Beddgelert to Nantgwynant
6.9 miles
We walked up out of Beddgelert through the Rhodedendron scrub which was a splash of colour at this time of year. It was very beautiful and despite the steepness was great route to Craflwyn Hall. Dom set a cracking pace on this first section with me and Malc following in his wake. We didnt know what was coming next though.
Yr Aran is by no means the highest peak in this area, but he climb to the top turned out to be the hardest of the whole challenge. I think the most difficult aspect was that it was across country, making walking harder and route finding a bit more difficult. We seemed to have to pick our way through small crags and runnels. Finding a cool stream half way up was a bonus, especially as the sun was now beating down. Its amazing how sticking your head in a brook can revitalise you so quickly and become the highlight of the day.
By the end of the second leg there were plenty of tired legs and as with last year it was a great first day. Add to that the fact that my reputation as a compulsive liar had been somewhat redeemed. It turns out that my attempts to convince my team that the summit was closer than it really was, was not some warped motivational tool. It was just bad map-reading.
