Rhyd Ddu, 8-10 May 2015

Author: Adrien L

Trip Summary

For this first trip of Easter 2015, CUHWC stayed in the Tan yr Wyddfa hut, in the heart of Snowdonia, at the foot of Snowdon's western side. This trip was much awaited, with an almost record-breaking full sign-up by 6:29AM. As was the case for the previous trip to Cwm Dyli, only one of the 16 trip participants was an undergraduate. A good proportion of relatively new members was observed, with no fewer than six members having been on two trips or fewer before.

The ideal location of the hut enabled a variety of walks for all members. Those wanting to walk up the highest point in Wales for the first time had a great walk to Snowdon, while one of the more experienced hill baggers (Andrew) got the opportunity to bag his last Snowdonian Nuttall, Mynydd Mawr. A navigation course was successfully run on Saturday, with Joe, club member and ML, taking three individuals between Snowdon and Yr Aran to teach them the fundamentals of hillwalking navigation. The Nantlle ridge proved particularly successful, with a group doing most of it on Saturday, coming back to Rhyd Ddu in a loop through the Beddgelert Forest in what turned out to be a long and tiring walk. Unfortunately, low clouds and light rain were endured in the morning, sadly depriving the brave hillwalkers of the stunning view. A second group ventured there on Sunday for a shorter, navigation-practice oriented walk, and experienced even worse weather conditions, with strong winds along the ridge (the low clouds being however ideal for practising navigation!). This trip featured a good number of small-group walks (five route cards for 16 people on Sunday), enabling a couple of members to enjoy relaxed walks, with an afternoon nap reported at the shore of the Llyn y Dywarchen Reservoir, and an (unexpectedly tortuous) walk back in the Beddgelert Forest after a nice train ride from Rhyd Ddu. Despite this relatively inclement May weather, it can be said with high confidence that the participants thoroughly enjoyed their time out in the hills.

The evenings were no less fun, considering the delicious food that was cooked and the impressive amount of singing that took place! The absence of the Song Books revealed that some club members could actually recall the most iconic songs, such as the "Cow Song" and the "Cambridge Hillwalker", while leaving much space for many "unofficial" songs which had a great success. Overall, much fun was had on Saturday night around a vigorous fire in the cosy ambiance of the vast living room.

Trip Participants

Andrew W (Trip Leader), Paul C (Trip Safety Officer), Ben M (Mascot), Adrien L, April C, An L, Camilla P, Juliette M, Matt H, Sumita C, Joe H, Tom A, Heidi S, Zekang C, Ben B, Alex H, and James H.

Photos

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