Two Years, Decades of Learning, and One Unforgettable Cloud Inversion: The Ultimate Snowdonia Stock Footage Triumph
For nearly two decades, I’ve dedicated myself to understanding mountain weather. I’ve studied meteorology at the Met Office, poured over forecasts, and learned the intricate dance of pressure systems, humidity, and wind. Yet, despite all that knowledge, the mountains—especially the Welsh mountains of Snowdonia—have a humbling way of defying prediction. I’ve spent countless days up here, battling gale-force winds, enduring relentless rain, and staring into the impenetrable white void of a cloud, only to come down with nothing but soggy gear and a fierce determination to try again.
Check out more of my Snowdonia Wild Camping Blogs here.
For over two years, one shot, one phenomenon, has eluded me: the perfect cloud inversion on Y Foel Goch in the Glyderau range. I needed a precise alignment of atmospheric conditions: high pressure, low winds, and crucially, high humidity to form that ethereal sea of cloud. It’s a delicate balance, and Snowdonia doesn't give up its secrets easily. But I watched, I waited, and finally, the forecast whispered of a window. It was now deeply personal mission to capture something truly rare and magnificent. And now, I have the Snowdonia stock footage to prove it – the culmination of everything I've learned, all the failures I've overcome, and it can now be yours.
The Ascent: A Drum & Bass Heartbeat to Heaven
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. I've learned to lighten my load over the years, but even with meticulous planning, the gear for this kind of shoot—multiple cameras, drone, robust camping kit, extra food, and water for a potential two nights—still brought the pack weight up.
The ascent began in thick, oppressive humidity and fog. It was quiet, almost eerily so, the thick air muffling all sound. But I knew this fog in the valley was the golden ticket; it meant clear skies—and magic—were waiting above. The push was physical, a relentless grind upwards. When I hit 705 metres, I saw the first tantalising glimpse of sun breaking through the grey, and that was it. I put my foot down. My heart hammered, a frantic 150 beats per minute, thrumming like a drum and bass track in my chest. The exertion was immense, but the payoff was instantaneous and utterly overwhelming: at 752 metres, I broke through the final cloud layer.
The world below was gone. Replaced by a silent, brilliant white ocean of cloud, stretching as far as the eye could see. I was genuinely lost for words.
Above the Cloud Sea: A Symphony of Light and Majesty
From my hard-won vantage point on Y Foel Goch, every iconic peak in the region became an island in a shifting, ethereal sea. This was truly world-class Snowdonia stock footage material:
Tryfan (917m), the jagged king, perfectly framed and rising from the cloud blanket like a sharp shark fin, or even, as I later captured in timelapse, an armadillo.
The entire Ogwen Valley and Llyn Ogwen—the legendary lake—were completely submerged, replaced by a swirling, dynamic canvas of white.
The distant, great Snowdon Massif (Yr Wyddfa, 1085m), Crib Goch, and Y Lliwedd were all visible, majestic sentinels in a realm above the clouds.
Further off, the majestic peaks of the Carneddau range—Carnedd Dafydd (1044m), Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m), and Pen yr Ole Wen (978m)—punched through the mist. Moel Siabod also made its appearance, often draped in wisps of cloud.
The conditions gifted me some incredibly rare and personal moments: I witnessed a Brocken Spectre, where the sun casts your dramatically enlarged, rainbow-crowned shadow onto the mist below. I also captured a magnificent cloud bow arcing into the sky.
Introducing the New Snowdonia Cloud Inversion Footage Packs
These four new packs offer the complete visual story of this magnificent cloud inversion event, from ground-level intimacy to sweeping aerial timelapses. They are unique, unmatched in quality, and ready to elevate your productions.
Clip Pack #312 - Snowdonia Cloud Inversion Landscape Stock Footage
Details: 1 hour 55 minutes, 115 clips, 42.17GB, 4K UHD
Price: £2495
Description: This pack provides the crucial ground-level perspective and the intimate story of the entire trip, all in pristine 4K quality. It features 115 stable tripod clips, including some exceptionally long, custom-timelapse-ready shots of Tryfan that run for minutes. You’ll find the intimate, model-released shots of me setting up camp, and showcasing the truly rare Brocken Spectre. This is the full narrative of the journey, from trekking through the thick valley fog to emerging into the clear air above, capturing the sunset, night, dawn, and sunrise above the cloud sea. These shots provide the human element and raw beauty of experiencing this phenomenon from the ground on Y Foel Goch.
