Branstree and Selside Pike

Thursday 19th December 2019

There has been such bad weather during the autumn that I have hardly done any walking as the ground became increasingly saturated with water. Just before Christmas I usually spend a few days in the Lake District, however the days were not conveniently positioned this year to make this convenient, but I was determined to get away even if it was only for a couple of days. My plan for this short holiday was to walk up some of the fells on the far eastern edge of the Lakes and for this I would need my car as there is little accommodation in that area, so it was that I drove up the M6 coming off at junction 39 and driving through Shap and Bampton Grange I came down the road beside Haweswater Reservoir and parked at Mardale Head. Almost nine years earlier, to the day, I had walked up Harter Fell and the two fells named above on a snowy, but cloudless day and I had decided that on this walk I would do the same, but in reverse. However, when I was preparing to set off I changed my mind about the direction realising that I had never climbed the Gatescarth Pass before, and had descended only once, in 2005. Since I didn’t have time for Harter Fell and considering this is a better climb than the one planned I set off up the wide path under clouds while blue skies could be seen away from the fells to the east.

Snow decorated the fells where they could be seen below the clouds that were completely enveloping the highest fells, including the highest in the Far Eastern Fells, usually known as High Street. It was very windy and cold as I climbed the steep path thankful for my walking poles that I had not used since before the summer having forgotten to take them to Wales with me in August. As the winding path approached the top of Gatescarth Pass, snow began to make an appearance in small patches and by the time I reached the top I was completely surrounded by clouds. A signpost pointed back the way I had come, ahead along the path and right up a good path to Harter Fell, however I wanted the fourth option, to my left, which was not signposted, onto a faint path through mud and bog before climbing relentlessly beside a fence all the way up to Branstree. When I climbed this fell in 2010 there had been a full covering of snow on the ground, which, incidentally, I have not encountered at Christmas in the Lake District since then, but now I did come across some snow at the top of the fell, especially where it had blown against the south-eastern wall.

The summit of Branstree is a short distance away from where this wall meets the fence that traverses the fell and is marked by a small cairn and a round trigonometrical circle set into the ground. Moving away from the top I followed a path that soon led me to Artlecrag Pike where a tall, magnificent cairn has been erected amongst a small scattering of rock outcrops. After passing a second such cairn I seemed to lose the path in amongst the rocks at the top of a wide bank of snow. Carefully, I made my way across several of these snow banks as I slowly returned to the fence. Although I had lost the path in limited visibility I knew that there is a clear path beside the fence, which was not far away and soon I was back to the safety of the guardrail that is the fence. There is an old survey pillar on the other side of the fence not far away, but I didn’t cross over to visit it or the unnamed 673 metre top beyond and instead I kept to the fence crossing the northern slopes of the top dealing with the snow that was still barring my progress. Eventually I passed through Captain Whelter Bog and climbed the short rise to Selside Pike where a wide cairn has been fashioned into a shelter from the cold westerlies.

There the fence turns east and I headed out across the grassy fell down the north-east ridge of Selside End dropping below the cloud level once again to reveal the flat, featureless landscape between Haweswater and Swindale whose highest point is Hawe Shaw, but only a couple of metres higher than that of the broad upland ridge. Nevertheless I was enjoying myself as I sailed down the slender path and eventually reached the much clearer Old Corpse Road that crosses the ridge between Swindale and Mardale. Turning left onto this path I headed across to the top of Rowantree Beck where there is a stunning view down to the reservoir with the tree-covered Rigg at the foot of the long ridge that bends round to climb all the way up to High Street. The excellent path descends from this point in a series of bends neatly dropping steeply down to the road. Between the road and the shore of the reservoir is a footpath, but this was not worth taking except for the delightfully narrow bridge over Hopegill Beck.

I did not started this walk till noon, so I was unable to take much more than three hours before the setting sun forced a curtailment, but I really enjoyed the chance to get out onto the fells once more and walk over some of the lesser-known fells on the eastern fringe of the Lake District. It had been a long time since I’d done a good walk and I’d really missed it, but I’d also missed being in the Lake District having stayed away all year. Given half a chance I would spend all my time there, but it is perhaps better to ration my visits so they seem even more special and long anticipated, as was this one.

Moel Siabod

Saturday 7th September 2019

There was rain at the start of this walk, which I felt had been a common occurrence during my holiday in Wales, but this was the last day of my fortnight in Wales where I had been returning to the particularly memorable walks that I have done during the last twenty years. All of the walks that inspired this holiday were from more than ten years ago as I have rarely been back to Wales during that time having felt the pull towards other areas, but it was wonderful returning to Wales for this nostalgia tour. The walk that finished the holiday was first done in 2004, and again in 2005, and I finally managed to do it correctly in 2007, on the third attempt. On those occasions I had parked at Pont-Cyfyng, not far from Capel Curig, where there are three parking spaces, however on this occasion when I got there I found them all occupied. Despite the rain, and despite it not being nine o’clock yet, the National Park seemed to be heaving with people and cars were parked everywhere, particularly around Snowdon. Eventually I found a parking space, not far away, beside the Bryn Glo B&B, and from there I headed back over the bridge of Pont-Cyfyng onto the steep path that leads to the open hillside.

