Fastpacking Snowdonia's 1000m peaks inc. wild camp

Join us to climb all 5 of Snowdonia's 1000m peaks in one weekend.

This is a linear route to take us up Snowdon (1085m) and Garnedd Ugain (1065m) then Glyder Fawr (1001m) before a wild camp at altitude. Sunday sees us descend into the Ogwen valley and climb again to reach the summit of Carnedd Dafydd (1044m) and Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m). Along the way we'll also summit Glyder Fach (972m) and Pen yr Ole Wen (978m) but they don't count! 

This is intended to be a fast-packing/mountain marathon style event so please pack light to keep the pace reasonable. We won't be running but we have a lot of ground to cover so a constant steady pace is preferred.

Friday

If you are travelling up on Friday I can recommend this campsite. It is a few hundred metres from the start. They accept dogs and I have asked for permission for an ODL group. You can book independently online, its £9.50 for an adult and £1.50 for a dog. They have one elec car recharging point, not sure about camper vans.

National Trust Campsite "Hafod y Llan" booking link.

Saturday

Our route starts in the valley following the first designated footpath in Britain up towards the "Gladstone rock" where the Prime Minister officially opened the path, thus starting the movement for public access to the countryside. From here, we follow old mine workings before ascending the south ridge of Snowdon to Bwlch Main and then the summit. There is often a long queue for selfies at the summit of Snowdon but we'll need skip that somehow to push onto our second summit of Garnedd Ugain before descending the Pyg track to Pen-y-Pass. Past the youth hostel and up into the Glyder's this part of the route is heavily glaciated and huge slabs of polished rock evidence that today. There is no real path here, we'll be finding our way over rough ground and maybe the odd sheep track to find the summit of Glyder Fawr (fawr meaning big in Welsh). With tired feet and empty stomachs we'll then find a wild camp spot for the night - we have four options depending on the weather and how much water we have left - we can descend to a lake or camp just off the summit of Glyder Fach (fach meaning small in Welsh).

Sunday

Day 2 sees us descend into the valley via loose scree slopes (trekking poles highly recommended!). As we'll be passing our cars in the morning, we can re-supply and/or drop kit.

Ascending the other side of the Ogwen valley into the Carneddau to tick off our last two summits of Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llewellyn. Again the ground is technical with steep uneven rocky ground and some scrambling before we find the path.

We'll be returning to our cars late Sunday afternoon as heroes!

Dogs: Welcome! My dog will be joining us and other furry friends welcome. Conditions apply see below.

Covid:

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

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Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms, even if they are extremely mild, or who has recently tested positive for Covid-19, is asked not to attend.

Conditions for bringing a dog

Mountain competent dogs are always welcome on my events but we do need to be mindful of a few things. I reckon that my dog runs about 3 x as far as I walk each day so if your dog isn’t used to long days over rough ground with a lot of ascent then maybe reconsider? Think about what you'd do if your dog becomes exhausted...I’ve had to carry my dog twice in the mountains, it's extremely difficult and exhausting. Now I use an oversized rucksack so I have the capacity to carry the dog and not put myself (or the group) in danger.

Many of my routes will include rocky outcrops, cliffs and technical terrain.

For you to be able to control your dog while using trekking poles then think about buying a harness and bungee/running lead. Think about your dog’s safety and hypothermia risk if the group is slow or has an emergency - your dog should have a rain coat or some form of weather protection. Mountaindog sell a range of useful products.

Wild camping brings its own risks with dogs. If your dog steals another campmates’s food then its your responsibility to give your food to that person and you go hungry. Gas stoves and boiling water are an obvious hazard, lively dogs can also damage other people’s expensive tents...

Most of Snowdonia is sheep country and many walks will take place during lambing season. Remember that your dog doesn’t need to attack sheep for them to be harmed. Dogs should be under close control to avoid sheep being spooked - this can cause them to run off cliffs and pregnant ewes can even miscarry.

Dog poo can be anti-social for humans but cause disease in cattle and sheep (source). “Stick and flick” usually works ok, but where sheep are grazing you need to bury your dog poo or carry it out. Ensure that any dog poo near drinking water for humans or livestock is dealt with appropriately.

Finally, some areas of Snowdonia are rife with ticks so check your dog when you get home and do bring more food than normal for your dog.

Copyright: All images are the leader's own and permission is granted to ODL to use them for the purposes of this event.