An Irish invasion of North Wales

North Wales Group joined up with the diverse and impressively active ‘Out and About’ organisation for a walk to the top of Snowdon on Sunday 16th March during the Irish group’s St Patrick’s Weekend holiday in Wales.

About 30 members of both groups reached the summit in heavy cloud conditions, but it was reasonably mild and dry for most of the day. We left the Rhys Ddu car park in true ‘soft’ weather, but it had stopped drizzling by the time we reached Bwlch Cwm Llan and then headed up the southern ridge of Snowdon. We stopped for lunch on the ridge and were offered various delicious homemade cakes baked, brought along (and carried up the mountain) by the Out and About coordinator, Dermot. The cakes, and oodles of pleasant companionship, put us all in a fine mood for tackling the last 500 meters of ascent. The dense cloud meant that no one was spooked out by the narrow section of the ridge, but also denied everyone of the magnificent views to be gained from here and on the summit. So instead of the scenery we made do with marvelling at the fossils of 430 million year old fossils of sea animals found just below the summit cairn. Then we headed back down the south ridge, though after the narrow section, took the Rhyd Ddu track back to the car park and a local hostelry.

Some North Wales GOC members joined the Irish visitors for their last walk on the next day (while I succumbed to the flu and spent the next few days in bed feeling sorry for myself). We have talked about a return visit, going from Holyhead to Dublin for a trip to the Wicklow Mountains sometime soon – watch out for details. 

Paul G

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