A couple of weekend trips in the last few weeks – one to a cottage near Pitlochry to meet family, the other to a bunkhouse near Bethesda to meet friends.
The cottage in Pitlochry was suitably old and drafty but held great views over the the autumn colours in the glen. Forecasts for 50 mph gusts and 50% chance of cloud free summits made the 3 tops of Beinn a’Ghlo the objective for Saturday. With weather worsening in the afternoon, we sped along the ridge to have lunch on the last top, descending the south ridge and enjoying the long tramp back to the car in sunshine. Good views from the first two tops, and occasional glimpses from the last. The wind was also less than expected.
The next day was spent cycling through the autumn colours, which we had forgotten were quite so good in that part of the country. A bit of rain damped things, but better than expected.
A final morning was spent with a quick walk through the woods before heading home.
Wales the weekend after was a different story. With high winds and continuous rain forecast, we headed up to Carnedd y Filiast, Elider Fawr and onto Foel Goch and Y Garn. It didn’t stop raining and the wind made sure we were thoroughly wet. The wind coming off the NE ridge of Y Garn was enough to blow us over a couple of times. The log fire back in the bunkhouse was well earned and appreciated.
Sunshine tempted us on Sunday to go for another walk, so we headed up around the northern Carneddau, on which it rained for an hour or so. Luckily the sun came out on the way down, and we finally dried off, before finding ourselves deep in farm mud a few metres from the road.
Yellow Van Mountaineering 