UKC

I'm doing the welsh 3000's this weekend with a friend and we dont have a car I'm thinking of just bivvying at the end on saterday night (possibly sunday morning by the time I get there) and waiting for daylight before reversing back to Ogwen and getting the bus back to Bangor then train home.

Ive looked at a website which says theres an emergency shelter on Foel-Fras, i cant find this on my 1:25 000 map but seem to remember seeing it on my old 1: 50 000, does anybody know anything about it? Will there be room for two? is it easy to find?

Cheers

In reply to Red Rover: Actually that should say waiting for daylight to walk down to bethesda for the bus, I dont fancy a night time navigation epic when I'm knackered I'd rather get some sleep before trying to get off the hill.

In reply to Red Rover: Dont know about Foel Fras but theres defo one on Foel Grach, some have said its not the most pleasant of places to take a nights sleep but we stayed in it at the end of the winter and to be honest it was clean and dry although very cold.

In reply to Red Rover: They probably mean the bothy at SH705664. You could sleep in that then loop back up to Foel Grach and on to Bethesda or Ogwen

In reply to Red Rover: If it's the one I think it is, it has a notice by the door saying that you should only use this in a genuine emergency and should not set out planning to use it to overnight.

I gather emergency shelters aren't marked on the maps now to discourage people from using them as convenient bunkhouses.

In reply to Red Rover: There's also a rather luxurious wall on Foel Fras

In reply to Adam Carey: Yep, nothing on Foel Fras. Foel Grach is the place. Last time I was in it had windows (covered with shutters), a solid door and a corrugated roof. Would definitely shelter you from the elements but has no character and could potentially be quite dirty and smelly (although your post seems to indicate this wasn't the case earlier this year).

In reply to Red Rover:

As per others reply the shelter at Foel Grach is an emergency one, not bothie for planned stops, try the Dulan bothy by the Dulan reservior.

To be honest with the amount of kit you'd need to be able to sleep the energy used to carry it over all the 3000's would to my mind cancel out any advantage you'd gain. Carry less, navigate well and get down.

If your nav is not up to the job when tired why not spend a few weekends polishing it and then blast the 3000's?

Have a good one!

In reply to Red Rover: Thanks all, I'm not planning to use the bothy now knowing its just for emergencies, I think I'l just press on after doing it, navigation should be OK I was just after taking it easy and getting some kip after its done.

Cheers

In reply to Red Rover: Sorry yes forgot to say it is an emergency hut, we had planned to bivi but had a problem with one of the hooped bivis and it was a very cold night(bags outers were iced within a few minutes) so retreated to the hut at about 11pm after just becoming too cold. Like I said it was simple but clean - dont get me wrong I wouldnt have eaten off the floor but it sufficed and was at least dry as it started raining in the early hours - we woke to zero visibily early the following morning but at least we had some sleep.

In reply to Red Rover:

Its very small, only fit a couple of people in it and there are no wooden sleeping platforms like you get in a lot of bothies. If I remember right there where just shutters over the windows with no glass/perspex. I'm planning on doing the 3000er's in a couple of weeks and I'd just drop into Bethesda. I wouldn't take any gear with you, go light. I'm going to try and run as much as possible. I'll probably have a car at Pen y Pass and another at Bethesda.

What time are you looking for? Are you going to bivi on Snowdon?

Either way good luck

In reply to Hewin: Looking for under 12 hours if possible so not going to take full camping gear, cant decide whether to take a tent (2kg) and no sleeping bag or sleeping bag (light but huge) and orange bag and no tent. Any ideas?

In reply to Red Rover: Also bivvying on Snowdon, probably down by glaslyn (ads high as possible) or if theres no chance of bad weather (nearly struck by lightning last time) going to bivvy against the wall of teh summit caf.

In reply to Red Rover: If you're finishing at Foel Grach end, walk off down to Aber falls then Abergwyngregyn on the A55.. You can get a bus back to Bangor from there.. Or a bus to Llanfairfechan where there is a train station..

What about walking straight down to Llanfairfechan? It seems a similar distance to going down via the Aber falls and cuts out the bus

In reply to Red Rover:

You could head down to either, play with this map and these pictures to see which suits best;

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idld.srf?X=270155&Y=370870&A=Y&Z=120...

http://www.geograph.org.uk/gridref/SH7069

Seems to be reasonable paths in the area.

In reply to Red Rover:

I would have thought it easier just to get straight off the mountain, an extra 4-5miles downhill to aber would be as easy as going back to Foel Grach to stay in the emergency shelter. The paths are pretty easy to follow, even in the dark.

Not sure about buses from Aber, they should run pretty regularly though back to Llandudno Junction or Bangor to catch the train anywhere.

Good luck with the walk anyway, its good fun and there should be plenty of other people about, you may well be able to scab a lift from someone (but obviously don't bank on it!)