The idea for this meet was to get away from the high season crush in Llanberis and go a bit further into Snowdonia than is typical.

As I am a new member my research into the area suprisingly yielded just as much information about the past exploits of the Club as the climbing in the area.

The Karabiner has had a long standing relationship with the ancient county of Meirionnydd. Even searching this area for a club hut after the loss of Irish Row and before the discovery of Ty Pwdwr. This was largely due to the redoubtable influence of Bowden Black, with Cadair Idris being described as Bowden’s Mountain among members. Indeed the VS Bowden established on Cadair Idris, 'Obsession' still stands as one of the mountain’s classics.

For this reason it is proposed that our meeting place be the Dôl Idris car park just after the junction of the A487 and the B4405 Dolgellau to Tywyn on Saturday morning. However anyone who has read the latest Merionnydd guide will know that the area is bursting at the seams with routes, with 93 pages devoted just to Cadair Idris

For some variation over the three days I also propose in what is also a long standing club tradition Craig Cywarch, (see Dorothy Wrights Article Why not Cywarch? in the 50th anniversary news letter).

Despite an approach these days requiring a machete and an ability to whistle the Indiana Jones theme tune, a collection of 356 classic multi-pitch routes, some 120 meters in length, spread evenly across the grades awaits. [a compass to emerge from the 2m+ bracken over the western side, at a crag, will help. Ed.]

If three days solid of climbing doesn’t appeal there are other opportunities in the area with the local cycle routes, mountain and road, the best in the country.

A list of campsites at the foot of Cadair Idris is available at Tal y Llyn Tourism or take up Andy Stratfords recommendation of the Cae Du Campsite which has excellent views of the Llangelynin coast line.

The legend of Cadair Idris may also inspire some to opt for a bit of wild camping.