This walk had intrigued me for many years, partly because of its promise of views down into the Vale of Llanberis to reciprocate the upwards views from the road, and partly because of the secretive way in which the route of the Snowdon Mountain Railway disappears from sight as one walks up the well-known Llanberis Path, only to re-appear stealthily from behind at Clogwyn Bridge: I wanted to visit those hidden sections of the railway route.
I walked up the Llanberis Path a short distance to 584586, where on the left (north east) there is a distinctive long crag running away to the north east, away from the Llanberis Path. This crag is shown on the 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map by a sigmoidal inflection of the contours, and by a black line representing a field boundary, which is not as visible on the ground as the map suggests. I walked parallel to this crag until it petered out, and continued in the same general direction to the edge of the bowl centred at approximately 587598 which ends progress in that direction. I then made my way up to the right (south east), zig-zagging on the steep terrain as necessary, to Derlwyn (416m), my first objective of the day.
From Derlwyn I had fine views of the slope, the woodland, and the town beyond, and in the other direction, the next kilometre or so of my route. Although I can memorise a route by walking it, I am not good at memorising the next few minutes of an un-known route by studying the map, so I took advantage of being alone and not under pressure to practise that skill.
I also made use of some of the subtle details of the contouring to practice my micro-navigation. I was especially pleased to see the curve of the 390m contour at 59505840 marked on the ground by three sheep contentedly munching the tough mountain grass, enjoying perhaps some marginal advantage by being just a metre or so higher than the ground beyond their little low-rise promontory.
I continued on quite slowly, enjoying the views and enjoying just being there. At 595582 I felt sleepy and put my tent up for a cat nap, dodging a rainy squall while I slept, then I continued upwards towards Tryfan at 580m (the local "Little" Tryfan, not the mountain, obviously), where I enjoyed great views down into the valley.
I could hear a helicopter flying slowly about somewhere on the other side of the valley, and at first I assumed it was in the fog sitting on the Glyderau and perhaps carrying out a rescue, but when I looked more closely I saw that there was some kind of foot-path repairing activity going on, and the helicopter was actually lifting bags of stone from the roadside. Despite being shiny and not at all camouflaged, sometimes the helicopter disappeared against the background of the ground beyond it, leaving only the bag and its sling visible, apparently flying through the air as if by magic.
I strolled on past Tryvan to my next objective, the elongated mound at 601574, represented by the 610-metre ring contour on the map, then to the hidden lands where the railway makes its secret way between Half Way station and Clogwyn Station. At the bend at Llechog a train went past while I was standing close to the rails, so I waved enthusiastically to the passengers, hoping to look like a mysterious hiker in the remote foggy reaches of their journey. I walked slowly along the ridge, stopping every few yards to look down the steep drop into the valley below, to the outcrop at 606572 (718m), then to Rocky Valley Station, at which trains no longer stop.
My last bit of micro-navigation practice was to find the feature on the ground at 607564 represented by the curving out of the contours. It proved easy to find and quite distinctive, and possible spot for wild camping on a windless night.
I walked on to Clogwyn Station (just over 770m), my final out-bound objective for the day, had a good look round, and headed to the campsite via the Llanberis Path and the route across the valley floor past Hebron Station. On the way down I stopped for a late lunch at the junction of the Llanberis Path and the less used path that leads to Llyn Du'r Arddu, putting up my tent just because I could, but having done so, enjoying the shelter from the breeze.
I was very pleased that my new rucksack could take all my stuff without being close to bursting and without becoming uncomfortable. It felt good to have spent the night out instead of making use of the comforts of a campsite, and I resolved to do more wild camping.
My last bit of micro-navigation practice was to find the feature on the ground at 607564 represented by the curving out of the contours. It proved easy to find and quite distinctive, and possible spot for wild camping on a windless night.
I walked on to Clogwyn Station (just over 770m), my final out-bound objective for the day, had a good look round, and headed to the campsite via the Llanberis Path and the route across the valley floor past Hebron Station. On the way down I stopped for a late lunch at the junction of the Llanberis Path and the less used path that leads to Llyn Du'r Arddu, putting up my tent just because I could, but having done so, enjoying the shelter from the breeze.
I was very pleased that my new rucksack could take all my stuff without being close to bursting and without becoming uncomfortable. It felt good to have spent the night out instead of making use of the comforts of a campsite, and I resolved to do more wild camping.
