Snowdonia 2019

A dash to Snowdonia to take advantage of some lovely weather.

3 days ― November to December 2019

Part 1: The Glyders

In late November last year the weather was looking nice for the weekend, so Chris and I made a last minute dash to Snowdonia for some fresh air.

We picked a route over the Glyders from west to east. Setting off well before dawn we had some lovely views of sunrise.

Ed looking out over lake at dawn.
Photo by Chris Natt.
A style on a mountainside at dawn.
Chris crosses a series of tall rocks pointing straight up in the air like crystals.

The Glyders (Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach) have a series of rocky outcroppings which are great for exploring. They were stunning with a touch of frost on them.

Ed walks along a rocky crest.
Photo by Chris Natt.
Chris reaches up to a large cantilevered overhanging him.
A soft photo of some jagged rocks.
A close photo of the edge of a jagged and sharp rock at the top of Glyder Fawr.
Chris descends a gently sloping hillside covered in large frost-covered boulders.
Ed and Chris pose on the other side of a small pond with arms outstretched. The pond is frozen with crystals extending over the surface.

Having done the Glyders and Snowdon on the same weekend, I found the Glyders much more rewarding - you get more interesting views (including across to Snowdon), more interesting terain to explore, and less people.



Part 2: Sunrise on Snowdon

For our second day in Wales we got up long before dawn to see how far up Snowdon we could get to shoot the sunrise from up high.

Setting off in pitch blackness from the Pen-Y-Pass carpark, we could see isolated dots every so often in the distance heading up the path - a handful of other groups also heading up for sunrise.

A panorama taken from midway up Snowdon before sunrise. The sky is lightening, but the landscape is still dark.
Ed facing away from the camera just before sunrise. He’s got a bright backpack on.
Photo by Chris Natt.
The jagged face of snowdon before sunrise. The mountain has a light dusting of snow on the top.
A sunrise photo taken from midway up Snowdon, facing the sun. There’s a still lake on the bottom, reflecting some of the sunrise.
A panorama of the bowl of Snowdon taken just after sunrise. The right side of the mountain is bathed in orange sunlight, whilst the bowl and left are still in shadow.
The peak of Ylliwedd seen in the distance in shadow.
The summit of snowdon seen from just below. The summit is in shadow with a light dusting of snow.
A ridge leads from the left to the right from Snowdon to the peak of Y Lliwedd.
Before Snowdonia I visited Samoens. Afterwards I went to Yorkshire and the Lake District.