Pen yr Ole Wen 3209ft (978m) The top of the white slope SH 65604 61943

It is a steep rough haul up on to this mountain from any direction but the North. The summit itself, though, is broad and grassy, a place to look back at the shark’s fin of Tryfan looking surprisingly small in front of the rock walls of the Glyderau, Yr Wyddfa poking up behind Twll Du, the Devils Kitchen; ahead to the stony wastes of Carnedd Dafydd, with Llewelyn behind; or down onto Ffynon Lloer, the Well of the Moon,hundreds of feet below.

The crags behind the lake give some little visited but interesting rock climbs while the back wall of the cwm holds snow well and in a good winter offers an exciting ski descent. For those with eyes to see and time to spare, this is a place to look for Least Willow, Britain’s smallest tree, growing in a sheep nibbled sward amongst bilberry and cowberry.