Snowdon Sunrise

The Pyg Track in the dark is straightforward enough with a head torch — steep, but well-trodden. By the time the summit came into view the sky was already lightening, and the temperature was making its feelings clear. Standing on top of Snowdon at dawn in summer sounds romantic until you’re actually doing it, at which point it’s mainly just cold.

The sun cresting the horizon brought some relief. It also revealed, with impressive efficiency, that even at 7am on a weekday Snowdon draws a queue. A line of people snaking up to the trig point, visible right of centre if you know where to look — a reminder that this is one of the most climbed mountains in the UK, regardless of what time you set the alarm for.

Glaslyn and Llyn Llydaw sat in the valley below, layer after layer of ridgeline dissolving into the morning haze beyond them. A panoramic that needed the width to do it justice.

Worth the 3am alarm.