Pen Yr Ole Wen, Ogwen Valley

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,Summary:

Best at / for: all year round. Always much quieter than the main Ogwen Valley peaks during busy periods.

Best avoided: during poor weather, or low cloud. There is no shelter at all!

Parking: free parking on the A5 near Llyn Ogwen.

Access: strenuous walking and moderate scrambling required.

Notes: excellent wild camping at the summit on wide, flat grassy areas.

My vlogs featuring this location:

Pen Yr Ole Wen, Ogwen Valley (EP #169)

Details:

This location is absolutely nothing to do with the peak itself, but is incomparable for the perspectives it affords to the surrounding peaks!

The summit of Pen Yr Ole Wen is a rather bleak and nondescript location, with little in itself to offer the landscape photographer. However, this most certainly does not mean that this peak isn’t worth scaling. Because the views it offers across some of the more iconic peaks are unrivalled.

The hike and scramble up from the A5 takes about 2 hours or so, and can be very strenuous. There isn’t a defined footpath and the going can be quite boggy in the lower reaches, with rock scrambling required towards the summit. So if you are attempting to shoot a sunrise from this location you do need to be aware that it can be a very difficult ascent in the dark.

But the effort to reach the peak is well worth it for the landscape photographer.