snowden

[terence]

Hi planing on walking up snowden on miners track how much map reading skills do you need or is there signs to keep you on the right track hopeing to go with a mate but he may drop out at last minute   any comments welcome thanks terry

[Dougy]

Follow the rest of the walkers up there. Not done it for years, mountains probably 100ft smaller now since I went up last. 

Also called the Pyg track. 

Decent boots required, not like some I'd seen in pumps and even heels. 

Edited August 19, 2022 by Dougy

[jeffgg]

Imagin  the M1 on a Friday so just follow the rest take plenty of water and sanwiches and have a good time 

[wymberley]

If you’re going, do the horseshoe walk while you’re at it. You’ll be pleased that you did especially later when you find out about it and realise that you could have done so.

[Scrimshanker]

I preferred the PYG track but wish I did Crib Goch now. In this weather Crib Goch would be ideal.

Oh to answer your question, all marked out and it'll be busy so you won't get lost!

 

[chrisjpainter]

Don't do the Miner's. It's not a danger thing, or a navigation thing. It's just boring. And full of people. 

Go up the other side. The Rangers is seriously underrated. You start lower down, so it's further but a longer walk and the scenery's more varied. It starts off on the same road as rhyd ddu. Again navigation's pretty straightforward on it, so you shouldn't get lost.

[Dougy]

30 minutes ago, Scrimshanker said:

I preferred the PYG track but wish I did Crib Goch now. In this weather Crib Goch would be ideal.

Oh to answer your question, all marked out and it'll be busy so you won't get lost!

 

Thats got to be the best one for views on a good day, i went 1/2 way along that with 2 backpacks due to one of the gang getting injured. 

[Ricko]

I've only gone up Eryri (Snowdon) once, up the Pyg track and down the Llanberis path. I read a report recently that the path that follows the railway (cant remember the name) has human excrement on it.

Loads of other decent, less crowded places to go: Carneddau, Glyders, Cnicht, Moel Siabod etc.

The only time I'm ever going near Snowdon again is to go up the Watkin path to see where they filmed Carry On Up The Khyber!

[billytheghillie]

Remember and wear the standard walking kit, e.g. shorts, tee shirt, and trainers.

[Dougy]

5 hours ago, billytheghillie said:

Remember and wear the standard walking kit, e.g. shorts, tee shirt, and trainers.

Not flip flops

[amateur]

4 hours ago, Dougy said:

Not flip flops

Only in the summer 😂

[mel b3]

5 hours ago, Dougy said:

Not flip flops

I can't remember now , if it was snowdon , or Ben nevis,  but I once saw a bloke doing the whole messiah thing , and walking barefoot.  He was closely followed by a few disciples that were wearing flip flops. 

I gotta be honest . His feet were in a pretty bad way , and he really didn't look like he was enjoying the experience very much.

I remember thinking to myself . It's definitely worth it , if he got to sleep with some of the stunning young women that were following him.

On another occasion,  I remember passing a large Asian family. Their only safety gear was putting carrier bags over their feet to keep dry. 

[Ricko]

I was on Croagh Patrick in Ireland and saw a couple of fellas walking up barefoot.

I was descending Ben Nevis in July 2002, the conditions at the top weren't great, still some snow, and met the standard family in trainers with a carrier bag of sandwiches. It's the only time I've ever given 'advice' on a mountain.

I was tempted to given it the Don Whillans treatment.

"Are you going to the top? Aye, you might be going higher than you think!"

[mel b3]

It always used to amaze me how ill prepared many people are , when they decide to walk a mountain . Most will have no problem whatsoever,  but some poor souls/fools , won't be so lucky.

[Grandalf]

1 hour ago, mel b3 said:

It always used to amaze me how ill prepared many people are , when they decide to walk a mountain . Most will have no problem whatsoever,  but some poor souls/fools , won't be so lucky.

If idiots wish to be idiots then so be it and you will never stop them because they are idiots.   It is the rescue teams that have to go out and save them that I feel sorry for.   You get the same problems at sea.

[mel b3]

27 minutes ago, Grandalf said:

If idiots wish to be idiots then so be it and you will never stop them because they are idiots.   It is the rescue teams that have to go out and save them that I feel sorry for.   You get the same problems at sea.

I tip my hat at those mountain rescue teams , they turn out in any conditions , even when they know that they're probably just searching for the body of a fool.

I remember dragging a young girl out of the sea in Wales,  and returning her to her hysterical mother on the beach ( I was out fishing on my kayak) . The main thing that I remember,  is that her mom was very very very grateful later in the evening 😁.

[islandgun]

6 hours ago, Ricko said:

I was on Croagh Patrick in Ireland and saw a couple of fellas walking up barefoot.

I was descending Ben Nevis in July 2002, the conditions at the top weren't great, still some snow, and met the standard family in trainers with a carrier bag of sandwiches. It's the only time I've ever given 'advice' on a mountain.

I was tempted to given it the Don Whillans treatment.

