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The Slippery Peak of the Witch (Video)

A few weeks back I set off to do this bikepacking trip but bailed as I wasn’t in the ‘zone’. I was pretty gutted as the weather was perfect, no wind, no cloud and the chance of a great sunrise. Fast forward 4 weeks and I wasn’t going to let it go as I again packed the gear in my bags and loaded up the Mukluk for another trip in my local area of Snowdonia.

Snowdonia

The plan was to set up my tent on the summit of an 800 metre mountain named Pen Llithrig y Wrach which translates to The Slippery Peak of the Witch. This is because when looking at the mountain from the north a few miles away it looks like a witches hat! I had been to the summit 3 times before so I knew what to expect, 400 metres of steep hike a bike that is rewarded by fine views of the mountainous area. As I knew there was little wind I knew the time was now right.

Fine views

The going was tough but worth it. I had a great pitch just off the summit cairn and I enjoyed drinking from my hip flask whilst watching the surrounding shadows fall on the mountainsides.

Cheers

Sunrise was at around 6am so I ensured I was up and ready to watch the new day unfold. After several coffee’s later I was packed and ready to ride/walk once again.

Pre-sunrise
Monday mornings coffee view

A steep 200 metre decent saw me at the foot of yet more pushing, this time 250 metres up to the summit of Pen yr Helgi Du. The going was very tough again but the views were the reward for all the hard work.

Snowdonia

The rest of the ride was fairly easy in comparison, flowing grassy descents followed by singletrack alongside the lake that I was camped above the night before.

Singletrack by the lake

All in all this was a great local trip which I’m so glad I re-attempted. Yes it was tough but the rewards were worth it. As I returned back to full time work this week with a college full of students, my memories of this trip will keep me ‘sane’ through the busy days ahead.

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2 Responses to The Slippery Peak of the Witch (Video)

  1. Erv Spanks September 15, 2020 at 4:40 pm #

    Amazingly beautiful as always!

    Thanks for sharing!

    Cheers!

  2. Maria Vicar-Harris November 8, 2020 at 3:47 am #

    Wow, this was incredible. Very inspiring.

    Thank you.

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