Gliding across the Glyderau…..snow, ice and blue skies

A cold and frosty start to the day and a very early alarm! Personally, this is the best way to start the day. Actually, coffee is the best way to start the day followed by a good hike in the mountains. Who doesn't love starting the day with coffee?

We started our hike from Ogwen Valley, a central location for many hikes in Eryri. Helen has previously hiked the Glyderau but this was a first for Máté. Helen chose the hike after being given a list of criteria. It was only a short list; snow, circular walk with spectacular views! Anyone who has hiked the Glyderau would have to agree the criteria would definitely be met here.

The hike started around the lake, we took the path to left and headed towards Devils Kitchen. We encountered some wild ponies and no people, the perfect start to our hike. As we approached the foot of the Glyderau we decided Devils Kitchen might prove to be more difficult due to the conditions underfoot.

So, we opted for a 'Straight to the Summit' route that would be safe and achievable. None of the routes looked particularly easy, we took the climb one step at a time. We opted for a route with the most hand and foot hold options, it was a slow climb but every step was worth it when we reached the top.

The top of the climb greeted us with a plain of white, it was beautiful, untouched and very peaceful. If it was sunny, blue skies and a beach; most would describe it as paradise. This is our paradise; mountains, nature and peace.

We had a short lunch break before heading up to Glyder Fawr, it looked like it was going to be a steep and slippery ascent. As always we were prepared and looking forward to the challenge. We stopped approximately half way up to take in the views and look back to where we started the ascent. The climb looked just as steep as it felt, and it was cold; very cold and at this point the wind began to pick up, making it feel much colder.

When we reached Glyder Fawr, the view wasn't what we had hoped for. We waitied for a little while before deciding to make our way to Glyder Fach.

We made our way to Glyder Fach, across the wide open landscape still covered in snow. It almost felt like we were in another solitary world. Not a person in sight, not a foot step in sight. We were the only people on the mountain that day and it was amazing. You wouldn't know the landscape was as rocky as it was due to the ground being snow covered, we knew we would have to tread carefully to ensure we didn't lose our footing amongst the snow covered rocks.

Glyder Fach gave us another opportunity to take a break, we both needed a hot coffee to warm us up. We sat on the rocks hoping the sky would clear so we could enjoy the mountain and valley view. The wind was still strong and the temperature low but none of this mattered with the views that appeared as the clouds and mist dissipated.

There was one more thing we wanted to do before completing the circular walk and that was find the cantilever stone. Helen had been there before but could not remember exactly where it was, she had a rough idea but everything looked a lot different in snow! We were determined to find it, so off we went in the direction Helen thought it was. And, she was right! We found it, set amongst the rugged, rocky landscape with a beautiful blue sky and large white fluffy clouds.

We have to say, the pictures don't do it justice. It is something you have to see for yourself to appreciate how well balanced the stone is. Of course we had to get a picture on the stone, this proved more difficult than it sounds. Little did we know until we set foot on the stone that there was a thin layer of ice on it. Luckily for us we had good soles on our boots but still took care not to slip.

The descent was a slippery one, we were greeted by a steep slope covered by snow with a base layer of ice. It was not a descent for the faint hearted! We slid our way down slowly and controlled, past a flowing waterfall flooding the ground below with cold, icy water. We followed the waterfall all the way to bottom, with the ground covered by a thin layer of snow and a lot of ice, this was our only option to reaching flat ground safely.

The flat ground led to a water logged path which took us all the way back to the car park. This was a gentle stroll and a welcome relief from the snow and ice we encountered throughout our hike.

This is a 'must' hike for anyone who loves to explore nature, winter or summer this is a hike with stunning views.