Getting off Yr Elen

David Rose said:

My wife and I (who are not climbers but walkers and anything above a
Grade 1 Scramble if off limits) wish to walk from Carnedd Llewelyn to
Foel-fras, via Yr Elen. Accepting the height loss, is there a route
from Yr Elen into Cwm Caseg and then up to Foel Grach

Can't comment on the Foel Grach ascent, but you should have no problems
descending the ENE ridge from Yr Elen. I've gone up that way and it was
easy enough. I don't remember any scrambling but there might have been a
little. If so it must have been very easy because I can't remember it.

Here's a photo looking up the ridge. Nice and craggy but there's an easy
path avoiding most of the rocks (which you can see to the left of the ridge
in the photo);
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/ww/ca/01082934.jpg

Paul

Paul Saunders said:

Here's a photo looking up the ridge. Nice and craggy but there's an
easy path avoiding most of the rocks (which you can see to the left
of the ridge in the photo);
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/ww/ca/01082934.jpg

Oh, forgot to add, you can get a better idea of the gradient of the ridge in
this photo;
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/ww/ca/01082837.jpg

A couple of photos of the west side of Foel Grach and Clogwyn y Heliwr if
these are any help.
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/ww/ca/01082842.jpg
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk/ww/ca/01082932.jpg

Paul

In article <[email hidden]>, David Rose
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

My wife and I (who are not climbers but walkers and anything above a Grade 1
Scramble if off limits) wish to walk from Carnedd Llewelyn to Foel-fras, via
Yr Elen. Accepting the height loss, is there a route from Yr Elen into Cwm
Caseg and then up to Foel Grach or NW to Braich y Llyngwm and then on to
Garnedd Uchaf, or should we return along the ridge to Carnedd Llewelyn?

I should add that, for reasons irrelevant to this posting, we don't want to
do the route the other way round.

I would go back over LLewelyn. If you descend into Cwm Caseg you will
loose about 300m of height that has to be gained again heading up to
Foel Grach. If you go back over Llewelyn you will have to climb about
200m instead or ~160m if you traverse the NW side on the Llewelyn's
summit plateau instead of going to the top.

If you are approaching Llewelyn from the south you may be better off
going to Yr Ellen traversing Llewelyn's SW flank at about 900m) and then
up over Llewelyn.

--

Dominic Sexton

"David Rose" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My wife and I (who are not climbers but walkers and anything above a Grade
1 Scramble if off limits) wish to walk from Carnedd Llewelyn to Foel-fras,
via Yr Elen. Accepting the height loss, is there a route from Yr Elen into
Cwm Caseg and then up to Foel Grach or NW to Braich y Llyngwm and then on
to Garnedd Uchaf, or should we return along the ridge to Carnedd Llewelyn?

I should add that, for reasons irrelevant to this posting, we don't want
to do the route the other way round.

David.

Paul and Dominic,

Many thanks - and very helpful. We fancy the ENE descent, but accept tired
limbs (for an aging couple) might mean discretion wins over valour.

David