With a forecast predicting 60mph winds and “appalling” visibility, it looked as though the 170 club members who elected not to sign up to this trip had made a smart decision… Luckily, the 30 members who signed-up were rewarded with what (in my totally non-biased opinion) was one of the most enjoyable club trips I’ve ever been on!
So with a term of lectures behind us, 30 club members headed to Snowdonia on Friday evening with MPVs laden with industrious quantities of food and drink (and some very hopeful boulder pads and less hopeful boardgames), even if the weather was against us we were going to enjoy the last club trip of the decade!
On Saturday morning groups set off for walks up to Gyrn, Moel Eilio and Y Garn, braced for the worse the Welsh weather could throw at us… Mercifully, for all but a few of us, we were treated to a near perfect day of brilliant visibility and even some sun (other than some slightly spicy wind speeds near the top of Moel Eilio…).
High winds? Lean back and relax!
The walk up to Gyrn allowed for several options of route length, whilst still getting up into the mountains of Snowdonia, allowing for as relaxed or lengthy a walk as desired. Moel Eilio was a bigger day out, with a lot of steep ascents with some very arduous walking thanks to the wind speeds. Y Garn offered some serious winter conditions for the more experienced mountaineers, building up the psyche for ISB. The day out on the hills was rounded off with trips to several of Snowdonia’s finest cafes, including the legendary Pete’s Eats for their gigantic mugs of tea.
Perfect walking weather on the walk down to Pete's Eats from Moel Eilio
Saturday evening saw the fruits of Vicky, Harley and Freya’s hard work throughout the entire day come to fruition with a simply brilliant Christmas dinner, polished off by not one but THREE deserts AND mulled wine in front of a roaring fire! (and a slightly less than appetising pint as per tradition…).
Sunday brought another less-than-ideal forecast, with rain/snow having fallen overnight and the threat of more to come. However, after another brilliant cooked breakfast we headed out at precisely 9:30 (and a bit…). 2 groups went for walks around Beddgelert, complete with lakes, woodland and stories about a loyal dog named Gelert. Another group headed up Moel Hebog, gradually climbing above the snowline to 783m.
Mountaineers are a fashionable bunch
A final small group headed up Glyder Fach via Devil’s kitchen, donning crampons from around 700m and experiencing some quite brilliant winter conditions for Snowdonia! (A personal thankyou to George for taking us up there – a cracking day out, cheers!).
First taste of winter conditions on Glyder Fach
After the obligatory faff of packing and cleaning we set off for the drive back to Bath, after seriously one of the most enjoyable trips I’ve ever been on with BUMC (and to think people didn’t want to sign up to this trip!?!)
This was of course the final club trip of the 2010s; every single one of these trips owes their success to the dedication of committee members, drivers, group leaders, first-aiders, trad leaders and cooks, so a massive thank-you is owed to every single volunteer who has helped out over the years! Looking forwards to 2020, we have a completely packed calendar of trips and activities that we cannot wait to share with you all, see you in 2020!
Conor
BUMC Chair 2019/20