Soon the rain stopped and with improving weather a fabulous walk ensued as I branched left on the gently inclining hill with the craggy bulk of Moel Siabod looming ahead of me. The fabulous path kept to the foot of the rising hill as I weaved around a lake and up to fascinating old quarry workings. The best paths are always made by miners and this one delighted me with every step as I passed a treacherous sunken pit where there was the mesmerising sound of water steadily flowing through the complex workings and trickling into the dark depths of the pool. At the top of the path I turned around to view the stunning scene over the old reservoir and in the distance down the wooded valley of the Afon Llugwy. Turning back ahead of me I now contemplated my options where wrong choices on my previous visits had led to problems. My goal was the Daear Ddu ridge, which lies beyond Llyn y Foel and various routes can be taken past the lake. In 2004 I kept to the foot of the cliff, and in 2005 I went all the way around the lake, but it wasn’t until the third occasion, in 2007, that I finally managed to get onto the ridge, and that was by heading straight towards it across the boggy ground north of the lake.

This time I started off by keeping to the foot of the cliff but then, for some reason, came away to go through the bogs thinking that I could see a dry route through, but ultimately this didn’t work and I ended up in the middle of wet ground. There is a clear saddle at the foot of the ridge, and I had eyes firmly fixed on that target and blind to the wet ground that is in between, so this isn’t the best route, and with hindsight I think that might be going around the lake where a low craggy ridge keeps you out of the bogs. However, that way hadn’t been successful for me in 2005 when it had been so wet at the foot of the ridge I had been unable to climb it. Eventually I got onto Daear Ddu where the fun started as I tackled the rocky ridge that is never too narrow or steep with plenty of options to make the climb as easy or as difficult as you want. The most difficult scrambling is to the right of the ridge on the steep northern edge overlooking Llyn y Foel and I would often veer that way before succumbing to fear and heading safely away towards the gentler southern slopes. As I climbed the sun came out and blue skies appeared ahead of me up the ridge, however the vast views behind me remained under cloud, but I was enjoying every moment as it became warmer than I had experienced at any moment on this holiday since the heatwave over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Eventually I emerged at the summit of Moel Siabod where there are great views over the high mountains of Snowdonia, but at this time most were still clinging to their dark clouds with the exception of Snowdon who was quickly throwing itself clear of any covering. My vantage point perfectly embraced the two ridges either side of the Snowdon horseshoe with the lakes nestled in between where walkers on the miner’s track pass as they head towards that great mountain. I was not in the mood in linger at the summit and wait for the view to improve, so I turned away from Snowdon and onto the north-east ridge. This is gloriously covered in rocks that provided me with tremendous fun as I made my way along the top hopping around from rock to rock slowly descending towards Capel Curig. Eventually the rocks came to an end and the terrain steepened with shattered, slippery stones underfoot that made for a tricky descent until I reached gentler grassy slopes that would slowly lead me all the way back down to the main road where my car waited.

This was not a long walk, which was just as it had been on my three previous visits. In 2004 I walked up Moel Hebog after Moel Siabod, while on the other two occasions I used the early finish to get an early start for my long journey home, and that is also what I did on this occasion. It is a shame that I was leaving so early as the weather was becoming really good, but I did not want to get home late. This was a curious fortnight with many ups and downs, several disappointments, but numerous highlights on loads of fabulous walks. The weather is always difficult in Britain, but although it ruined some of the walks overall it wasn’t as bad as I thought as I did enjoy some good weather. I set out to do some of the great walks again that I had previously done in Wales, and although I did manage to do many of those that I'd planned there are still many that I wasn’t able to do and others that could have been done if I’d had the time. This holiday reminded me that are many fabulous places in Wales where the walking is awesome, and it has prompted me to want to come back to Wales again soon and do some more walking in this glorious country that I had been away from for far too long.

The Watkin Path and Nant Gwynant

Friday 6th September 2019

I was near the end of my holiday in Wales where I had been retracing my steps over particularly memorable walks from the last twenty years, but I did not have anything planned for this day. In the end I decided that I may as well do Snowdon and the route that I initially picked was based on a great walk from May 2005 when I combined a walk up that great mountain with two of its satellites, Yr Aran and Y Llywedd. The weather had been brilliant for that walk, but that was definitely not the case now so instead I decided to take my inspiration from my second ever ascent up Snowdon, in 2003, climbing the Watkin Path and then down the Pyg Track to Pen-y-Pass followed by a return through Nant Gwynant. From the Bryn Gwynant Youth Hostel I took a route beside the river to the start of the Watkin Path, and by ten o’clock it was raining. As I climbed into the Cwm Llan valley I saw vast numbers of sheep being brought down off the hills while behind them several shepherds were rounding them up with the aid of dogs. Despite the poor weather I enjoyed the walk up the path beside the waterfalls in the Afon Cwm Llan and up to the Gladstone Rock where a large gathering had assembled to hear the venerable Prime Minister William Gladstone open the Watkin Path on 13th September 1892.

