Tan yr Wyddfa, Rhyd Ddu – Haggis Meet - Feb 2026
[What a view! - Ed.]
Meet report by The Boss
Compared to last year’s Haggis Meet when we only had 11 people on the meet in a hut that took 25 people (High House, Borrowdale), this year we had a full hut of 17 members plus a waiting list of another 4 people. I think that the lesson to be learnt for some people is that if you definitely want to go on a hut meet with limited places, then the earlier that you book on to it, the better chance you have of actually going. This also shows up the difficulties of trying to book a hut a year or so in advance and forecasting how many people are likely to actually go on a particular meet! It’s so variable.
A lot of people got very excited leading up to the weekend, about the amount of snow and ice in Snowdonia, but in reality it came to nothing, except for those few who went up Snowdon.
As usual for our recent January Rhyd Ddu meets, the Cwellyn Arms in Rhyd Ddu was again shut for their winter holiday.
Note that there is now full mobile phone reception in Rhyd Ddu village and valley, due to a new phone mast built for Mountain Rescue purposes.
Friday
For some people, a dry drive up in reasonable weather during the daylight hours. Unfortunately for the late arrivals, there were a few road closures and diversions.
Saturday
Note that people’s activities have been taken from their completed Route Cards, and might not necessarily reflect what actually happened when they were out! If you didn’t fill one in, then I won’t have known what you intended to do and even may have done.
The team on Y-Gribin
Not a good weather forecast with intermittent-to-frequent rain forecast throughout the day.
Richard, Teresa, Jose and Huw: Drove round to the Llanberis Pass, up the Miner’s Track and then did the grade 1 scramble from Glaslyn up Y-Gribin to gain the Watkin path up to Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Descended down the Rhyd Ddu path back to the hut, requiring someone later on, to then take Richard back round to collect his car.
Peter Thompson: Rhyd Ddu path as far as Pen ar Lon, then to Bwlch Cwm Llan / Clogwyn Du and back.
Karsten, Dario and Vinnie: Snowdon and then possibly Crib Goch?. I think that Vinnie turned back when the heavy rain started.
John: ? (I don’t know what you did as you didn’t appear in any Route Card)
Fritha and Aga: Rhyd Ddu path to join the south ridge up Snowdon, then possibly Crib Goch. Descend to Pen-y-Pass and then return via two Sherpa bus journeys (Pen-y-Pass to Beddgelert and then Beddgelert to Rhyd Ddu) back to the hut.
The Slate Trail
Bernie, Brian, Gill, Helen, Cat and Mark: Started off by catching the S3 Sherpa bus to Beddgelert (£2.20 single, cash or card) with the intention of walking up Moel Hebog. However due to the initial heavy rain and low cloud (and maybe even a lack of moral fibre ?), quickly changed their plans at Beddgelert to a walk along the scenic Snowdonia Slate Trail, just above the river to Aberglaslyn. The heavy rain soon stopped after we started walking and was then mostly dry for rest of the day. Ascended the hills opposite to the Aberglaslyn Pass, where the path on the map did exist, but didn’t on the ground. From here on it was exceedingly boggy, with the water going over and in to a few people’s boots. Away from any good paths the hills are saturated from all the recent rain. We then passed a still inhabited but very run-down farmhouse in the middle of nowhere; just the sort of place that Ray would love to buy and do-up over the next decade or so. We stopped for a late lunch in some pine woods, where we briefly tried out/tested the CMC bright orange group bothy shelter. Soon afterwards we got down to Beddgelert, where we took some liquid refreshments in the Prince Llewelyn Hotel, before walking the 8 km forest path back northwards to Rhyd Ddu.
Luckily, the hut has a very large drying room, which was put to plenty of use over the weekend.
Haggis Supper
Bernie, Aga, Fritha and Brian were the main cooks for the Burns (Haggis) Supper. Vinnie did the heavy duty job of mashing the 6 kg of potatoes, followed by the swedes and carrots. The 17 of us just about fitted into the small dining room and there were enough chairs for all of us to sit around the tables, even if we were a bit short of cutlery (knives)! Bernie said the Selkirk Grace, then after Aga’s hearty soup the haggis was piped in with some bagpipe music on an mp3 player. Then Rabbie Burns’ The Ode to the Haggis was read by Huw in his best Welsh/Scottish accent! After the haggis, neaps and tatties we finished off the meal with Fritha’s Cranachan, before retiring to the lounge.