Clip Pack #313 - Snowdonia Cloud Inversion Drone Stock Footage
Details: 1 hour 29 minutes 54 seconds, 97 clips, 35.27GB, 4K UHD
Price: £2495
Description: This collection offers 97 clips of simply magnificent 4K UHD drone stock footage, captured during the very same cloud inversion event. This is world-class Snowdonia drone stock footage and some of the best I've ever captured of this phenomenon. The full spectrum of light is here: from clear daytime views to red fiery dusk and dawn scenes. My drone captures the perspective high up on Y Foel Goch, with the majestic sea of clouds whirling below like a bowl of soup, and the iconic summits—Tryfan, Glyder Fach, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn, Pen yr Ole Wen, Snowdon, Crib Goch, Y Lliwedd, and Moel Siabod—protruding like isolated islands. Watch Tryfan emerge from the cloud at dusk in a way I believe is truly unparalleled.
Clip Pack #314 - Snowdonia Cloud Inversion Drone Timelapse Stock Footage
Details: 5 minutes 59 seconds, 15 drone timelapse sequences, 2.23GB, 4K UHD
Price: £1495
Description: This specialised pack delivers 15 unique 4K UHD drone timelapse sequences, representing the technical pinnacle of my two-year mission. This is Snowdonia timelapse drone stock footage at its absolute best. These clips capture the dramatic, time-compressed motion of the cloud inversion from a high-altitude perspective above Y Foel Goch. The sequences cover the full spectrum of light—sunrise, dawn, day, and sunset—with the clouds swirling around the great summits. See Tryfan in fast motion, looking like an armadillo poking up from the sea of cloud. These ethereal drone shots are designed for high-impact, dynamic sequences in your projects.
Clip Pack #315 - Snowdonia Cloud Inversion Timelapse Stock Footage
Details: 9 minutes total playtime, 32 timelapse sequences, 18.22GB, 4K UHD, ProRes 422
Price: £2995
Description: This pack is nothing short of magnificent. It delivers 32 sublimely produced timelapse sequences in high-quality 4K UHD ProRes 422, showcasing the awe-inspiring cloud inversion from the ground. The collection is anchored by two exceptionally long sequences that ran for almost 12 hours in raw capture time: one capturing Tryfan from day-to-night with Comet Lemmon visible, and another facing the Carneddau with a hint of the Northern Lights as the cloud soup bowl wafts below. These are magnificent, rare, and brilliantly sublime fixed-position timelapses, capturing the true scale and beauty of the phenomenon.
The Final Takeaway: Perseverance Pays Off
This was a long-awaited and deeply rewarding personal triumph. The success of this mission, after two years of preparation, decades of regularly studying mountain weather, and countless past failures battling the elements in Snowdonia, 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.
These four packs offer an unparalleled visual narrative of one of nature's most spectacular events in the Welsh mountains. They are unique, unmatched in quality, and ready to bring a touch of the sublime to your next production.
Watch the full video documenting this incredible adventure on my YouTube channel. See the effort that went into capturing this world-class Snowdonia stock footage.
More Snowdonia Expeditions
If you liked this trip report, you should read about my Winter Camping mission on Y Garn, where I got snowed in and had to dig a kitchen out of the ice. I also do a fair bit of camping closer to home; you can find my Shropshire Hills adventures, including Northern Lights and wild ponies, in the blog archive.
Filmmakers: The 4K footage from this trip is part of my Snowdonia Stock Library. Prints are available in FINE ART STORE.
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Explore more of my premium Welsh Mountain Stock Footage:
Clip Pack #147 – Snowdonia Winter Landscapes Stock Video Footage & Timelapse: My ultimate cold-weather collection, featuring 121 clips filmed across the challenging Carneddau range.
Clip Pack #206 - Amazing Cloud Inversion Snowdonia Timelapse 4K UHD Stock Footage: A valuable companion offering 17 meticulously crafted timelapse sequences of clouds 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 with 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, featuring 63 premium 4K UHD clips, including 36 Drone & Gimbal Shots of Crib Goch and 27 Timelapses.
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.
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