As I stood beside the rock I felt a trickle of water go down the back of my neck, which should not have happened while I had the hood of my waterproofs over my head. Thinking no more of it, I resumed my trek along the Watkin Path until I reached the disused quarry workings where the path begins to climb steeply, but by this time the rain was really heavy and the trickle had become a soaking leaving me feeling very cold and wet. Once I realised I was soaked to the skin and so cold it would be dangerous to continue up Snowdon I decided I was not enjoying myself so I turned around and headed back down the path. Eventually I realised that I had left a lot of the zips on my waterproof undone, which was possibly why I had got so wet when the rain became heavy, but the zips were down because I had been getting very hot, which I realised has often been a problem with this cagoule that must not be very breathable. I could have zipped up and headed back up the path, but I was so wet and cold I decided to continue down eventually catching up with the shepherds and their sheep. It was fascinating to see how they worked with their dogs to round up the strays and they were a bit of a traffic jam for me, until eventually I got past them and made my way back down to the bottom of the valley.

I was now unsure what to do having abandoned my walk up Snowdon and eventually found my way back to the Youth Hostel where I had my lunch and changed my top for a dry one. Annoyingly, the rain had now stopped and the sun was breaking through the clouds, and although I could have returned to the Watkin Path (with a different waterproof), I instead opted to walk past Llyn Gwynant and up the valley on the old road all the way to the main road near the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel. The sunshine proved to be elusive with the midday blue skies soon passing and leaving me with only occasional spells of sunshine mixed in with more rain, although the views back down the valley were quite special while Snowdon continued to look inhospitable as it clung to dark clouds. When I turned onto the relatively new path that links the roadside parking near the Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel with Pen-y-Pass, it was sunny and I was enjoying the views down the valley while making my way along the well-made path towards Pen-y-Pass. When I reached the junction with the path from Pen-y-Pass to Nant Gwynant I was back on the route that I’d originally intended, as done in 2003, so, as then, I turned left heading down into the valley.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time walking down this path following the Afon Trawsnant past the Cwm Dyli hydro-electric power station and into the valley until eventually it started raining again, briefly but heavily. The narrow path was not nice where it was muddy, but I have fond memories of following this path in 2003 and again in 2005 after going over Crib Goch, and it was good to make its reacquaintance while walking through this beautiful valley. The weather was very mixed on this walk with heavy rain and sunshine, which proved to be annoying when the heavy rain prompted me to put my waterproof trousers on only for it to stop soon after and for the warm sunshine to soon force me to take them off again. Despite the weather, I could have done Snowdon if my waterproofs hadn’t let me down and left me soaked and dangerously cold. The best, most memorable parts of this walk were when the sun was shining, particularly at the top of Nant Gwynant, near Pen-y-Pass, and this was a problem with all the walks that I did in Wales on this holiday. Any walk can be memorable if the weather is good enough, but in Wales that doesn’t happen all the time.

The Carneddau

Thursday 5th September 2019

After parking on the A5 below Tryfan, just as I had at the beginning of the week, I did a walk that I have done several times before with the first in 2003 on my first walking holiday in Snowdonia, and was repeated in 2009 in poor weather conditions. I set off away from Tryfan up a path beside the Afon Lloer that is very muddy and difficult to follow, which is how I remembered it previously being when posts helped determine the route, but these are not now to be found. I thought it surprising that the path has not seen any remedial work carried out on it as the National Trust often does in putting down a good surface. Dark clouds hung overhead over the Carneddau and would obstinately refuse to budge throughout day, although further afield small breaks in the clouds increased as the day progressed. When the gradient eased I broke away from the path and headed towards the east ridge of Pen yr Ole Wen scrambling up the rocks onto the ridge with a relish that I hadn’t shared sixteen years earlier when I had been still quite new to scrambling. I had considered climbing Pen yr Ole Wen by the ridiculously steep southern ridge, which I’ve never climbed although I did descend by that route in 2006, and totally destroyed my knees in the process.

