For eight months there had been unfinished business with Arenig Fawr. On my last visit, poor weather and me running late as usual meant I only made it to the foot of the mountain. That time I ended up enjoying an unplanned night at the tiny Arenig Bothy, Thankfully, on this occasion I had arrived with many hours of daylight left and so I fully intended to climb the eight hundred and fifty four metres to wild camp on the summit of Arenig Fawr. Fingers crossed!
The Ascent Begins
The climb begins almost from the road and I shared the path with a group of Polish friends, who were making the short walk to the bothy. My acting skills were put through their paces, as their English was very limited and so I resorted to elaborate hand movements to make myself understood. I’m not sure they or the watching sheep were impressed!
Before long I caught sight of Llyn Arenig Fawr, a gorgeous lake sitting below the hulking mass of the mountain. The blue sky and unbroken sunshine made it look all the more beautiful today, with the light shimmering on the surface. I was tempted to go in for a dip, but thought I’d keep my preposterously white body covered on this occasion with other people about.
I stopped briefly at the bothy just to take a walk down memory lane. It certainly didn’t feel like eight months had passed since my last visit. After this, it was time to load the pack onto my pack once more and head up onto unfamiliar ground.
Where Is The Breeze?
The terrain soon steepened and the sweat was pouring off of me. A combination of the sun shining in my face together with a total lack of wind made it hard going. Usually, I am cursing the wind when I’m out but on this occasion I was practically begging for it to arrive.
Eventually I reached a flatter section and of course this revealed the summit off in the distance. More climbing was required and the path by now was very much in the ‘ now you see me and now you don’t’ category. I would have been bothered by this had it not been for the breeze that was now wafting over my body. Who knew the movement of air from one place to another could be so amazing?
I also learned here that depsite appearing to repel women, I was rather attractive to the many bumble bees on the mountainside. I have no idea why there were so many in an area devoid of flowers, but they clearly thought I was quite tasty. Each time I stopped to have a drink, I’d have one buzzing around me within the minute. Their short attention spans meant they soon got bored and buzzed off. This time I welcomed the rejection!
As I continued to climb, so the ground became more rocky. The path was now clearly distinguishable, but was loose underfoot. Boulders and thousands of smaller rocks littered the ground and gave a very different feel to the lower part of the mountain. Apart from the many mountain sheep I spoke to ( that is normal to do in upland Wales surely? ), I didn’t see another soul. Perfect in my eyes.
The Summit Is Reached
We all know how welcomed the summit cairn is when it comes into view. This one was no different. It was a huge relief to dump my pack and place both hands on the trig point. The views in all directions were amazing. Arenig Fawr is the tallest mountain around for some considerable distance and so you get good vision of most of Snowdonia’s main mountain ranges. A lot of this down to luck though. I had struck gold with the conditions. I can well imagine this mountain is shrouded in cloud for many days of the year.
A Summit With A Difference
Other than the usual trig point and stone shelter you find on many well known mountain summits in the UK, there is something else on Arenig Fawr, which sets it apart.
The mountain has quite an unfortunate story attached to it. As you can see from the video clip above, a plane crashed here during WWII. All eight crew members were killed instantly and so it only seems fitting that this plaque rests here to remember them. More information about this can be found here.
Settling In
The hike up the summit had worked up quite the appetite. I was pleased to finally sit, relax and fill myself with copious amounts of food and drink. Vegentable chilli was enjoyed, along with Pringles, chocolate, fruit and beer. Not the most healthy meal in the world, but I had earned it. Clearly I hadn’t consumed enough water, as the 6.2% IPA beer went straight to my head.
It wasn’t a perfect sunset, owing to the bank of cloud sitting out to the west, but it was still enjoyable. I love the hour or so before it gets dark. The light changes almost by the minute and is a photographer’s dream.
A Sleep With A View
With guaranteed settled conditions overnight, I decided to use my bivvy bag. The reason for this was obvious. Other than being a dream to set up, it would allow me to lay and enjoy the night sky. Living near London, I just don’t get to see clear night skies very often. There is simply too much light pollution. Many areas of Wales are virtually devoid of this, like in the wild Cambrian Mountains.
Despite being late May, I knew my wild camp on Arenig Fawr could get nippy. I was prepared for this. My winter kit was used with a sleeping bag suitable for temperatures as low as five degrees below zero. I would be toasty warm.
I was tucked up by around half past ten, with the last of the day’s light fading slowly from the sky. As it darkened above, so the stars started to appear almost by the moment. I was in no hurry to fall asleep. It really was beautiful up above and it touched my soul in a way I can’t explain. I felt one with the natural world around me and it was wonderful. Staring at the same patch of sky for a minute or two would reveal a satellite moving across the sky at speed and i saw several shooting stars too. It really is true that some of the best things in life are free!
