A big thaw

I decided it was about time I tested out my ankle today as basically I couldn't wait any longer. It was drizzling on my journey down & as I headed towards Nant Peris with low cloud there was no sign of any snow! I had decided to head up to Cwm Glas with the possibility of a forray on Sargeant's Gully ice if it was still climbable. Very low cloud meant that I couldn't look up from the pass into Cwm Glas so had no idea how extensive the overnight thaw had been. Craig y Rhaeadr has been fairly stripped back & had water pouring off it along with loud cracks & clunks every couple of minutes as blocks of ice tumbled down the crag. Despite limited visibility, very boggy gound & still no snow I pressed on to try & locate Sargeant's Gully in the vain hope it had retained its ice, although my already low optimism was ebbing away. To my dismay when I arrived at what is ususlly the first 'pitch', I saw that it was purely now water with no sign of any ice at all. Not good, but no real suprise. So instead I practised a bit of nav & had a reasonable walk. Ankle not fully mended (was sore upon my return to the car), but improving.
See Carl's report below for the depressing news about Idwal ice.