Monday 30th May 2005
On the last day of my weekend in Wales during the Bank Holiday I had amazing weather with clear views and bright sunshine all day. I couldn't have asked for a nicer Bank Holiday Monday; it didn't rain until after I had left the hills and was on my way home. The parking spot I had chosen for this walk was rather remote, but after my previous walk it was a pleasure to be away from people for a couple of hours! After driving down the A470 from Capel Curig, where I had overnighted, I turned right off the road onto a small country lane through two shut gates and over a cattle grid until it brought me to the edge of a forest near the Rhinog Fawr National Nature Reserve. Setting off through the forest I passed Graigddu-isaf and followed signposts that directed me towards Bwlch Drws-Ardudwy (yellow arrows usually pointed the right direction).
Eventually I emerged from the forest with the two hills of the Rhinogs sitting in front of me and after staying on the path for a bit I veered off to the left across the heather at the foot of Rhinog Fach looking for some semblance of a path up the north-eastern slopes. In the end I picked a young stream that in the forest becomes the Afon Gau and followed that up the steep heather-clad hill-side. The going was really rough as I followed anything that looked vaguely like a path, sometimes walking up the stream itself just in an attempt to gain a little extra height. Just when things were looking grim I discovered a clear, well-beaten path that ran up the hill towards the northern peak of the Rhinog (indeed it is probably the very same path that is marked on the map). Gladly following this path, I ascended the final section up the hill onto the small ridge that tops at Rhinog Fach.
After taking in the stunning views all around me, especially those looking across the pass to the awe-inspiring Rhinog Fawr, I headed south along the top of the hill towards the summit at the southern end of the ridge. There I had something to eat and reflected on the peacefulness of my surroundings and the utter lack of anyone else anywhere around me. I had still not seen anyone on the walk, which was a far cry from just the day before. The descent was simple; I followed a stone wall that begins at the summit and goes down to a wooden ladder where I followed the path south beside the wall down to the col between Rhinog Fach and Y Llethr. It was amazing for me to think that I had been at the top of the hill opposite just two days previously and I had gazed down to where I was now standing, but I could not see anything in the low cloud. The skies were now clear and the weather was fantastic. While descending to Llyn Hywel I passed the first people I had seen all day, three men all walking together up Rhinog Fach. After exchanging pleasantries I passed alongside the lake over large stones on its northern shore and then descended the hill-side beyond past Llyn Cwmhosan to the top of Bwlch Drws-Ardudwy. Ahead of me was a natural amphitheatre with what seemed like a sheer wall of rock that barred any progress from there onto Rhinog Fawr, however upon closer examination I saw a way up. North-east from the highest point of the pass is an embankment of large stones and scree that appeared to show signs of previous passage and so began an absolutely fantastic walk up to the top of Rhinog Fawr. It began with a narrow passage through heather to the start of a clamber over large stones, which in turn brought me to the bottom of a scree slope where a path zig-zagged up the hillside. These different varieties of surfaces continued all the way up the steep hill before the vague path plunged through a narrow gap between two great lumps of rock. A short scramble between the rocks brought me onto a plateau where I found a clear path that brought me after a short walk to the summit trig point. This was a thoroughly enjoyable ascent and a pleasure with every step; even now I look back on that ascent with fond memories.
I did not seen anyone during my long ascent and those three men had been the only people I had seen so far all day, so it was quite a shock to discover the summit of Rhinog Fawr packed with people (all right, that is a slight exaggeration - there were no more than a dozen). These people had clearly come up the gentler slopes to the west, unlike the route that I had taken. In the excellent weather for a Bank Holiday Monday I suppose it was unlikely that I wouldn't see anyone else, but after over half a day of isolation all these people came as something of a shock! After finishing the remains of my lunch I headed steeply down the hill heading north-west (not via the easy route east) and joined a path that ran at the bottom of a steep rocky slope. Turning right along this path I headed towards Llyn Du descending steeply down to the lake (these steep descents quickly rid me of other people!). I was now in total enjoyment mode again as I descended towards the eastern side of Bwlch Tyddiad.
Picking up the footpath through the pass I turned east towards the forest, and on entering the forest followed the yellow arrows again that led me beside a river past the Pistall Gwyn waterfalls, back to Graigddu-isaf and thence back to my car. This was a really enjoyable walk in stunning scenery and with excellent weather. The thing that I enjoyed the most about this walk was that I'd picked challenging and unorthodox routes up the mountains thereby missing all the people who were going up Rhinog Fawr by the easier paths from Cwm Nantcol. The lesson to be learnt from this walk is that where you go is not as important as how you get there. If you want an interesting walk up a hill don't pick the easiest route up; if weather conditions allow try a more challenging route. You'll get so much more out of it. I know I did.
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