Llyn Edno Tarp

Llyn Edno Tarp

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Llyn Edno Tarp Details

This was a trip report that i posted on Walk Eryri Blog in 2009, so it’s being reposted on here along with some of the posts, along with upgraded images.

The forecast for the weekend appeared benign. So the decision to bivvy in the Moelwynion was taken. May as well take the tarp, in the unlikely event it rains.

We started off in Bethania and thought we should follow the Ron Turnbull method of eating at whatever hostelries that make themselves available. So we had a hearty breakfast at the Caffi Gwynant. This place comes highly recommended as it”s got very good service and uses quality local produce. You can tell that the eggs are free range, they have flavour! From here we went past Llyn Gwynant and our April bivvy spot before ascending to Bwlch y Rhediad in glorious sunshine. Summer might have arrived!

Now let nobody tell you different, but the walk over (or rather alongside) Cerrig Cochion is a pig. It may only be a couple of kilometres but it feels twice that and a little more. The first bit is nice and grassy, if a bit damp. But beyond this the path follows undulations in the terrain and inside each dip lies man eating bog. Ok, it may not be that bad, but once we”d passed the first few, we though we were clear of the problem. After all the rain we”d had the ground was quite sodden and a full soaking was on the cards

But were we clear? NO. Did we use the stiles that took us to the left and past the bog? NO, well, not until my walking companion had found himself waist deep in mire and unable to free himself. Unfortunately, the camera was not on and i thought i”d better pull him out and keep a friend rather than get a corking shot to put on here. Once free, a bit more poking saw my walking pole disappear with no resistance into what was essentially a pool and probably deeper than the one already encountered.

We did finally get to Llyn Edno, and soon after the sun disappeared and the wind picked up. We started wishing we had our tents and our usual ration of alcohol, which we”d gone without. Of course, one the tarp was up, and we were quite happy with the storm pitching to the ground, it began to rain! However, we found it was quite cosy inside, with loads of space up in the end for gear. Playing with the rear pole gave us some headroom.

Once the evening set in, we were quite comfortable, but could have done with a groundsheet of some sort as i kept getting my elbow wet on the grass. The alcohol would have helped me sleep too and i had quite a restless night, kept losing my sleep mat and i was moving to the end of the tent in my sleep. I kept waking with a mouthful of silnylon and drips of condensation falling on my face. It was soon light though, and then i fell asleep till well after eight (strange).

The next morning was no better than the Saturday, with a thunderstorm passing a few K to the south. So we decided to climb Moel Meirch and return to Bethania for breakfast swearing i was never going to use the tarp again. Looking back on it, it wasn’t a bad night. I’ve had worse in a tent and this pitch was quite bumpy so it was no wonder i didn’t sleep until i was completely exhausted. What i do know is that i’m not skimping on the luxuries next time i bivvy as they can be essential to keep morale up.

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