Continuing steadily up the ridge I plunged into clouds and eventually reaching the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen where I was hit by bitterly cold winds that blew straight through my cagoule and rapidly cooled my sweat underneath. Hastily I put my fleece on to wrap up against the cold before hypothermia set in and headed off along the ridge, north, passing over Carnedd Fach before reaching Carnedd Dafydd. It seemed brighter at the summit so I hopefully thought the sun was about the push through the clouds, but it was ultimately unsuccessful so I remained within the clouds as I continued along the ridge above Ysgolion Duon. This is a great, long ridge that stretches for almost two miles with precipitous drops north as the ridge slowly descends to the low point at Bwlch Cyfryw-drum crossing very stony ground that is quite challenging in misty conditions. At the col the clouds suddenly parted to reveal views into the valleys on either side of the pass and ahead of me towards Carnedd Llewelyn, the highest point in the Carneddau, who after a brief reveal pulled the clouds back down over itself as if to hide its shame. Slowly, I made my way up the extensive scree slopes until I reached the summit where I had my lunch.

After eating, I set off east from the summit and out of the clouds down the developing ridge of Penywaun-wen with spectacular views south towards Ffynnon Llugwy Reservoir and the ridge that leads towards Pen yr Helgi Du. At a cairn I also found stunning views east into Cwm Eigiau despite grey clouds overhead. As the ridge narrowed I came across a steep rock face that requires a tricky scramble down, but I have no memory of this from my earlier times doing this walk. It could be that I was less bothered by the sheer drop ten years ago, but now I was rather relieved to be safely down and able to continue along the narrow ridge over Bwlch Eryl Farchog. Ahead of me was a steep scramble that I do remember from the previous occasions and is an interesting climb that took me all the way up to the top of Pen yr Helgi Du where I now had a problem. It was only 1.30 in the afternoon and I had almost finished the walk. In 2003 I had diverted to Yr Elen, north of Carnedd Llewelyn, and on Pen yr Helgi Du I had made my way along the grassy ridge to the peak of Pen Llithrig y Wrach. This peak bagging was a waste of time so I had not done them in 2009, but the walk must consequently have been similarly short, although I have no memory of that, or any record of it.

Following my route of 2009 I turned south and headed down the long ridge of Y Braich to the artificial water channel that goes from the Afon Llugwy all the way around the side of the hill into the Llyn Cowlyd Reservoir. I followed this leat upstream until I reached a service track and followed that down to the main road where my car was parked some distance away. I was not particularly enamoured of this walk after becoming bitterly cold near the summit of Pen yr Ole Wen and it had taken me a long time to warm up again. This is a great mountainous walk, and I particularly enjoyed the ridge after Carnedd Llewelyn, but ultimately it failed to excite me with the downsides being the muddy walk up, the lack of a view from the ridge and my feeling very cold for most of the walk. With half the afternoon remaining I decided to do a small walk up Crimpiau, which is reputed to have a good viewpoint, but unfortunately there was too much cloud cover on the mountains to get much of a view. I parked in Capel Curig and headed along the path that I had ended my walk of two days previously before turning north on the bridlepath that heads beside the Nant y Geuallt through lovely, bracken-covered scenery. At the top of the pass I turned left taking an often boggy path up to the summit of Crimpiau where the views were at their best away from the mountains.

The sun was shining here with gradually improving weather despite a strong wind and good views over terrain that I am not familiar. To my west was the Llyn Crafnant Reservoir that is surrounded by conifer plantations while to the north, and tantalisingly close, was Craig Wen, whose profusion of rocky outcrops was a tempting place to explore. It was tricky finding a route off the hill with the slender path along the ridge top proving illusive and very wet underfoot with many deceptive dead ends. Eventually I managed to find my way along the complex ridge and steeply, safely, descend back onto the bridlepath that I had taken on the way in. This was very exhausting short walk, but at least I was able to enjoy some of the sunshine that was available away from the mountains.

Moel Hebog and the Pass of Aberglaslyn

Wednesday 4th September 2019

With high winds forecast for this walk I was unsure what to do. I was conducting a memorial tour of the best walks that I have done over the last twenty years in Wales and after very good weather at the start of the holiday I had suffered from strong winds ever since. Moel Hebog must rank as one of the best mountains in Wales with a fabulous path up to the summit that has produced some very memorable walks for me so it had to be on my schedule despite the weather. As I set off from the tourist-filled village of Beddgelert there were a few showers, but the weather soon improved. After my first climb up Moel Hebog in 2004 the Welsh Highland Railway have built their line through Beddgelert so now I had to cross the railway three times while it takes a circuitous route down into the valley until eventually I came off the track onto a grassy path through bracken steadily climbing the eastern slopes of Moel Hebog. Behind me were stunning views over Beddgelert with craggy hills brooding above the village and on the horizon the distinctive peak of Moel Siabod dominated the skyline.

