Snowdonia
Despite being one of Britain’s most photographed national parks, the mountains of Eyri still offer plenty of surprises as a stunning new photography book reveals. Here, the author Nick Livesey shares some of his favourites...
Five and a half years ago I moved to Snowdonia, and after many previous visits I thought I knew the area well. How wrong can you be? Although I’d climbed all of the 3000ft peaks many times and tentatively probed the Moelwynion and Eifionydd hills I suddenly became aware there was a whole galaxy of unknown mountains waiting for me south of Blaenau Ffestiniog. Ok, so I’d been up Cadair Idris several times but what of the Rhinogydd, Arenigs, Arans and Tarrens not to mention the vast swathe of the Migneint or terra incognita such as the Dyfi hills? I had barely scratched the surface and had a lot of catching up to do before I could truly consider myself an expert on the mountains of Snowdonia.
Over half a decade later my wanderings as a voracious hillwalker have taken me the length and breadth of the National Park and beyond its borders seeking out seldom seen views, forgotten cwms and Cinderella hills neglected by the masses. I’ve spent countless hours in solitude exploring hidden corners of even the most popular ranges and enjoyed getting to know the quieter mountains intimately. As an author and professional photographer I have been fortunate at times to call my forays into the lesser known regions of Snowdonia ‘work’.
If you think that sounds positively idyllic then you would be right, but there have been many times when I’ve wished I could have been teleported back to my sofa or the nearest pub to enjoy a couple of pints and the comfort of a warming blaze. Blundering blindly in Cwm Nantcol with a failed headtorch, enduring the hottest day of the year on the terrible tussocks of Dduallt, watching a friend plummet 30ft down a rocky slope in the Carneddau, sinking up to my waist in the bogs of Cerrig Cochion, or even thrashing through dense forestry on Foel y Geifr are typical examples of the dubious joys of offpiste perambulation.
That said, my misadventures have failed to cure my addiction to sheep trods, sub-2000ft lumps and miserable mires which leave me drenched and reeking like a rancid bog monster. It is in those forsaken sanctuaries that I find the greatest pleasures, even if, on occasion, those pleasures are retrospective. In places little-frequented, if at all, the attraction is one of discovery, adventure and assembling a mental map on which pieces of the jigsaw fall into place one after the other with every successive outing. I ask myself, should I really be encouraging the vast Trail readership to infiltrate the very places I like to experience alone? My usual days on the hill are Monday and Tuesday, on the other five you are more than welcome to visit…
“When Pen-y-Pass is bustling with activity, a short walk behind the youth hostel will transport you into Cwmffynnon, a forsaken sanctuary where the artefacts of man are few and far between and the illusion of wilderness can be relished without the need for a long yomp. I usually visit this lonely cwm when short of time but eager to experience some wild mountain solitude.”
HIGH ABOVE CWM BYCHAN IN THE RHINOGYDD “The Rhinogydd are an obsession of mine and I extol their virtues whenever conversation turns to the great mountain areas of Britain. Rhinogs Fawr and Fach are the most popular peaks and even they are quiet and seldom trodden. To the north lies an extensive tract of wild land that offers some of the roughest, toughest walking in Wales, an area that calls me back time and again to soak up the primeval atmosphere that seems to seep out of the Cambrian gritstone.”
NORTHERN SNOWDONIA FROM NEBO “The Conwy Valley presents a great opportunity to witness a profound geological change. To the west rise the great craggy mountains of Snowdonia, while in the east the landscape softens to rolling green hills. Not far from the village of Nebo there can be found a lay-by which affords perhaps the finest roadside view in all of north Wales...”
MOEL SIABOD & THE SNOWDON RANGE FROM PEN Y GEUALLT “My back garden is a shaggy valley called Nant y Geuallt, a charming retreat through which a blazed trail threads its way from Capel Curig to Llyn Crafnant. It’s also a popular route to Crimpiau, one of the finest viewpoints in the national park. To me though, the ‘Nant’ is all about the low hills which form its eastern boundary; Clogwyn Mannod, Clogwyn Pryfed and Pen y Geuallt all provide me with incredible vistas and some very rough walking when I want to leave the car at home and walk straight into the landscape with my camera.”
LOOKING DOWN THE LLUGWY VALLEY FROM MYNYDD GARTHMYN “If you have ever driven east out of Betws y Coed you will have seen Mynydd Garthmyn and not even realised it. It hides in plain sight as the afforested cornerstone of the Conwy and Llugwy valleys. From its rocky top the view over Betws towards the main ranges of northern Snowdonia is as good as they come but remember, it’s a local hill for local people!”
THE SNOWDON MASSIF FROM CARREG HYLLDREM “On the road between Beddgelert and Penrhyndeudraeth there is an overhanging crag known only to a few climbers who specialise in hard routes denied to mere mortals such as I. At its top, however, is a lovely ridge, devoid of footprints and tripod holes, where old favourites are seen in a new and exciting light. It’s called Carreg Hylldrem, but identified as Garregelldrem on OS Maps.
CADAIR IDRIS FROM TYRRAU MAWR “I adore Cadair and visit her often, but she is a busy mountain when approached via the Minffordd and Pony paths. By beginning a walk in Llanfihangel y pennant the western peaks of Craig las and Tyrrau Mawr offer quietude and stunning views to the main massif far from the madding crowds. A later start almost guarantees that when you finally reach Penygadair you will have the place to yourself.”