Moel Famau

Moel Famau from Cilcain.

Moel Famau elevation

Moel Famau route

A bit of sunrise broke through the cloud early on. Very misty and cloudy, particularly up on the hills.

Red Sky in Morning, Sheep Still Yawning

Mists in the valleys

Foggy forest near Moel Famau

Foggy forest (No bears, wolves or witches. This time.)

Moel Arthur

Moel Arthur to Penycloddiau and on round Fron Haul but coming back via Moel y Parc.

Moel Arthur elevation

Moel Arthur route

Last year the hills were carpeted in flowering heather but the drought and heat had left everything dry, brown and withered. The day started cloudy with the top of Moel Arthur covered in fog. This cleared to another hot, dry day.

Moel Arthur in fog

Sheep searching in vain for green grass

Heather being cut on the Moel Llys-y-coed

Moel Famau

The forecast was a few passing showers. The reality was almost constant rain. We made the most of it but set off home by lunchtime. Nothing but murk. Of course, it dried up and went sunny in the afternoon. Grumble.

Moel Famau elevation

Moel Famau route

We did try a slightly different route, which had some views which might be nice in the summer.

Good job there's a signpost or we wouldn't know where we were

Wall to wall grey cloud

Top of Moel Famau dripping wet

We can't see the next hill from here. In fact we can't see anything from here!

Bowfell

The big one of the week. Up The Band to Bowfell. Things weren't looking too good to begin with, in fact they were hardly looking like anything as the fog was so thick. A dull day beckoned, but we were so wrong...

Bowfell elevation

Bowfell route

Is it even worth taking a camera up in all this lot?!

A few hundred feet up, at the first bit of level ground, we popped up out of the fog to be greeted by a gently rolling plain of white cloud, flowing up the valley like a milky river.

Looking down Langdale Valley

Langdale Pikes

Sun rising over Pike O'Blisco

The sun eventually rose, and was blindingly bright.

Langdale Pikes

Langdale Pikes

Gill-on-a-rock

One of the Three Tarns, next to the Steep Bit

Nearing the summit (after the steep bit!) the low clouds could be seen washing over the whole of the Langdale valleys, coming to an eerily abrupt halt. The peaks of Pike O'Blisco and the Langdale Pikes were bobbing up and down through the clouds like black icebergs.

Langdale Pikes cresting the waves of clouds

The inverted cloud just ending past Bowfell

Guess Who, trying to photograph Pike O'Blisco before it disappears again

Murder on the knees, heavenly on the eyes

View from the summit of Bowfell

Refuelling on Date Crunch

In the afternoon, on the way down, the low cloud dissipated and some more normal, puffy white clouds came over.

Looking down Langdale Valley

Looking down Langdale Valley

Looking down Langdale Valley

Then back, a quick scrub-up and a stumble down to Wainwrights for our tea.

The Reward