Sunday
Hydrolysis at work
When Cat went to collect her kit from the drying room in the morning, she found that the heel midsole of both of her plastic boots had disintegrated/half disappeared! Luckily she had another pair of walking boots with her for the rest of the weekend. Cat was initially trying to blame the mice in the hut for this. However, we found out later on that this is caused by hydrolysis, which is the chemical breakdown of Polyurethane (PU) boot soles caused by moisture absorption, leading to crumbling, cracking, or detachment from the boot. It is a natural aging process accelerated by warm, humid storage or lack of use. Prevent it by wearing boots regularly to flex the material and storing them clean and dry in cool, dry, well-ventilated areas. This problem can occur with both plastic and leather boots.
Most of the major boot manufacturers have notes about this known problem on their websites, e.g. Meindl here. To quote: ‘Hydrolysis is not a warranty or manufacturing fault; it occurs in all boots with PU midsoles. Hydrolysis is a normal material ageing process that occurs in all footwear with a cushioned PU midsole independent of the manufacturer. The process also occurs in automobile, tires, ski boots or helmets and does not represent lower quality or a quality issue in materials or workmanship. Sole units will degrade faster without use than if the footwear is worn regularly.’ So the next time that I see you wearing your B3, B2, or whatever boots around Croydon, then I will know why and not ask you any stupid questions.
A worse weather forecast today for frequent and heavy rain midday/afternoon.
Bernie’s repaired ladder stile
Bernie and Brian: walked up the Rhyd Ddu path as far as the quarries and then up Yr Aran. On route Bernie managed to fix a dangerously loose step on a ladder stile over a wire fence, by hammering in a slate wedge to fix it in place. The wettest we have been for some time.
Aga: The first part of the Nantlle Ridge, descend to Bwlch-y-ddwy-elor and then back through the forest to the hut.
Vinnie: did the same walk as Aga, but left a bit later.
Richard, Teresa, Huw, Peter, plus possibly a few more people: drove round to Pete’s Eats in Llanberis for a relaxing Sunday Lunch.
Gill, Helen, Fritha, Cat and Mark: drove west to Nantlle, where they walked around the Twll Mawr slate quarries, Talysarn Hall and Llyn.
John and Dario: low level walk – Slate Trail West, Llyn Cwellyn woods.
There was plenty of Aga’s soup left over for people that wanted it, when they got back.
Cat and Mark departed to Tremadog, where they had booked a couple of nights at the Golden Fleece Hotel (breakfast free if you book direct, rather than through booking.com).
Only three people stayed on in the hut for the Sunday night – Bernie, Brian and Peter. Everybody else departed for home. Luckily, there was enough soup, haggis, neaps and tatties and Cranachan left for the three of us for our supper.
Monday
The only completely dry day of the long weekend, with even some blue sky and sunshine, although, there were 30 increasing to 45 mph southerly winds on the mountain summits, so we had to take care.
Bernie, Brian and Peter: the Nantlle Ridge. First, the very steep ascent to Y Garn (where there is a large circular stone shelter giving us some cover from the very strong winds), then along the ridge to Mynydd Drws-y-Coed from where we descended to the southwest and then steeply southeast to Bwlch-y-ddwy-elor (which translates as “The Pass of the Two Biers”), and then back through the Beddgelert Forest to the hut.
After we got back to the hut, it took quite a long time for just the three of us to give the hut a really good clean and tidy-up.
Cat and Mark did a nice coastal walk from Harlech. Cat said that it was pouring down with rain again on the Tuesday.
*
Please note that our 2027 Haggis Meet will probably have to be back in Snowdonia again, due to a lack of suitable accommodation in the Lake District on the weekend that we want. All of the suitable Lake District huts that I have checked have all been booked up already, at least one year in advance, for the end of January 2027. I will try to book a hut in the Lake District well in advance for our 2028 Haggis Meet.
A year gives you all plenty of time to acquire some proper Scottish attire (kilts, sporrans, sgian-dubhs, bonnets, etc.) and to practise your Scottish accents for next year’s Burns Supper!
Roll call
José Santos Marijuan (ML)
Bernie Ingrams
Brian Carr
Peter Thompson
Gill Black
Cat Early
Mark Bennett
Richard Green
Teresa O’Regan
Aga C.S.
Fritha Winter
Helen Stoddart
Huw Kealy
Dario Rodriguez (new member, first meet)
John Baily
Karsten Richter
Vinnie