Fortunately I was sheltered from the strong winds from where I was climbing Moel Hebog so I was able to take my time and enjoy the walk as the path became increasingly rocky and made me feel as if this was real mountain walking. It was really satisfying to put feet on rock and occasionally, briefly, hand on rock as I negotiated a few rock bands while the views improved with every step as the Moelwyns and Cnicht came into view south-east through the dappled shade of broken cloud. When a tall cone of impregnable rock appeared ahead of me, looking like a proper, solid mountain blocking my ascent, the path weaves an ingenious course up the rock face with little difficulties to emerge at the top of Y Grisiau. There I found a cairn commanding a superb view across the Beddgelert Forest and towards the Nantlle ridge, and into strong winds. The Snowdon range was completely covered in cloud and the top of Moel Hebog, a short distance away from me now, was also hiding within the clouds, so wrapping myself against the wind I battled up to the summit.

The map indicates there are some piles of stones just to the south of the summit near the impressively sounding Ladder Buttress and South Buttress, but all I could find was broad grassy slopes with occasional insignificant outcrops, and so since it was very windy I retreated back to the top before heading steeply down the grassy slopes to Bwlch Meillionen. Despite the steepness of the terrain I had little complaint from my knees even though I had forgotten to bring my poles on this holiday, and finally reached the bottom of the pass. My route up Moel yr Ogof took me through a narrow cleft in the rocks into a complex terrain of scattered outcrops until eventually I reached the wind-swept summit. When I attempted to continue north towards Moel Lefn I was assailed by strong winds and low cloud that made any further progress no longer fun, so it didn’t seem worth the effort to keep going to the next top. Turning east I found steep terrain that forced me back up towards the summit and from there back down the southern slopes, through the cleft once more and back to Bwlch Meillionen.

There I turned left, now mercifully sheltered from the wind, to take the path through the pass steeply down towards Beddgelert Forest. High up on my left I thought I could see a crack in the rocks, possibly the cave where the great Welsh leader, Owain Glyndŵr, once hid. It was so high up I couldn’t be bothered to try climbing up there, which had helped Glyndŵr make his hideaway all those years ago. Eventually I managed to follow the sketchy path into the conifer plantation of Beddgelert Forest where initially a good path was welcomed, but soon was replaced by a boggy path where I needed to use old tree roots to keep me afloat. The variable path beside the Allt Meillionen took me all the way down through the wood and eventually brought me onto my outward route back into Beddgelert. I seemed to have finished this walk rather early, but when I thought back to my previous walks up Moel Hebog I realised it has always been a half-day walk. With a couple of hours to spare I took the opportunity to do a short walk that I have wanted to do for a long time. After passing the grave of Gelert, the dog that lends its name to the village, I took the fabulous path through the Pass of Aberglaslyn.

The path passes through a narrow ravine and is gloriously rugged with a rough, rocky surface that was a delight to walk along through fabulous scenery where the river crashes over rocks through the gorge. I had so much fun walking along the path I was overjoyed at the prospect of doing it all over again when I reached the end as I turned around and made my way back through the Pass of Aberglaslyn. I really enjoyed the walk up Moel Hebog, because it feels like a proper mountain walk, even though the path is not very prolonged and the hill is not particularly high. Despite the strong winds on the tops I really enjoyed this walk on a fabulous mountain path and I ended the day on an equally good woodland gorge path.

Sarn Helen and Swallow Falls

Tuesday 3rd September 2019

As the weather deteriorated on my holiday with rain and strong winds, it felt as though my memorial tour of Wales, where I was reliving some of my most memorable walks of the last twenty years in Wales, was falling apart. I was unable to do the walks that I had planned, partly because the very thing that had made these walks so memorable was the great weather that I had enjoyed at the time. In desperation I trawled the internet for inspiration until I found a walk on the mudandroutes.com website for a Sarn Helen Walk from Capel Curig, which seemed a good option for a wet weather walk. Therefore, in miserable, drizzly weather, I parked in Capel Curig and set off onto the byway that passes to the north of the village initially on a route that was the same one that I had taken with a load of guys from my church the day after we had climbed Snowdon together in 2011. It was raining for that walk as well. I followed the byway to the road west of Capel Curig and after passing Plas y Brenin (the National Mountain Centre) I entered the woodland of Coed Bryn-engan. Astonishingly I ended up making the same mistake as eight years ago when I missed the junction in the wood and came to the bridge over the Afon Llugwy that is not far from the Plas Curig Hostel (formally YHA Capel Curig).

This time I realised my mistake and retraced my steps to the junction where I took an interesting, narrow path through the woods that brought me to a footbridge over spectacular rapids beside Cobden’s Hotel. Just downstream of the rocks there are shingle islands that are overlooked by overgrown trees that have combined to create a delightful area that was far more pleasing than the view from the hotels on the main road. Continuing south along the footpath beside the river I passed through a meadow to Pont Cyfyng where I turned right to walk along the road for a bit before climbing steeply up a track that soon made me very hot and sweaty in my waterproofs. I didn’t feel much better once the gradient had eased as now the rain was blowing into my face so keeping my head down I made my way across the exposed moorland until finally I plunged into a dull conifer plantation that at least provided me with some protection from the wind and rain. A gentle descent through the wood brought me down to the bottom of Glyn Lledr in the village of Dolwyddelan where I stopped to attend to a pain in my toes and also took the opportunity to buy some food before setting off once again, now following the valley bottom beside the Afon Lledr.

