More good weather in North Wales today - sunny with light winds, so a good day to climb a mountain. We headed to Rhyd-Ddu, to the west of Snowdon, but rather than climbing Snowdon, we headed up through the Beddgelert forest, and climbed the peak of Mynydd Mawr (698 metres). This rarely visited peak is across the valley to the west of Snowdon, and is not a difficult climb, with just a couple of steep, knee-testing sections on the route. The views across to Snowdon and the Nantlle ridge from here are spectacular, and from the top, the Llyn Peninsula, Anglesey and Caernarvon castle are all visible. A good mountain day, away from the usual Snowdonia hotspots and the tourist crowds you get on Snowdon.   

Today, the weather was quite nice in Snowdonia - warm sunny spells, albeit with a brisk easterly wind. We headed to the lovely little harbour resort of Borth-y-Gest just outside Porthmadog - a great spot for a bit of lunch at a quayside bistro, before walking along the coastal path to one of the little sandy beaches that look across the estuary to Harlech and the Rhinog hills beyond.  After a stroll along the coast path, we headed inland to climb the twin-peaked hill of Moel-y-Gest that overlooks Porthmadog. For such a modest hill (260 metres) you get great views of the Llyn Peninsula, and the major peaks of Snowdonia - the Moelwyns, Rhinogs and also Snowdon itself. A great day out within easy reach of the cottage.