This is the longest scramble in Wales apparently. It starts above the Llanberis pass on a spur of Glyder Fawr known as Esgair Felen. The gully gives three distinct phases to the ascent. First comes the wet bit where the stream has a fair amount of water running down the rocks that you're climbing, the second is perhaps a little steeper but has less water and finally you find yourself above the well defined gully on easy but loose rock that leads you to the top.
I think that we all agreed that the only difficult step was the infamous wet slab near the start. This entails working your way up a sloping slab, across which the stream flows, naturally making you want to spend as little time lying in it as possible. Unfortunately, the only apparent foothold is a slimy rounded spur on one side and after trying unsuccessfully to get a purchase on it with my right foot, I eventually gave it up as a bad job and moved across to the left and squirmed around until gravity finally relented and I hauled myself over it. I think it's fair to say that the others managed it with a little more elegance.
The remaining obstacles were generally straightforward, mostly without much exposure. There are however a few places where an unprotected fall could be serious and I suspect this would be more likely in less favourable conditions. As an introduction to scrambling, it seemed ideal really. It was just hard enough to be a challenge or at least make you think what you were doing, just exposed enough for you to be grateful for the protection of the rope and just loose enough at the top to conclude that helmets do serve a useful function (just in case you were wondering after climbing 2000 feet on a hot July day).
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| Photos mostly by Ian Whitehead, High Trek Snowdonia | ||