The rain was now very light, almost negligible and the skies seemed brighter though still overcast so I could almost ignore the poor weather as I happily strolled along the quiet valley bottom lane enjoying my surroundings. Eventually I crossed the river at Pont-y-pant and climbed a short, beautifully decorated path onto a narrow road that gradually climbs out of the valley. At the top of the road I continued ahead onto a lane that is the route of the Roman road Sarn Helen. Soon after I started to climb this track I was startled by a motorbike zooming down the hillside towards me and when he passed said, “You’d better watch out there are five of us.” Once the other much slower bikers had passed I continued up the lane passing over the hill and entering another conifer woodland I passed Rhiwddolion just before the stony lane started to descend steeply towards Betws-y-Coed. It became very misty as I descended, which added a spooky and mysterious air to the surroundings as I carefully made my way down the lane to the A5 road that passes through Betws-y-Coed.

Crossing the road I dropped onto a bridge over the Afon Llugwy that is called the Miner’s Bridge and is interesting to cross because it sits at a steep gradient above the churning waters of the river below with stunning views up and down the thickly tree-lined ravine. From the bridge I climbed steeply up to a road now following the route of the Snowdonia Slate Trail which initially follows the road above the steep wooded ravine of the river Afon Llugwy slowly gaining height until eventually I came off the road to follow a good path that clings to the cliffs above the raging torrent below until finally I reached the spectacular Swallow Falls. I have wanted to visit these waterfalls for many years but despite driving past them many times I had never taken the opportunity having eyes only for mountains. Now the poor weather ensured that I would have my opportunity, but I must say I was very disappointed that I couldn’t get a closer look. The viewpoint from this path is a long way from the falls through a narrow gap in the trees so I didn’t really feel as if I’d been to Swallow Falls, but this sort of thing is typical of waterfalls.

On the path above the falls I was now able to follow the riverbank where many delightful wild flowers decorated the scene until I reached the main road beside the so-called Ugly House. Turning away from the river I walked up a ridiculously steep road that totally wore me out and completely baked me in my waterproofs until I thankfully came to a track high above the valley that took me on an almost straight route all the way into Capel Curig. Occasionally at this time the sun tried to make an appearance, but all day it was either raining or drizzling with hardly any end to the miserable conditions. However, this was not a bad walk for the weather, which was certainly not the weather for going up a mountain with strong winds that would have been horrible up high. Ten or fifteen years ago I might still have gone up Snowdon in these conditions, but I’m not as stupid as I was. I had set myself the target of seeing Swallow Falls on this holiday and I’m happy that I was able to take advantage of the poor weather to see the waterfalls that I’ve longed to see for many years.

Tryfan and the Glyderau

Monday 2nd September 2019

As part of my memorial tour of Wales I had reached Snowdonia and the mountains more than three thousand feet high that are around and including Snowdon, but the peak I was most eager to climb was the difficult Tryfan and the north ridge ascent. When I was in Snowdonia in 2015 I was unable to climb Tryfan due to heavy rain and I also encountered poor weather when I had climbed Tryfan in 2009 during a highlights tour of Wales. The last time I climbed the north ridge of Tryfan was in 2007, so I felt a re-ascent was long overdue. I woke to good weather, which is exactly what is needed for such a scramble, but the forecast was for the weather to deteriorate so I needed to make the most of what I had before it went. Setting off from a car park on the A5 beside Llyn Ogwen I walked to the foot of Tryfan and up a manufactured path to Milestone Buttress under warm, sunny skies that soon made me sweat. Before too long I had to come off the manufactured path to face the bare rock and tackle the north ridge. Route finding is critical here and I don’t think I have ever taken exactly the same way up twice, and I have not been particularly good at picking the right scrambling route. Behind me were three guys who seemed to know exactly which route to take, so when they overtook me I naturally followed them.

However, they seemed to be veering towards the eastern side of the mountain and they had climbing helmets on their rucksacks, so thinking they were heading towards a proper rock climb I left them behind and took my own route up. I would gingerly try a scramble to see if I liked the feel of it, and if it became too scary I would back out and attempt something less hair-raising elsewhere, therefore the key is always to never climb what you can’t climb down. Eventually I came across a cairn on a level platform and soon I came across other cairns that reassured me that I was going the right direction with easier scrambling that enabled to enjoy the climb and views behind me towards Y Garn and the Carneddau, but then I hit a sheer rock face that was unclimbable to someone of my limited abilities. I don’t know whether I effortlessly sailed up that cliff-face in 2005 and 2007, but I am a lot older now and more aware of my own vulnerabilities. I saw a path leading around the rock face and hoped that would provide me with a way up, but instead it led me to a steep scramble that had me quaking with my heart in my mouth until eventually the terrain eased and I was able to catch my breath.

