Two Years and 805 Metres: The Cloud Inversion That Defined My Commitment to Snowdonia Stock Footage
Few shots in mountain cinematography require the kind of patience and specific weather conditions as a perfect cloud inversion. For over two years, I’ve been waiting for the weather to align just right for one single, massive filming project on Y Foel Goch in the Glyderau range of Snowdonia. A location I’d often eyed up from across the valley on the Carneddau, and one I knew would be perfect for sunset shots of Tryfan. I just needed the weather to be right, ideally a cloud inversion, I needed high pressure, low winds, and high humidity—the perfect signal for a sea of clouds.
Watch the VLOG on YouTube
This was a long-game commitment to conquering a meteorological phenomenon that had previously defeated me, many times! Dozens of trips into the mountains, thousands of hours piss wet through staring at the inside of a cloud…. This time, though, the forecast delivered, and after two years of meticulous waiting, this might be my best Snowdonia stock footage yet. It’s absolutely unbelievable.
The Ascent: The 150 BPM Rush
The journey up Y Foel Goch (The Red Bare Hill, 805 metres) was a logistical effort, requiring a serious pack-haul up a lesser-known route off the Ogwen Valley. On previous Snowdonia excursions, I’ve often carried a brutal 27 kilos of gear; this time, I’d tried to strip it down, but still ended up at 17 kilos before adding several extra kilos of food and water for a potential second night.
The hike started in the thick, humid, and foggy air of the Ogwen Valley. It was quiet—eerie, even—the thick air deadening all sound. But I knew the fog in the valley was the key to the clear sky above.
The race to the top was physical. When I hit 705 metres, I saw the first glimpse of sun breaking through, and that was the signal to put my foot down. My heart was hammering so hard I thought I heard drum and bass. But it was just my heart… hitting 150 beats per minute. The exertion was worth it: at 752 metres, the clouds broke, and I was genuinely lost for words. Below me, the valley was gone, replaced by a silent, brilliant white ocean of cloud.
Above the Cloud Sea: The Cinematic Triumph
From my vantage point on Y Foel Goch, every iconic peak was visible, making this truly world-class Snowdonia stock footage:
Tryfan (917m), perfectly framed, rising from the cloud blanket like a shark fin.
The entire Ogwen Valley completely submerged.
The distant, great Snowdon Massif (Yr Wyddfa, 1085m), Crib Goch, and Y Lliwedd were all visible as isolated islands in the mist.
The rare conditions gifted me some incredible, personal moments: I witnessed a Brocken Spectre, where the sun casts your dramatically enlarged shadow onto the mist below. I also captured the magnificent cloud bow arcing into the sky.
The Arsenal: Earning the Footage Frame-by-Frame
The sheer volume of high-quality assets captured on this trip is the true success story:
Cameras and Gear: The main action was captured on my Sony A7III (for the timelapse sequences) and my Sony ZV-E1 (for video, along with the DJI Mini 4 Drone for the aerial perspective. My reliable solo shelter, the MSR Elixir 1 Tent, provided the backdrop for the intimate, model-released camping shots.
The Long Shots: The Landscape Pack (CP #312) is dominated by exceptionally long clips, such as an awe-inspiring 22-minute morning shot of Tryfan and a 7-minute dawn scene. These are deliberately long, stable 4K clips, allowing editors to create custom timelapses at any length, or use them as long background plates.
Night and Motion: I stayed up late, repositioning the timelapse to capture the transition: the clear night sky above the clouds, contrasting with the glowing cloud blanket below. The final triumph was the sunrise where the cloud started streaming through the peaks "like a river".
The total effort—the planning, the ascent, the freezing night, and the successful capture of a two-year goal—is now distilled into four definitive Snowdonia stock footage clip packs:
Clip Pack #312 (Landscape Stock Footage): Over 1 hour 55 minutes of stable tripod footage, including the custom-timelapse-ready long clips of the red-glowing Tryfan and model-released shots of the entire journey.
Clip Pack #313 (Drone Stock Footage): The crucial aerial perspective, with commanding views and sweeping shots that emphasize the huge scale of the inversion that engulfed the Ogwen Valley.
Clip Pack #314 (Drone Timelapse Stock Footage): High-altitude, time-compressed sequences of the cloud and light movement.
Clip Pack #315 (Timelapse Stock Footage): Fixed-position ground-level timelapses, capturing the slow, surreal movement of the cloud sea over the valleys.
The Final Takeaway: Perseverance Pays Off
The success of this mission, after two years of preparation and multiple failed weather attempts, is a powerful reminder that perseverance pays off. I’ve put in the hard hours—the cold nights, the heavy packs, the long waits—so you don't have to. You get the ready-to-use, professional cinematic result.
The full video documenting this incredible adventure will be published this Friday on my YouTube channel. Watch it to see the effort that went into capturing this world-class Snowdonia stock footage.
Expand Your Welsh Archive: Other Essential Snowdonia Stock Footage
Clip Pack #147 – Snowdonia Winter Landscapes Stock Video Footage & Timelapse: This is my ultimate cold-weather collection, featuring 121 clips of icy peaks, rugged trails, and 15 ProRes 422 Timelapse Sequences, perfect for conveying the challenge and raw beauty of a full winter expedition.
Clip Pack #206 - Amazing Cloud Inversion Snowdonia Timelapse 4K UHD Stock Footage: This pack offers 17 meticulously crafted timelapse sequences of clouds wafting gracefully over iconic peaks like Crib Goch and Snowdon Summit.
Clip Pack #190 - The Devil's Kitchen, Glyderau, and Tryfan Stock Footage: For a specific focus on the rugged, jagged peaks of the Glyderau range and Tryfan, this collection features 117 clips combining drone shots and ground-based tripod shots, capturing low mist, swirling clouds, and vast mountain vistas.
Clip Pack #203 - Snowdon and Tryfan Drone & Timelapse Stock Footage: This pack provides another essential archive of the Ogwen Valley and its surrounding peaks. It features 63 premium 4K UHD clips, including 36 Drone & Gimbal Shots of Crib Goch and 27 Timelapses of bubbling morning fog and mountain lakes.
Clip Pack #114 – Glyderau, Snowdonia National Park – Winter Views of Tryfan, Glyder Fach, Snowdon: This comprehensive winter pack of 62 clips showcases the Glyderau range in its most raw form, with sweeping aerial shots of iconic summits under frost, and timelapse sequences of breathtaking cloud inversions.
Clip Pack #215 - Snowdon Winter Sunrise Stock Footage: This pack captures a moment of "absolute epicness" from an icy, dangerous climb to the summit of Snowdon at dawn in winter, featuring 60 clips of spectacular light and views.
