About the Author
Born into a Lancashire mining family, I was destined for employment with the National Coal Board, but ‘escaped’ by securing a job in the Town Clerk’s office in St Helens. Rising to become Deputy Town Clerk in Bangor, North Wales, and then Leigh in Lancashire, I spent thirty years in the cloisters of local government. Much of it, looking back, was professionally enjoyable, but compared with what I do now, it was like a very long prison sentence for a crime I hadn’t committed.
My interest in Snowdonia began in 1970 when I moved to live and work in Bangor. With the Carneddau in view from my living room window, and far too much of a temptation to resist, I soon became a voluntary warden in the Snowdonia National Park. It was here in Snowdonia that I learned and then honed the crafts and skills of hillwalking, building a foundation of experience on which my career (and survival) has rested. My first book was The Summits of Snowdonia, published in 1984, which was followed a year later by The Mountains of Wales, which took me a little further afield.
These days, based back in Lancashire, I am a full-time writer and photographer specialising in the outdoors and travel in the UK, Australia, Ireland, France, Madeira and the Azores, which is quite enough to be going on with. I like to get into the culture of the countries I visit, and when I’m walking and writing new guidebooks, the history of the place and its people are important facets, helping me to understand how landscapes were shaped by man, as well as geologically. Never having had the chance to go to university – in the early 1960s, that wasn’t for miners’ sons – I am also proud to have obtained a Masters Degree with Distinction in Lake District Studies from the University of Lancaster.
Now, almost 40 years since those first faltering steps on Welsh rock, I have been fortunate to be able to return to walk the mountains and valleys of North Wales anew, seeing them with more experienced eyes, and understanding, as much as any Englishman can, the role they have played in the lives and culture of the Welsh people.
Terry Marsh, 2010
GREAT MOUNTAIN DAYS
IN
SNOWDONIA
by
Terry Marsh
2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
© Terry Marsh 2010
First edition 2010
ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 581 0
Reprinted 2013 (with updates)
Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Photographs by the author. Line drawings by Mark Richards.
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to Dr Barbara Jones, Upland Ecologist (Ecolegydd yr Ucheldir) with the Countryside Council for Wales (Cyngor Cefn Gwlad Cymru) for permission to reproduce an article on ‘Recreation and the mountain environment’, and for general help and advice about the mountains of Snowdonia.
Warning
Mountain walking can be a dangerous activity carrying a risk of personal injury or death. It should be undertaken only by those with a full understanding of the risks and with the training and/or experience to evaluate them. While every care and effort has been taken in the preparation of this guide, the user should be aware that conditions can be highly variable and can change quickly, thus materially affecting the seriousness of a mountain walk.
Therefore, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law, neither Cicerone nor the author accept liability for damage of any nature (including damage to property, personal injury or death) arising directly or indirectly from the information in this book.
To call out the Mountain Rescue, phone 999 or the international emergency number 112: this will connect you via any available network. Once connected to the emergency operator, ask for the police.
International Distress Signal
The recognised distress signal is six whistle blasts (or torch flashes in the dark) spread over one minute, followed by a minute’s pause. Repeat until an answer is received (which will be three signals per minute followed by a minute’s pause).
Advice to Readers
While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. If we know of any, there will be an Updates tab on this book’s page on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Front cover: Y Garn and Llyn Idwal
CONTENTS
Recreation and the mountain environment
2. The Rhyd Ddu Path and the Snowdon Ranger
3. The Watkin Path and Yr Aran
4. The Pyg Track and the Miners’ Track