Weekend with the Junior Sherpa – Moel Siabod (with special guest appearance)

After the efforts from the day before my knee was still very painful the next morning and I was struggling put any real weight on it. Sensible decision would have been to go home but the Hard Man had arranged to meet us for the day so I felt we couldn’t let him down. I thought I might manage a relatively short day and see how it went. The obvious choice is Moel Siabod. A cracking mountain in its own right and a relatively short day by Snowdonia standards. We managed to get the last parking spot in the lay by by Pont Cyfyng.

The weather had looked similar to the previous day with just a hint of blue. We hoped that it would clear and indeed by the time we set off and started the walk the blue patches were becoming more expansive and it turned into an absolute stormer of a day

Moel Siabod sits out on its own away from the rest of the main Snowdonia massif. Its quite distinctive from the NE with the ridge end on giving kit a pyramidal aspect. Its a very pleasant steady climb to reach it and uphill at least my knee wasn’t giving me too much discomfort

The route passes through old quarry workings and a very attractive lake

The path levels out at the delectable tarn of Llyn y Foel. It always looks like a perfect spot for a wild camp but there is precious little grass up here. Its just at the wrong height, right in the middle of the heather/bog/rock/tussock combo.

Its still a mighty fine spot fro rest though and in the case of the Hard Man, a snooze

Our route from here was along the edge of the corrie holding Llyn y Foel, the ridge of Daear Ddu. Its not really a ridge in the true sense as the SW side is just an open slope with an easy path. If you stick right next to edge however its a very easy and entertaining scramble with a real sense of exposure, safe in the knowledge that retreat to the path is always easy. With skies clearing by the minute it was a superb ascent to the summit with views opening out to the south all the way and a wonderful aerial view of the lake below.

On arrival at the summit the main Snowdonia ranges are suddenly and dramatically revealed. The Glyders with Tryfan showing its teeth above the moorland foreground

The Snowdon range

The Carneddau where we walked the day before

We had a long stop for lunch, probably too long as it was colder than we thought!

The weather was now glorious. To the north and west was an expansive clear patch of clear blue and the views were magnificent. It was a joy to walk down the long NE ridge

Well it would have been had I not been significant pain from my knee. Going up had been ok but as soon as I started down it came back with a vengeance. Every step was excruciating. In truth I’ve no idea how I made it down. The views and some company kept me going

I reached the bottom of the steep section with some relief. The walk back down the track was considerably less painful but the views made it worthwhile. I was glad when we reached the car though!

A sensational day and the icing on the cake of a grand weekend away. Thanks to the Hard Man for making the effort to join us. First time he’d done the peak so he picked a perfect day

No idea how long it will be before I can tackle a similar mountain day. 😦