What happens when you decide to hike up up a mountain in Snowdonia’s Carneddau and camp by a lake with a non- camping partner? I had no idea what to expect, but with my girlfriend Louise driving us into North Wales. it wouldn’t be long until I found out. Our previous wild camping experience had occurred nearly eight months before, when we stayed in bothies in The Cambrian Mountains. Lou hadn’t particularly enjoyed that, so to say I was a little nervous this time was an understatement. She was optimistic though and the weather was set fair. Spirits were high as her little red Abarth made easy work of the A5.

The end of the road for us was to be a lay-by next to Llyn Ogwen- a stunning lake backed by the rugged Tryfan Mountain. From here we hoped to head north into an area of Snowdonia called The Carneddau. We weren’t yet sure of an exact final destination, but we were looking forward to some quality hiking and wild camping in the summer weather.

Procastination Prevails….

I have never been a good decision maker and have missed many a trip as I think too hard about where exactly I want to go and when. Lou had left me in charge of our destination as she figured I knew more about the area and what the terrain was like. As a keen geographer myself, I can see why she made this assumption. In truth I had never been to this part of the national park and knew precious little other than the fact that there were tall mountains, babbling streams and sheep. A pretty vague knowledge then! One I thing I did proudly know was that at around two hundred square kilometres, The Carneddau were a more remote and lesser-visted area of Snowdonia. We both figured that was ideal for a weekend of good weather in a very popular national park like this.

Lou had said that she fancied camping by a lake several days before departure. I’d done a bit of research and found several, which seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Finding a parking space wasn’t an issue as it was a Friday and most folk were still at work. We proceeded to spend the next half an hour debating which lake to head to. Each looked stunning in photos and all we knew was that we wanted something fairly close. A two hour hike back in the morning wasn’t very appealing to Lou. After much debating, we decided that Ffynon Llloer would be our lake of choice. It looked to be only 1.5 km from the road and a clear path was marked out the entire way. How hard could it be?

Time To Fight Gravity

The first couple of hundred metres were pleasant and we were even afforded the sight of a Ferrari parked by a small farmhouse. It didn’t take long though for the path to start heading skywards and for Lou’s mood to go in the opposite direction.

The climb was relentlessly steep and there was no shelter from the strong sun. The only saving grace was the cascading stream and it’s crystal clear water. Even if we didn’t stop regularly to cool ourselves in it, it gave the appearance of it being cooler than it actually was.

By around halfway, I knew that this climb was far tougher than I had thought it was going to be and I felt both guilty and worried. Lou has a habit of becoming very quiet when she is annoyed and we hadn’t spoken for several minutes. I was carrying almost all the gear, but she was still finding it challenging. My day pack still engulfed her petite five foot two inch frame. I could tell she was struggling and I just kept trying to give words of encouragement that I think annoyed her even more. The lake couldn’t come soon enough in my mind and I prayed that its awesome location would at least make it all seem worth it.

The Lake Is Reached

Lou had resisted the urge to throttle me on what ended up being a near one thousand foot ascent up to the lake. I don’t think either of us had planned to climb the equivalent of The Shard, while carrying camping gear. It wasn’t until I studied the map in more detail later that evening that I realised what a rookie error I’d made. It might have only been a kilometre and a half, but the tight contour lines made it obvious how steep the climb would be. I hang my head in shame!

Thankfully we made it to the lake unscathed. The final few steps were taken like Leo when he discovers that famous beach for the first time. What greeted us was a truly beautiful sight. Ffynnon Lloer was larger than we’d expected. The craggy mountains surrounding it on three sides also made for quite the backdrop.

For those of you who like numbers, the lake sits at an altitude of just over 2,200 feet and covers an area of just over six acres. It also only reaches a maximum depth of around 38 feet, which for me is surprising when you see the gradients of the surrounding mountains entering it.

Not long after arriving and taking in the view, Lou took a seat on a rock and asked where we’d be camping later. It was clear on this trip that she was the boss and it would be my job to head off to scout out a good location for the evening. Much of the ground was boggy so it took a while; I eventually found a flat spot on the far side of the lake. It was sheltered from the wind, which was blowing stronger up at this altitude, and there was even a small stream to wash in. Perfect.

