back to Nant Peris. If I've done this before, it must have been decades ago as I had no memory of it. Despite constant rain and mist, it was hugely enjoyable, runnable and grassy in places, scrambly and awkward in others. After following the banks of the stream, it drops down to the base of Nant Peris, and a roadside path leads back to the village and the hut. Dried out in Pete's Eats for lunch before the drive home.