Area: Glyderau, Eryri
I had a strange yen to plough up Elidir Fawr from Nant Peris. Arguably the worst slog in Snowdonia, I have only ever done it in Ras Elidir, and my two completions of the 3000s (2017 and 1992!). Nobody does this for pleasure, as it climbs from the village past the Vagabonds hut then relentlessly hunts down the summit. It gets even worse after the stream is crossed, after which the route is just a heads-down slog to the top. I reached the true summit in around 47 minutes from the tarmac, which is less than impressive considering I ran 69 minutes in the race a few years ago. I took the looping race descent route, down to the bwlch, then contouring round the head of Cwm Dudodyn cutting down before the climb to Y Garn. I remember this as superb and exhilarating in the race, as it was getting dark and was hugely atmospheric, but today I just felt tired and jaded after recent exertions. This meant that I found it more awkward than I should have done, narrow in places, rocky in others, and it took 34 minutes from summit to village via the lip of the cwm. On the way back to Conwy, I took in Penmaenbach arete (not really an arete, a ridge at best) for only the second ever time. A mild trespass to avoid the campsite, and then the enjoyable ridge, which seems to be getting more traffic these days and is clean and well-travelled. It is a fun line, and I took 14 minutes to gain the contouring path below Penmaenbach. A hobbling descent through the ferns and woods followed.
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