"Are you going to the top? Aye, you might be going higher than you think!"

Walking barefoot up Croagh Patrick is a pilgrimage for some Catholics, sort of penance..... beautiful area with good fishing though

[Newbie to this]

47 minutes ago, islandgun said:

Walking barefoot up Croagh Patrick is a pilgrimage for some Catholics, sort of penance..... beautiful area with good fishing though

Religion proving it's worth, yet again

[terence]

Thanks for all your coments wont be going bare foot or with pumps ive got good waterproof walking boots waterproof clothing to a lot of people on here this may be a walk in the park but its some thing i want to do not done any long walks i go beating and im reasanbly fit walk every morning between 1 1/4  to 3 mile this morning 2 miles in 40 mins up some steep paths it is on foot paths  Thanks Terry

[mel b3]

6 hours ago, terence said:

Thanks for all your coments wont be going bare foot or with pumps ive got good waterproof walking boots waterproof clothing to a lot of people on here this may be a walk in the park but its some thing i want to do not done any long walks i go beating and im reasanbly fit walk every morning between 1 1/4  to 3 mile this morning 2 miles in 40 mins up some steep paths it is on foot paths  Thanks Terry

Best of luck with it Terry 👍.  

Walking mountains is very enjoyable,  and gives you a good feeling of achievement mate . I'm too fat and lazy for mountains these days , but still miss it sometimes. 

[terence]

3 hours ago, mel b3 said:

Best of luck with it Terry 👍.  

Walking mountains is very enlooking forward joyable,  and gives you a good feeling of achievement mate . I'm too fat and lazy for mountains these days , but still miss it sometimes. 

Thanks looking forward to it

[Grandalf]

On 21/08/2022 at 10:40, mel b3 said:

I tip my hat at those mountain rescue teams , they turn out in any conditions , even when they know that they're probably just searching for the body of a fool.

I remember dragging a young girl out of the sea in Wales,  and returning her to her hysterical mother on the beach ( I was out fishing on my kayak) . The main thing that I remember,  is that her mom was very very very grateful later in the evening 😁.

I had a similar many years ago outside Poole Harbour.   I had a very small fishing boat which lived on a swing mooring in the harbour.   On a lovely Sunday afternoon in mid August with beaches packed with the bucket and spade group my wife and two small sons slipped the mooring and left the harbour and plodded about around the Old Harry rocks and did a bit of tiddler fishing with the kids.   We then anchored about a half mile off the harbour entrance and had lunch and started a brew.   My youngest then said 'what are they doing Dad'?   Looking around I saw two heads in the water swimming past us, going out to sea, and they were going at a hell of a rate.   I shouted 'are you alright'?   One said 'yes' and the other said 'are you moving'?   I told him that we were anchored and he shouted that they needed help.   Told wife to keep them in sight while I upped the hook and we were off after them.   It took a little while and by now they were over a mile out.   We caught them and returned then to the beach near the harbour entrance where they had set out from to 'swim around the buoy'!  

The buoy in question was nearly a mile out and the outgoing tide from the harbour was doing about six knots!

Two young  lads about fifteen years old and just out for a day on the beach.

No idea who they were or where they came from.   Never thought that they really understood the danger they were in and the fact that they had just cheated death. 

[Jonty]

The routes are signed from Pen Y Pass and there will be hoardes of people traipsing up the hill and the three main routes from that side of the hill all converge at some point, so as long as you are heading in an upwards - you will be heading in the right direction.  That said, you are heading up a 1000m mountain and you should be able to take some responsibility for sorting yourself out if you become navigationally challenged - a hell of a lot of the people up there with you will be on some form of organised challenge and they wont necessarily know where they are or even where they are heading back to so it pays to choose wisely so to speak if you ask someone for directions.  if you're not great with map reading, a useful start would be to buy the OS map for Snowdon (OS Explorer OL17) and download an app called OS Locate onto your mobile.  The app will use the GPS on your phone and provide you with a 6 figure grid reference which you can then transpose onto the map and therefore give you an accurate location to either reassure yourself you are on the right track or if you have strayed.  It's typically much easier to go wrong on the downhills (going faster/easier going/stopping less = more distance travelled before you realise) so a few checks as you start to descend to make sure you're heading down the right side of the hill (happens more than you'd think) and then onto the right track will soon boost your confidence that you're heading in the right direction.  I'd recommend a physical map over a mapping app for a couple of reasons.  The first is that you can start looking at the route you'll be talking well in advance of your actual walk - you can check out landmarks etc that you will be passing/crossing that could reassure you that you're on the right route.  On the miners (on the way uphill) that could be when you get to Llyn Teyrn, cross the causeway and when you reach the shore of Glaslyn after heading uphill from the reservoir - this doesn't need any great in depth map reading skills but will give you the confidence to know you're on the right route.  The second reason I'd recommend the paper map is it won't eat into your phone battery.

I hope you have a great day out - and if you are going up from Pen Y Pass, don't forget you need to pre-book parking there now.