Glyderau traverse (Capel-Bethesda)

Peaks: Gallt yr Ogof, Foel Goch, Glyder Fach, Glyder Fawr, Y Garn, Mynydd Perfedd, Carnedd yr Filiast

Area: Glyderau, Eryri

Our traditional pre-Christmas outing, slow but mountainous in tone this year (these festive outings have varied a lot over the years). I have done this route in reverse before, but I don't remember taking the main boggy path from Capel up Gallt yr Ogof before. I've always descended this in the past, and even that is long and gruelling. As a climb, it is fairly relentless. Our quad entered the mist almost immediately, and the day stayed clagged in (pretty thick) until just above Bethesda. There was very little wind though, and we made our way through the bog onto the main ridge. Eventually, we skirted below the summit of Gallt yr Ogof and the gradient eases over to Foel Goch. Once the main climb up Glyder Fach is reached, the ground becomes rockier and a bit more comfortable. Allan was lagging behind a bit so we waited for him a few times, not wanting to get separated in the thick mist. The Glyder plateau is always confusing in mist, even though I've been coming here regularly for over 37 years! But Tom and I ploughed on to the day's highpoint on top of Glyder Fawr where we waited for Jez and Allan. The wind now picked up, a cold easterly (hence my decision to take the ridge in the reverse direction). Steep scree down to Llyn y Cwn and then the slog up Y Garn, tiring now. It looked like it might clear for 30 seconds or so but we were soon enveloped again. The path skirting Foel Goch is probably the nicest running on the entire route but unfortunately Allan fell and hurt his leg early on, so the pace really slowed from this point as we waited. A sharp climb to Perfedd and then a very tricky descent from Carnedd y Filiast. It is always hard to follow the paths down to Ogwen from here, so we took the nose of the ridge towards the Bethesda quarries. This is a path, but it is rocky, heathery and very awkward throughout: a really tough way to finish. A switchback remains really tricky, slippery rock slabs and the like: we all fell at least once, and I rolled my ankle. Finally, Lon Las Cymru and a civilised finish back to Bethesda via a little bridge over the Ogwen. Just time for a quick recovery pint at the Albion.