Eryri National Park

Here's another from the Ogwen Valley in North Wales, but from last year. Those who have climbed Tryfan by the North Ridge or the Heather Terrace are bound to recognise this ladder stile at the base of the Milestone Buttress. It affords a grand view down the valley to Y Garn and Foel Goch, but it also leads to the rock climbers playground of the buttress itself.

The view from the Gribin ridge looking down the deep glacial valley of Nant Ffrancon, with the mountains of Y Garn on the left, and Pen yr Ole Wen on the right. You can see the Isle of Anglesey in the distance. In the foreground far below is Llyn Idwal, nestling in the heart of Cwm Idwal.

A truly memorable morning on the Snowdon Horseshoe. This was the four shot panoramic view from near the top of the climb up to the start of the Crib Goch ridge, looking straight down to the Bwlch y Moch where you can make out the Pyg track crossing the ridge line. Down to the left is the Pass of Llanberis, and you can just make out a white coach making its way up to the top of the pass - Pen y Pass. Rising above the pass to the left is Glyder Fawr with it's head in the clouds, and a little to the right is Gyder Fach. In the right centre of the image in the distance you can see part of Moel Siabod, it's summit obscured by the near cloud. In the lower centre right is crags of Carreg Gwalch rising above the Llyn Teryn (the smaller lake) and finally part of Llyn Llydaw can be seen bottom right. When I set off that morning the sky was cloudless, but as I climbed up the clouds moved in quite spectacularly, and wreathed the hills in turbulent mist. Unfortunately I could not get the shot I came for - the view along the Crib Goch to the summit of Yr Wyddfa - as heavy cloud settled over the summit for the whole day. Although the cloud lifted from most of the mountain in the afternoon, I got the best of the conditions early on, and the it made for a really special day.

Another from a truly memorable morning on the Snowdon Horseshoe. This was the view from part way up the climb up to the start of the Crib Goch ridge, looking straight down to Llyn Teryn with a section of the Miner's Track to its right. In the distance you can see Cnicht, the 'Welsh Matterhorn' - though it doesn't look like it from this angle. When I set off that morning the sky was cloudless, but as I climbed up the clouds moved in quite spectacularly, and wreathed the hills in turbulent mist. I got the best of the conditions early on, and it made for a really special day.

Here's another of one of my favourite places in Snowdonia - the Castell y Gwynt (or Castle of the Winds in English). As you see it is a spikey outcrop on the edge of Glyder Fach, perched at the top of the cliffs on the northern side. It does get in the way if you are walking beween Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr (seen in the distance here), but it is good sport scrambling right over the top. It is bigger and steeper than it looks.

It would have been good if there was a bit of snow, but the view from Y Garn is always one to savour. Looking down from this high perch into the deep trench of the Ogwen valley, with the Carneddau group on the left, and Tryfan and the Glyders on the right.

The Crib Goch ridge of Snowdon, taken in deteriorating conditions a year ago. Crib Goch (Red Ridge) has to be the most entertaining of the main routes on Snowdon, but you do need a head for heights. Looking along the knife edge, to the left the ground is very steep and to the right it is a sheer drop of hundreds of feet. It is not recommended in high winds, and it is also known to be one of the wettest places in the country (slippery when wet....) - so check the forecast!

Another from a wonderfully atmospheric autumn day on one of my favourite walks in the Arans in Wales. This was the view looking back from near the summit of Aran Benllyn to the summit of Aran Fawddwy, the highest mountain south of Snowdon. I was fortunate to catch the sunlight highlighting the rocky outcrops as the weather began to close in. I hope I can get back there one day.

Early morning on the famous Snowdon Horseshoe. This was taken on the climb up to the Crib Goch, looking across Cwm Dyli and Llyn Llydaw to the twin peaks and cliffs of Y Lliwedd. The early morning was the best of the day, the clouds rolled in and covered the top of Snowdon in a thick cold blanket - but it was good to be up there again!

Here's another from my return to the mountains. This is the view from part way up Bristly Ridge looking back towards Tryfan, with the Carneddau beyond. From this angle Tryfan looks very much like a young child's picture of a mountain - triangular, steep sided and pointy. It is a truly unique mountain, and one that has given me so many memorable days out over the years.

Here's a re-working of one from almost a year ago, that I spent a bit of time looking at with a certain Mr Waidson. We started the process of the re-work over a convivial couple of beers in his Man-cave, and it spurred me on to finish the job. Hope you like it. These are the top of the Ogwen falls in North Wales just by the A5, just after the outflow from Llyn Ogwen, with Tryfan in the background.

Last Sunday marked my return to the mountains for the first time this year, the Welsh border having been closed due to Covid. As it had been so long I just could not bring myself to wander up some grassy lump, I needed to get my hands on some rock! So I choose what has to be one of the best scrambling routes in Wales - up the north ridge of Tryfan, down it's south ridge, then up the Bristly Ridge to Glyder Fach, and then back down the Gribin ridge. The first part of the route more or less follows the skyline of the magnificence that is Tryfan which is centre stage in this picture. Being a bank holiday weekend I had to be there early to beat the crowds, but it did mean I got caught by a rogue snow shower near the top of Tryfan. Dear reader - it was a brilliant day, and I hope this shot, taken from the lower part of the Gribin, conveys at least some of why I love the mountains so much. Best viewed large.

