Snowdon Horseshoe route.

[Gary Prentice]

Is that on the Ben? cracking day out. If you go up the Ben by the tourist route you don't get to see the vast corrie of near-vertical rock, but from the arte you can see it all day. And you can bale out at the 'abseil posts' or carry on up to the summit, see the hordes of flip-flop wearing chinese tourists in nthe early stages of hypothermia and wish you hadn't bothered.

 

And if it's the route I think it is, you can bag a couple of Munroes? My son and I completed all the three peaks (not within 24hrs) in the year preceding his 7th birthday, some more than once to do the less touristy/better routes.

 

He was greatly disappointed that no one commended him at the summit of Ben Nevis after the chats with others after Crib Goch and Striding Edge.

[daltontrees]

Thats the one,

 

never actually done Ben Nevis, to crowded, but done all the hills on the south side of Glen Coe, the view from Buachaille etive mor is superb.

 

I've done the Buachaille about 20 times, it never gets boring. Last time I did it up a rock route (Raven's Edge) my pal was leading, pulled off a TV sized rock at the crux whch came straight towards me, I was of course belaying and couldn't move, it landed directly on the rope as it lay slightly slack on a small slab in front of me and cut the rope core leaving only the outer sheath intact. Said boulder then bounced sideways past me, only announcing its arrival with a clatter at the bottom of the crag about 5 seconds later. If I hadn't been wearing tight leg loops I think my boots would have filled up.

 

Now that's the perfect moment to know an Alpine Butterfly. And the Hail Mary.

[daltontrees]

And if it's the route I think it is, you can bag a couple of Munroes? My son and I completed all the three peaks (not within 24hrs) in the year preceding his 7th birthday, some more than once to do the less touristy/better routes.

 

He was greatly disappointed that no one commended him at the summit of Ben Nevis after the chats with others after Crib Goch and Striding Edge.

 

I don't know if the Ben's 1 or 2 Munros. It might be the biggest but if done by the tourist route it's one of the dullest. Still impressive effort for a 6 year old. I cant get my 6 year old to go up the stairs of an evening.

[openspaceman]

carn more dearg arete

 

Don't know where the E came from.

 

Is that on the Ben? cracking day out. If you go up the Ben by the tourist route you don't get to see the vast corrie of near-vertical rock, but from the arte you can see it all day. And you can bale out at the 'abseil posts' or carry on up to the summit, see the hordes of flip-flop wearing chinese tourists in nthe early stages of hypothermia and wish you hadn't bothered.

 

Actually the descent down the pony track isn't much fun and after 5 ascents without having a clear summit I doubt I'll do another, the litter is unbearable. I've had good views of the summit in sunshine doing the ring or the walk from steall to kinlockleven.

 

Anyway the favourite route is get a lift to steall car park, along to the falls and then east along the walk to Corrour till you get to the bridge and the cottage ruins. north up the hill before the bridge and onto a lush hanging valley, late June-July a goodly smattering of orchids and bog asphodels and the occasional butterwort. On to the watershed and then left up to the summit of Carn Mor Dearg, from there there is only the arrete to a short scramble up to the top of Ben Nevis. I didn't have a rope so never tried the abseil points.

 

Also I don't do snow and ice, not donned crampons since 1970 so stay down below a couple of thousand feet in winter.

 

To the OP: as a reasonably fit working person I used to reckon on about 15 miles and 3000ft of ascent for a decent day's walk, by the time I was 59 5 munros in a circular walk took about 10 hours and near finished me, mind I had been pen pushing for a couple of years by then.

[openspaceman]

And if it's the route I think it is, you can bag a couple of Munroes? My son and I completed all the three peaks (not within 24hrs) in the year preceding his 7th birthday, some more than once to do the less touristy/better routes.

 

He was greatly disappointed that no one commended him at the summit of Ben Nevis after the chats with others after Crib Goch and Striding Edge.

 

Very good for someone so young, my granddaughter and I did the big ben as a start of doing the 3 when she was 11, I was proud of her, then she turned into a teenager and we never walked together again, such a disappointment.

 

I turned back on Crib Goch in winter 1970 and always intended to do it agin but on several visits since, in summer, it has always been too crowded.

 

I always felt it was cheating to start from plas y brenin and much prefer to walk up from Nantgwynant where the parking is better, in a circular route.

[sloth]

Ice axe and crampons essential atm.

 

This is the entrance to the summit cafe yesterday

 

Fair enough! I've never been up when it's that bad :eek:

[Midge]

Ended up doing Snowdon last weekend. Not the horseshoe route though, just went up pyg track to the summit then retraced our steps back down. Really enjoyed myself and was a good walk!

[monkeyallan]

Great stuff, maybe try the horseshoe in summer, you'll love it.

[roys]

My brother and I did Crib Goch in March 2008, I fair enjoyed it, although most of my hill stuff is done in the Munroes.

 

In the picture my brother has a bag of sand in his rucksack to weigh it down just to give him a better work out

[Gardenmac]

Ended up doing Snowdon last weekend. Not the horseshoe route though, just went up pyg track to the summit then retraced our steps back down. Really enjoyed myself and was a good walk!

 

Good Man, glad you enjoyed it and showed good sense, in my book it's always best to live, enjoy and try another day. Any pics of your walk .