Spring Hut Meet, Rhyd Ddu

Arriving at the house on a damp Friday evening we found most of the early attendees had already headed off to the pub and so decided to go and keep them company (it would have been rude not to), and gradually as the evening wore on our numbers slowly increased as any late comers arrived in dribs and drabs. A role call indicated that Marion and Darron’s illness prevented them from joining us, however welcome substitutes had been quickly found to ensure that we had a good presence for the weekend.

Saturday morning dawned (?) at 8.15 a.m. with a cup of tea kindly provided by the Gilbert family which allowed everyone to make an early start on both breakfast and their picnic preparation. Whilst the weather for the morning was looking promising the forecast for later in the day wasn’t and so climbing was out of the question. The groups decided to go their separate ways; one to walk the foothills of Snowdon, the second to amble around the river and hills of Beddgelert and the third to pedal off on a bike ride around one of the local cycle routes.

Whilst everyone expressed their enjoyment of their respective activities a deterioration in the weather, but not quite as bad as the Chamonix rain, saw everyone back at the house by early afternoon. Following a warming brew an early exit to the pub was justified with the excuse that people wanted to watch Wales produce a Grand Slam victory against France. It appeared that the rest of the village and surrounding areas also had that same idea as there was little room left in the pub when we arrived, so we had to make do with listening to the commentary, accompanied by the vocal backing of the locals. With a victory secured we head back for a belated evening meal - and a few more drinks !

A slightly later start to the morning on Sunday saw most people consume a hearty breakfast to get them ready for another day’s activities. The weather was slightly colder than the previous day, with a stronger wind, which brought with it the threat of more rain, or even the possibility of snow. Snow could already be seen on the summit of Snowdon, but this didn’t stop the majority of people from heading off with the intention of having a crack at the top. However, with discretion being the better part of valour, a change of heart part way up saw a less formidable challenge undertaken to make the most of a very changeable day.

The only climbing of the weekend was done by Nick and myself on the indoor walls at the nearby Beacons venue, although this wasn’t exactly what we had hoped for it was nevertheless welcome as it had been a little while since we had the opportunity to climb together.

Late afternoon saw people head off home with a very enjoyable weekend securely behind them and the prospects of, hopefully, better weather to come for the Family & Friends meet on Anglesey at the end of June.

Written by Alan Brown

Photos by Karen