Following on from last week's shot of the Crib Goch, this is the interesting conclusion to the ridge. The knife edge arete culminates in a very sporting clamber up and down over three pinnacles. This image shows the last of the three, and conveniently for me, three young chaps were climbing ahead of me and showed the three main stances on the ledges of the pinnacle. The lowest (guy in the black shorts) is the most precarious, the middle is easiest, and the top (guy in the red top) is a real don't look down moment if you are not keen on heights! There is a way of bypassing the second and third pinnacle by descending a fair way to the left - but why would you? Once over the third pinnacle you descend to the col before the clamber up the Garnedd Ugain ridge which is the second section of the great Snowdon Horseshoe - there is even more fun to come!

Balanced. This image is unusual for me in two ways; firstly I don't often stray into B&W and secondly I don't often photograph people. A young couple had been climbing ahead of me up the Bristly Ridge, and we got talking along the way after I had given them a few pointers along the way. The young lady confessed this was her first time on the route but she was clearly a good climber. Having topped out, we walked across the lunar landscape of Glyder Fach, and she could not resist clambering across the gigantic boulders and up onto the famous Cantilever Stone. She did look slightly nervous when she got up there, as it is quite high and exposed. I could not believe my luck when I found she was standing in a streak of light created by a break in the cloud. The 'lightening effect' looked pretty good in the original colour version, but even better in this B&W conversion. Hope you like it. Thanks to every one who visited, and especially those who faved and commented. Best wishes.

The view from the very top of Aran Fawddwy, looking along the ridge to Aran Benllyn (under the blob of cloud). A touch of low mist clings to the surface of Bala Lake way in the distance. The trig point on Aran Fawddwy is endearingly ramshackle, far more character than the usual concrete block.

I'm off to France, see you when I get back.

I thought long and hard about which image I would use to mark the end of 2019, and I came up with this. The country has been in turmoil for years, but now definite decisions have been made - for good or ill. In my own life there were real ups and downs. You can make your own mind up about turning 60, but I'm sure everyone would agree that becoming a Grandad for the first time is pretty momentous! Little Robyn is already wrapping me round her tiny fingers, she is such a sweetie. So, water under the bridge seems the right choice this year, lets hope 2020 brings us better fortune. By the way, this particular ancient bridge is the remains of the Pont Pen y Benglog and carried the old coach road that was the forerunner of the A5. Thomas Telford's road bridge which passes over the top of the old bridge and built in the 19th century transformed travel in these parts.

Happy New Year to you all!

I fear this as close as I will get to the mountains this winter, with Wales going into full lockdown again today. This is the Castell y Gwynt (or Castle of the Winds in English) is one of the most iconic places in Snowdonia. As you see it is a spikey outcrop on the edge of Glyder Fach, perched at the top of the cliffs on the northern side.

A return visit to a favourite spot, to meet up with friends Brad, Barb and Mark and have a wander about the famous Ogwen Valley in North Wales. Contrarty to forecasts, most of the day had a brilliant but cloudless blue sky, and we all know what that means for landscape photography.... However, towards the end of the day at least some light cloud started to appear to give the sky a bit of interest, and by then we had reached the very top of the Ogwen Falls, just underneath Thomas Telford's bridge that carries the A5.

The first golden rays of morning sunlight hitting the south ridge of Tryfan, with Pen yr Ole Wen behind. It was a beautiful cold and clear morning, the start of what proved to be an exception day in the mountains. This was taken near the beginning of the climb up to Glyder Fach. Tryfan is a spectacular shark's fin of a mountain, rearing up over the Ogwen valley. A completely different character to the rest of the mountains in this area it lacks bulk and instead it is all ridges and buttresses with so many climbing and scrambling opportunities. It is an absolute gem! Don't be fooled by the gentle sweep of the beautifully built dry stone wall, at the other end of the mountain there is a wall right at the bottom but after a few yards it runs into the climbers playground that is the Milestone Buttress. If they tried to build a wall up that it would very quickly turn into a dry stone pillar....

Another from a cold and gloomy, but very rewarding, day in Snowdonia. On a fine summer's day this place is swarming with people so it was a real treat to have it all to myself. I found a handy boulder that gave a fine viewpoint across Llyn Idwal and it's little island to the rock climbers playground the Idwal Slabs. I've been to this place more times than I can remember, but it still takes my breath away.

A shot from a particularly fine morning on the Aran hills of mid Wales. This is taken from the Drws Bach looking to the memorial cairn for SAC Mike Aspain who was killed by lightning up here whilst on duty with the RAF St Athan Mountain Rescue Team in 1960. The hill with the cliffs to left of centre is Gwaun y Llwyni, in the centre is Glasgwm, and in the distance is Cader Idris.

Rhinog Fawr reflected in the remote waters of Llyn Cwmhosan on the lower slopes of Rhinog Fach.