Y TRYFAEN, WALES.

BY FRED. W. JACKSON.

WE have it on very ancient authority that there is much comfort in "the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” In like manner the shadow of a great name is something to be grateful for. Thus, when Mr Haskett-Smith says in his Welsh Climbing Guide that Y Tryfaen (pron. A Truviin) is "the most remarkable rock mountain in Wales," my responsibility is perceptibly lightened, and the Editor justified in giving place to one of little Wales's mountains, notwithstanding that mighty Scotland is still a mine to be worked for many years to come. Baddeley's Guide uses the same expression, but I should not have ventured to say more than that Y Tryfaen (which means possibly "the threepeaked") is one of the most remarkable Welsh mountains, always giving the palm to Snowdon, and in this opinion I should have the support of "Badminton." At any rate it is a most interesting mountain, worthy of much attention, and is not difficult of access. A reading of Mr T. V. Scully's two articles, in Vol. III. of the Journal, will be found helpful towards understanding the character of the locality. The nearest railway stations are at Bethesda, five miles to the west, and at Bettws-y-Coed, ten miles to the east. Capel Curig, where there are several hotels, is 5 miles on the way from Bettws-y-Coed. The road along the Ogwen Valley or Nant Francon attains almost 1,000 feet at the water-shed near the foot of Tryfaen, and as the mountain is but 3,010 feet high, the climb of it is not very formidable. It runs north and south, springing from the shore of Llyn (Lake) Ogwen, and ending a mile beyond at Bwlch (the Welsh equivalent for Bealach) Tryfaen, the summit forming a true ridge with three separate peaks, the middle one being the highest and crowned with two large stones visible from the road. What it lacks in height it makes up in picturesque outline. From the north-east side (as illustrated) it is most striking, whilst as seen from the north, across the valley, it assumes

a really imposing sugar-loaf appearance, well set off by the Glyders beyond. Cwm Bochlwyd, in which lies a little lake, forms the hollow on the west, and the glacier-worn Cwm Tryfaen that on the east side. A pleasant scramble can be had by following the ridge from end to end it is chiefly rock-work of a simple character, but some little problems may be found on the way. Should the ridge be traversed southwards, it would be advisable to continue beyond Bwlch Tryfaen over the Glyder Arête (shown in the illustration)-very like a bit of Skye ridgeto the summit of Glyder Fach, perhaps the most wonderful mountain top in Wales, consisting of piles of huge blocks of weathered stone.

When viewed from the eastern side, a noticeable feature of Tryfaen is a continuous line running right across the face of the mountain, roughly parallel with the line of its base. This proves to be an easy traverse formed by a fault in the rock; when climbing the mountain, it should be reached at the earliest possible moment. All below it is an exasperating mixture of heather, scree, and broken rock, set at a sufficiently steep angle, whilst above it is almost entirely bare rock, seamed with gullies. From Bwlch Tryfaen the traverse is reached almost immediately; at the other end it may be seen winding round at no great elevation above the road, to be presently lost on the west side of the mountain, the side on which there is hardly any true climbing, but a fair amount of scrambling. Almost all the rock climbs are above the traverse on the east side, the gullies being good for 400 or 500 feet each. There are six or seven of these, but only the three central ones offer sufficient opposition to be considered sporting. The walls of the gullies and the faces of rock between them show many climbs of the fancy kind, but it is the gullies that practically monopolise attention. To avoid confusion it will be desirable to adopt the distinctions used in Mr HaskettSmith's climbing book. He calls the main one the "North" Gully, because it comes out immediately to the north of the summit, whilst those to left and right are called the "South" and "Nor'-nor'" Gullies respectively. The Nor'nor' affords some very enjoyable climbing, and is never

very difficult. It consists of pitches at intervals, stretches of scree between, varied with an occasional piece of wall scaling. Should any portion appear too difficult, it is generally practicable to escape at some point near the obstruction. The South Gully is very similar in character, but has two awkward pitches. At two or three places it opens out and divides into right and left branches. On 1st August this year a party of three climbed this gully, keeping to the left throughout, as this seemed more sporting. "Badminton" says, don't take a novice with you; but, then, if the poor novice is to be "cut," how is he to become anything else? Anyhow, I was disobedient on this occasion, sinning doubly in taking two novices; but as one was Wood and the other Cole, it only required the touch of fire to awaken heat and kindle enthusiasm. By which simile I mean that my two companions took to the work with ardour. The first pitch is a very little way above the traverse. It is only some 15 feet high, but has a steep coping-stone that throws one off, and, judging by the experiences related by Mr Haskett-Smith, refuses all exit by the roof. Our leader made two attempts, the second time supported by a rope taken up by the right-hand wall. He got as far as possible, the right side pressed against a wet mossy face of rock that transferred its moisture through his clothes. No amount of wriggling would let him pass between the coping-stone and the wall; the stone just buried itself in his coat and refused to let go. The rope upset the gravity of some scree above, every bit of which as it fell going with unerring aim straight for the prisoner, who carried the marks away with him. Perhaps some one of the consistency of a wafer could pass this obstruction, but in that case he would hardly have the lung capacity necessary for a climber. The second awkward pitch is close to the top of the gully, and has to be climbed by the left wall, where at the crucial point there is no grip for the hands. Progress is made by pressing the arms and hands on two flat ledges sloping towards the climber, who feels that the balance is held rather too evenly to be quite pleasant when he remembers what is below, especially as foot-hold is none too good.