A Snowdonia walker was left in tears after catching a glimpse of are phenomenon on her first visit to the area in more than a year.
Claire Hughes witnessed a Brocken spectre - a rare optical illusion - at around 7.45am on Good Friday after reaching the summit of Craig Cwm Silyn.
A Brocken spectre is created when the low sun shines behind someone looking down into mist from a ridge. The atmospheric conditions throw the person's shadow forward, creating a ghostly shape silhouetted against a circular rainbow.
According to NorthWalesLive, you have to be in the right place at the right time to witness the rare phenomenon, which appears on a misty mountainside or cloud bank.
The 42-year-old from the Dyffryn Nantlle area in Talysarn, Gwynedd, was walking in the area with her 21-year-old daughter, Sarah Willams, and told how the illusion lasted for around 10 minutes.
Speaking to North Wales Live, Claire said she had never seen the illusion before.
“It was just so pretty and amazing, I couldn’t quite believe it.”
She added: “We do love to walk the mountains. These mountains are the view from our window.
“We haven’t been in the last year so it was great to finally get up there.”
A Brocken spectre can often appear larger than the person observing it, giving the impression of some kind of giant grey creature.
They can also sometimes be witnessed from an aeroplane, although this is very rare.
In the past, the phenomenon was thought to be a supernatural creature dubbed The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdui and, according to legend, those who witness a Brocken spectre will die in the mountains the next day.