Moving back across the ridge I found another faint path that took me up to the north top of Tryfan and with a little rain in the air I carefully made my way finally up the last pull to the summit and the two rocks that mark the top. I can’t say I enjoyed that climb up the north ridge of Tryfan and I may not be eager to do it again soon. Strong winds and rain hit me as I started to scramble down the south ridge, which made the descent really difficult and reminded me of the fact that most accidents on mountains happen when coming down. Despite the rapid deterioration in the weather during the morning I still had views towards the neighbouring mountains with the clouds staying off most of the tops and just brushing the tops of the Glyderau. Eventually I managed to reach the safety of Bwlch Tryfan where I had to decide whether to turn left, right or straight on up Bristly Ridge as I had done on my previous climbs up the north ridge of Tryfan. Turning right would have meant heading back down, which I had thought might be necessary, but the weather was starting to improve slightly with the rain not forecast to come back until mid-afternoon. Since I had not enjoyed the earlier scramble I did not want to do the harder scramble up Bristly Ridge so I turned left along the Miner’s Track.

There is a path up the screes beside Bristly Ridge that I came down in 2003 on my first visit to the area and I have never taken that route since. The faint, rough Miner’s Track is much better and took me up to the top of the main Glyderau ridge where a cold and biting wind forced me to wrap up before turning west, into the wind, towards Glyder Fach. While occasionally the sun attempted to push through the clouds I climbed up the rock-covered terrain until finally I was able to sit beside the mass of rocks that form the summit of Glyder Fach looking across to the distinctive cantilever rock. After eating my lunch I rounded the summit and made way past the fabulous rock formation of Castell y Gwynt, down the rocks to the col and slowly across the bleak moonscape of Glyder Fawr up to the summit. It was very windy as I made my way across the shattered landscape, but also sometimes sunny as the sun continued its hopeless battle to break through. From the summit of Glyder Fawr I slowly headed down broad, dreary scree slopes until eventually the terrain steepened and I found horrendous, heavily eroded scree-runs that were a nightmare to descend, especially with my wobbly knees, and I hated every moment as I slid all the way down.

With rain forecast I was more than happy to head to Twll Du, the Devil’s Kitchen, and the fabulous path that descends through awesome rock scenery with views across Llyn Idwal to Pen yr Ole Wen. It was great fun scrambling down this fabulous path into Cwm Idwal and more than made up for the horrible descent down the screes of Glyder Fawr. Once I reached the bottom of the valley the promised rain started, perfectly on time, as I walked around Llyn Idwal and past Idwal Cottage back to my car. This was a funny day when the weather didn’t seem to be able to make up its mind with the sun repeatedly trying to peak through the clouds even after the skies had clouded over. Even the walk was not wholly enjoyable with some of the scrambling on Tryfan too terrifying, but the highlight of the walk was the descent through Devil’s Kitchen. Tryfan is a very distinctive mountain that cannot be walked up from any direction and requires at least a scramble to get to the summit. I am not good with heights and this does not seem to be getting any better with age, but if successful, an ascent of Tryfan is always rewarding.

The Moelwyns and Cnicht

Sunday 1st September 2019

While heading north from Kings Youth Hostel towards Snowdon, my eye was attracted to some craggy, rock-covered mountains ahead of me that I immediately wanted to climb, even if they weren’t on my agenda, though fortunately they were. I came off the main road to pass through the small mining community of Tanygrisiau and parked at the top of a steep road near the entrance to Cwmorthin. The weather was looking good as the sun shone promising a good walk, but the weather did not stay good, although I would enjoy some occasional sunshine during the walk. Rather than take the clear track into Cwmorthin I crossed the stream that comes out of the valley and followed a path that soon led me onto a tarmac road than runs below the cliffs of Craig yr Wrysgan and Pinacl. This road serves and brought me to the foot of the upper reservoir for the pumped-storage hydroelectric Ffestiniog Power Station. When I got within sight of the dam I turned off the road and took a footpath that climbs past the southern end of the dam and up the ridge of Carreg Blaen-Llym. The sunshine had not lasted long and it was already raining as I made my way up the hill, however these showers would prove to be short-lived and not return. Eventually I reached the top of the ridge at a point just to the south of Moelwyn Bach on the side of the mountain that I had seen from the A470 road during my approach.