Settling In

Lou was happy with the spot I’d found and it didn’t take long to get the tent up. This would be her home for the night. I had offered to sleep in my bivvy bag to allow her to stretch out and enjoy a bit of space inside the 2-man tent. Some might say I’m a gentleman. I figured it was the least I could do after making her endure that savage climb earlier.

Dinner was enjoyed on the tried and tested Jet Boil. I tucked into a tinned Chilli Con Carne, while Lou went all Irish with a stew. It was only fitting that this was all washed down with IPA beer and a bottle of wine. It would be rude not to and we’d certainly earned it anyway.

Lou, where are your trousers?

Being so high up, the temperature started to drop as the sun began to set. I started to reach for my warmer layers and encouraged Lou to do the same. She had climbed the mountain in summer shorts, but it was now a bit too chilly for those. We discovered pretty quickly that she had left her warm leggings back in the car and had nothing else. In addition the clothes for her upper body were not adequate and she soon started to get cold. I won’t lie when I say that I was quite cross at this point. I couldn’t believe she’d made such a mistake, but figured that pointing this out would only lead to an atmosphere you could cut with a knife.

Luckily I had packed a pair of thermal trousers. I usually wear these to sleep in, but gave them to Lou instead. They did warm her up, but they were quite the sight. She’s only small, so they were around four inches too long for her. A combination of looking ridiculous and still being chilly meant she wouldn’t leave the tent for the remainder of the evening. She was still great company as always though and we even had a bit of a sing-song. Thank God there was only one other wild camper at the lake.

As the sun set, I decided to get a small fire going in my bush craft box. I figured it would give the illusion of warmth even if we didn’t really feel the benefit. All went well until the wind picked up further and sent sparks flying towards the tent. The bloke on the other side of the lake must have been worried as Lou let out a shriek. Thankfully I didn’t burn the tent to the ground and we watched people coming down from high mountains with torch light. It was amazing how quickly they descended.

A Broken Night

We settled down to sleep at around eleven and Lou went off quickly. She wouldn’t like to admit it, but she was snoring like a trooper. I on the other hand couldn’t really settle. The wind appeared to be doing laps of the lake and would batter the tent just as I drifted off.

Lou had come up with the genius idea of my head being in the porch area with my legs protruding out the front. It proved a wise move as the weather really closed in around midnight. Rain started to pour, even though it wasn’t forecast. Luckily my bivvy kept my legs dry and eventually I drifted off for a few hours.

A Fresh Breakfast and A Dunk In The Lake

We awoke to very different conditions the following morning. The rain had petered out, but thick clouds stuck to the mountains and left a very wild scene. A blue sky is always lovely, but there is something about the low laying clouds on mountains that I really like. It makes them seem less tamed and even more wild than they already are.

It wasn’t long until tummies were rumbling and so I got breakfast started. I fancied cooking from fresh this time. Tinned stuff is OK, but it can’t substitute fresh ingredients. The fire was going in no time and peppers, onion and chickpeas were sizzling away. I’m not sure beans and sausages perfectly compliment these vegetables, but they went in anyway.

Breakfast went down well with a coffee and it wasn’t long until I had my sights on the lake again. I felt I couldn’t come here and not at least have a dip in it. I didn’t even try and persuade Lou to join me as she’d already said the stream was far too nippy. Sticking to my word, I went in. The water was certainly fresh and it was very much a quick dunk rather than a swim. I’ll work up to that in future trips.

Refreshed from the dunk, we packed the tent away and made out way down the mountain. The weather was improving all the time and those low clouds from earlier were already long gone. Conversation on the way down was more plentiful than the climb up and Lou told me quite clearly that she was never camping again. She didn’t hate every minute, but it was just too challenging for her in many ways. It was hard for her to enjoy it.

In Conclusion…….

Myself and Lou learned lots about each other during this trip. I already knew she was a tough cookie and is as determined as they come. It would have been easy for her to have given up and told us to find somewhere to stay with solid walls. She didn’t though. Lou stuck it out and battled on when the going got tough. I’m thankful for her doing this and completely understand why she doesn’t want to go again.

Hiking in mountains and camping amongst them isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I will always love it, but reckon that on my next trip, Lou will be wishing me good luck from the comfort of her sofa.