UKH

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some advice on exciting but not technical walks in Snowdonia.

I'm taking my girlfriend walking in Snowdonia next week. We're both fit and she's done plenty of 3 season hill walking, but not much in winter. I want her to fall in love with winter mountaineering. She is kitted out for warmth and I'm kitted out for safety, but we'll only be taking microspikes so I appreciate that will probably limit what we can do depending on the weather.

So I'm looking for advice on routes inspiring routes that will exhilarate but not scare the crap out of her. We won't camp so they need to be circular or out and back.

It would be nice to be able to go look at some easy scrambles and see if she feels up to them, without being forced to do them. She enjoys a good ridge walk, but she's nervous in bad weather so routes with an alternative would be ideal if the weather looks to be closing in.

Hope you can throw up some gems!

In reply to Soulchaser01:

Nice walk around Nant-Gwynant a stunning valley and can be extended to the top mine or around Clogwyn y Wenallt etc

at https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/craflwyn-and-beddgelert/trails/nant-gwynan...

Plus you have the place to yourselves

In reply to Soulchaser01:

daear dhu ridge on moel siabod?

In reply to maxsmith:


+1

In reply to Soulchaser01:

Moel Ellio horseshoe.

Right next to Snowdon so you'll get a great view of the Mountain and it is essentially a nicely shaped hill with no steep drop off's.

Starts and Finishes in Llanberis so you can have a coffee and cake before and after

In reply to Soulchaser01:
We've a number of UKH Route Cards that could suit you - with big reservations. This is assuming that the conditions are snow/ice-free scrambling rather than winter mountaineering.

Minus snow these two are great easy scrambles, arguably the two best grade 1 days in Wales:

Tryfan and Glyderau, the classic round: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=76
Snowdon Horseshoe: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=70

Easier, more like scrambly hillwalks than full-blown scrambles (though just as enjoyable), are:

Nantlle ridge: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=386
Moel Siabod via Daear Ddu: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=119
Snowdon via the Bwlch Main ridge: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=275
Southern Carneddau circuit: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=137
Cnicht: http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=127

Just to re-iterate though, if it's full on winter on the ground then even these do not sound suited to your level of equipment. You'd likely need an axe and proper crampons. Even sub-grade-1 borderline scrambly ground becomes mountaineering terrain in the snow. Micro spikes might not cut it, and if you can't be sure til you're up there then I'd stick to the most straightforward hill walks. Grassy and rolling ground without too much steep or rocky stuff. Northern peaks of the Carneddau sort of thing.

In reply to Soulchaser01:

How about the Rhinogs, you could explore the Northern end of the range from Cwm Bychan to Clip, to Moel Ysgfarnogod and Foel Penolau Diffwys. Or Rhinog Fawr and Fach are good walks.

PM me if you want any more details

L

In reply to Soulchaser01:

I’d agree with SGD about Moel Elio.

Dan has given some tougher routes - I think you'd need to be fully aware of your partner's abilities before embarking on the harder ones in winter conditions. But Cnicht is probably a good choice.

Just in case you get bad weather here's a low-level standby. Take the west bank of LLyn Cowlyd Reservoir from Capel Curig then East over the dam wall up to Cefn Cyfarwydd. You can return to CC via either Creigiau Gleision (no scrambles but tough terrain) or along either bank of Llyn Crafnant. (17Km; 700m ascent). PM me if you’d like it on a map.