As I sit here writing this from a mild and very green south east England, it is hard to believe that six days ago I was calf deep in snow and about to camp in a winter wonderland. Looking back now, I can already say that wild camping in the snow was my best outdoor experience yet. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about those views and conditions I got to enjoy in Snowdonia. That is the beauty of travel and adventure I guess.
Changing My Plans
I had originally planned to park at the end of a minor road, which heads well into The Carneddau area of Snowdonia. This idea went out of the window though as the snow level was much lower than I had thought it would be. The double chevrons marked on the road of choice would make it near on impossible to climb if covered in ice. I figured risking the safety of myself and my Dacia Sandero simply weren’t worth it. A separate trip on that exact road proved how right I was. Click here to read about that experience and another snowy trip I enjoyed.
With this plan off the table, I had to quickly think of an alternative. The Ogwen Valley is always stunning any time of the year, but I had never seen it in snow. With that in mind, I decided to make it my target, with a familiar lake being my possible camping location for the night. I knew it was over two thousand feet above sea level, so snow depths would be great and provide an incredible first wild camp in the snow.
An Icy Climb Skywards
Soon after leaving the car on the A5, I started to climb and met a couple of hikers who told me it was very icy up ahead. Luckily I had packed my crampons, which had sat redundant in a drawer for nearly a year. I would soon see if they were up to the job.
The conditions were stunning. The sky above me was blue, which contrasted beautifully against the now icy landscape. The ground was frozen solid as were all of the puddles and even parts of the streams flowing downhill. It had clearly been very cold here for some period of time.
The crampons worked superbly and it was incredible how much grip they offered on solid ice. There is no way on Earth I would have climbed safely without them. A bonus was the sound they made too as they gripped the ice and snow on the way up.
As I passed the 500 metre contour line, so the ice gave way to much deeper snow. It was amazing just how much there was and I couldn’t help but smile to myself. I have always loved the white stuff and these scenes were epic. Only once had I seen more snow and that was when visiting Nevis Range Ski Station in Scotland. I had to try and follow the footprints of others as it was really hard work trying to tackle the untouched powder. It was also a bit dodgy not knowing what lay beneath the fresh snow. A broken ankle wouldn’t go down well up here!
Destination Reached
Eventually I crested the hill and my destination came into view. What a sight it was! Before me sat the glacial lake of Ffynnon Lloer, with craggy snow covered mountains surrounding it on three sides. The lake itself was completely iced over with gusts of wind sending swirls of snow across its surface. I was in a real winter wonderland and had to just stand and take in the incredible view before me for a few minutes.
It may have only been mid afternoon, but I soon had to drag myself away and think about setting up camp. The winter solstice was only a week away and do I knew it would be dark by around 4.30pm.
I had camped up here previously in July and so knew of a good flat spot to pitch the tent. The only issue this time was that it was buried in deep snow, so I’d have to clear this first. It proved to be fairly hard work, but it at least kept me warm and gave me a good workout. Dinner and booze for later in the evening was certainly earned too. Thankfully the ground beneath wasn’t frozen so the pegs went in without any issues. The hammer I had brought up with me wasn’t needed in the end.
Settling In
With my tent up and gear unpacked, I cleared the snow on a nearby rock and watched the light fade in the sky. It was once again a beautiful experience as the landscape appeared to change colour almost by the minute. Whites turned to blues and the stars started to appear one by one in the sky above. Eventually the cold wind sent me to the shelter of my tent, where I wriggled into my sleeping bag and just relaxed for a bit.
It is safe to say that you get to know your tent inner very well during winter wild camps, as it is dark for so long. At just gone five, I knew I wouldn’t see the sun again for nearly fourteen hours. It didn’t matter though. I was comfortable, in a stunning location and completely content. My Oex Jackal II tent really has proved to be excellent during long winter nights. It’s strong, spacious and didn’t cost a bomb either. Click here to read my full review of it if you like.
Dinner was enjoyed at just gone seven and I also enjoyed reading some of Dale Carnegie’s excellent book ‘ How To Win Friends and Influence People.’ What a great book it is. The Milk Stout I was sipping on certainly helped the evening pass with ease as well.
Getting In The Christmas Spirit
It was only ten days until Christmas and the snowy scene I found myself in was certainly helping me get into a Christmassy spirit. I could do better though and decided to decorate the outside of my tent with fairy lights. Yes I had been mad enough to carry these up with me, but figured it would look amazing in the snow. I’ll leave you to be the judge below:
I ended up being outside again for a while. Not only did my tent now look stunning, but so did the landscape and sky above me. There was no longer a cloud above and the stars were so vividly bright that I felt like I could reach up and pluck them out of the heavens. The moonlight also illuminated the snowy mountains around me. It was all rather spiritual and it look me back to being a young 22 year old lad. I was fortunate enough to enjoy a similar experience in New Zealand, where I could see all of the Southern Alps covered in snow on a dark crisp night at Lake Tekapo. It’s a view I shall never forget and I feel this night may well end up being the same.
Wild Camping In The Snow
As I settled down to sleep at just gone ten, I was a little apprehensive about how well my new winter kit would protect me from the cold. It was already below freezing and was forecast to drop to around negative four degrees in the early hours.
My new kit of choice would be the highly reputable Thermarest XTherm sleeping mat coupled with the Forclaz MT500 sleeping bag. When combined, they provided me with a very comfortable night. On one occasion I even had to remove a layer as I was too warm. Not a bad position to be in when the temperature is below freezing outside. They perhaps wouldn’t be adequate if the temperature is anything below -5 degrees Celsius, but they were more than up to the job at around -3.
Annoyingly, strong gusts in the night removed a couple of pegs and I had to venture out into the cold in the early hours to sort them out. Leaving the sleeping bag wasn’t a fun experience I can tell you!
A Change Of Conditions
I had read the previous night that heavy snow was forecast on the surrounding mountains from around 4am onwards. Indeed the sound of snow blowing against the tent walls around dawn confirmed that conditions were going to be very different to those of last night.
The clouds now hugging the mountain tops now appeared to be laden with snow and had already covered many of my footsteps. The snowfall wasn’t continuous though, but rather came in frequent showers that would suddenly reduce visibility significantly.
My porridge and coffee went down very well and I enjoyed watching the first few hikers of the day making their way up the nearby mountain on the other side of the lake. It seemed several of them were rather in awe at seeing a tent pitched in such a stunning place in these conditions.
I decided to linger at the lake until mid morning. I was certainly in no hurry to rush away and wanted to make the experience last as long as possible. My first wild camping in the snow experience had been a resounding success.
When Can I Do It Again?
It is safe to say that after wild camping in the snow only once, I am well and truly addicted to it and can’t wait to do it again. If you have the right gear, then it quite frankly is one of the best experiences you can enjoy in the great outdoors. Annoyingly as I write this, the whole of the UK is being plagued by mild Atlantic air. There is still January and February to come though, so hopefully I shall get to enjoy another winter playground soon. Fingers crossed.