Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, North Wales, Spring
The morning of my 40th birthday.
The morning of my 40th birthday.
We got up before the sun, devoured breakfast, and head straight into the heart of Yr Eryri for one of my favourite areas in the whole of North Wales: the Ogwen Valley.
Dyffryn Ogwen separates two mountain ranges: the Glyderau and the Carneddau. In the Glyderau you can find my favourite peak in all of Wales: Tryfan. She rises 3,010 ft and is often cited as one of the most recognisable mountains in Britain. My favourite compositions of Tryfan involve shooting it from the various falls and cascades of Afon Lloer across the valley.
As an additional bonus, we then enjoyed the Cwm Idwal circuit, taking in one of the most spectacular hanging valleys I know.
The light and weather could not have been kinder.
What a way to see in my 40th year on this planet.
All photos taken on my Sony a7ii using my Vivitar “Series 1” 28–105mm f2.8–3.8 and Rokinon 14mm f2.8. RAWs developed in Lightroom for iPad, then edited and finalised in Affinity Photo 2 for iPad.
Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia, North Wales, Spring by Ian Cylkowski is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
I finally got the composition of Tryfan I’ve been after for years. Tryfan at sunrise, with the cascades of Afon Lloer leading the way down the flanks of Pen yr Ole Wen.
Heading back down to the valley floor, a dry stone wall gives me another lovely composition involving Tryfan.
Beyond Tryfan, we climbed up the trail to take the Cwm Idwal circuit. I were very much hoping the light and conditions to be right enough so that the rising sun would illuminate the Idwal Slabs high above the tarn. Here, Castell y Geifr catches the rising sun above Cwm Idwal.
As we pottered about the shore of Llyn Idwal seeking out more compositions, what I hoped for finally happened. The Idwal Slabs, those towering cliffs of crag, starting catching the light. So I lined up this composition.
A tighter composition focusing on the Idwal Slabs. Arguably, Cwm Idwal’s most recognisable feature is the Devil’s Kitchen, or Twll Du (“black hole”) in Welsh. This is a large crack in the cliffs of Cwm Idwal, inside which flows a multi-drop waterfall. The light angle was just right.
As we circumambulated Llyn Idwal clockwise, I kept my gaze locked high on the crags above, watching the light change. As one of the many falls was lit up, I shot this moody photo.
The Cwm Idwal circuit is largely paved, making the going easy. As we neared the apex of the trail, another scene of delicious light demanded by attention.
Walking along the western section of the trail away from the Idwal Slabs, the profile of Pen yr Ole Wen (978m/3,209ft) comes into view. Here, I spot two giant slabs of rock that provide a nice foreground interest as Pen yr Ole Wen gets some lovely morning light.
A glacial erratic nearly blocks the trail. It also gives a lovely foreground interest against the emerging morning light drenching Pen yr Ole Wen.
Nearly at the start of the Llyn Idwal circuit, the tarn is calm and flat enough to give a lovely reflection of Wales’ 7th highest mountain.
Did you enjoy these photos?
Revisit, Remember, Relearn
I like to revisit favourite compositions. A large part of this is simply the love of the view itself. But also, it helps me to reconnect, in a way. When I return to a favourite composition, I’m able to add this current experience to my previous experiences of the view, and I compare myself to my situations in my past experiences.
Perhaps it’s a way of creating Memory Milestones; using a beautiful place to reflect back on my life and compare with the version of me now.
Camera: Sigma dp0 Quattro
Lens: built-in 14mm f/4.0
ISO: 100
Aperture: f/11.0
Shutter speed: 1⁄50
Software: Sigma Photo Pro, Nik Collection, Affinity Photo