When it wasn’t raining I had stunning views of the mountains north that would be my target for this walk where the scars of centuries of quarrying have added to rather than taking away from the spectacular scenery. The summit of Moelwyn Bach was a short grassy walk away, which I am sure I had been to before, but I don’t know when exactly this was, although my uncertainty must mean that it was during my ‘dark year’ of walking, in 2004, when I was not keeping any notes of my walking before I started this blog. This walk is a remembrance of that old walk, but in the opposite direction and from the other side of the mountains. On that occasion I had finished the walk on Moelwyn Bach, so I must have crossed from Moelwyn Mawr to Moelwyn Bach, but I have no memory of how I did that or how I was now supposed to cross the difficult terrain either side of Bwlch Stwlan, however a faint path led me away from the summit passing to the east of the difficulties taking me down a broad grassy band between the crags to Bwlch Stwlan where the path up the other side doesn’t bypass the difficulties but tackles them head-on. This ingenious path weaves through the rocky terrain scrambling up to the immensely satisfying ridge above Craigysgafn.

It was very cold and windy as I made my way up increasingly grassy and tedious slopes to eventually reach the summit of Moelwyn Mawr. It was now largely overcast, which was leaving the views disappointingly grey and dull, though they were still extensive and otherwise spectacular. Steep grassy slopes took me down to boggy ground where I kept to the edge of steep crags and climbed once more to reach the minor top of Moel-yr-hydd where the best views were back over the rocky Moelwyns and the hidden bowl housing Llyn Stwlan. In the other direction I descended broad grassy slopes to the ruins of Rhosydd Quarry where I had my lunch sheltered from the wind behind one of the buildings. Continuing my walk, I passed through the desolation left by the extensive quarrying and eventually emerged amongst the abandoned mine buildings in the broad saddle at the top of Cwmorthin. To my left, the shapely peak of Cnicht was drawing me on even though I was not seeing it from its most iconic perspective, from the south, where it appears as a well-defined peak. To get to the top of Cnicht I had to take a roundabout route continuing north along a faint path that was not easy to follow as it seemed to go out of its way to cross boggy ground when drier, rocky ground was available nearby.

Eventually I climbed up to a broad ridge where I turned left to head along an increasingly fabulous ridge as it narrows deliciously all the way up to the summit of Cnicht. The views north towards Snowdon and the other mountains in the area promised many delights for the coming week and had me eagerly anticipating the coming days. I had a fabulous walk in improving weather along the undulating ridge to Cnicht, so when I reached the summit I had no problem with having to turn around and head back along the ridge I had just walked along. When I reached the turning right onto the boggy path, I stayed on the ridge not wanting to take that path again, and instead I repeated my route of 2004 when I attempted to bag all the tops in the area. At the end of the broad grassy ridge is an unnamed 672 metre top where I was assailed by strong winds that had been curiously silent on Cnicht, and these continued as I exhaustingly climbed to the top of Moel Druman. A broad grassy saddle was crossed before I could reach the final peak of the day: Allt-fawr where I had extensive views over the mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog including the still active quarries to the north of the town.

Descending south I made my way along the ridge between Cwmorthin and the active slate quarries until eventually, before reaching the sheer drops off the top of Craig Nythgigfran, I turned right descending through heather into the remains of Cwmorthin Quarry. After negotiating the various twists and turns of the quarry roads I eventually found my way down to the track at the bottom of the valley that took me back to my car. This was an epic walk in strong winds with overcast skies for a lot of the day, but occasionally the weather cleared and afforded me with stunning views of these fabulous mountains that, except on Cnicht (the Welsh Matterhorn), were entirely empty of people. It is tragic that the awesome, craggy mountains of the Moelwyns should be ignored as they dominate the view from the south and more than satisfy a traverse.

The Mawddach Trail and Cadair Idris

Saturday 31st August 2019

At the start of this walk the weather was terrible with rain and a continuation of the strong winds that had stopped me from doing a mountain walk the previous day, however, the forecast was for a dramatic improvement. On this assumption I formulated a plan that would bring me to the summit of Cadair Idris later in the day. I was half way through a memorial tour of Wales visiting some of my favourite walks and mountains from the last twenty years, and this walk was inspired by an unforgettable holiday in 2004 when I had basked in amazing weather. I made a return visit to Cadair Idris in 2009 during a highlights tour of Wales and took the same route up the mountain, from the Minffordd Hotel, as five years earlier only to be plagued with rain. This time I planned to make a completely different approach, coming from the north instead of the south starting from Kings Youth Hostel. Because of the weather, instead of starting the walk by heading south towards the summit, I headed north down the narrow road that follows the wooded valley of the Gwynant to the main road and beyond to the Abergwynant Wood on the edge of the Mawddach Estuary.

When I got to the woods I decided that rather than turning left to follow the river straight towards the estuary I would turn right to take a route that would enable me to enjoy more of the woods. Following the path steeply uphill I quickly became hot in my waterproofs, before meandering through the woods and eventually descended the other side to reach the route of the old railway line that follows the edge of the estuary from Dolgellau to Barmouth, on what is now called the Mawddach Trail. If it hadn’t been raining I’m sure I would have enjoyed the woods more, but ultimately they seemed a little too small. Soon I came across an interpretation board that has a quote from someone who once said the only railway line to have better views than the line between Dolgellau and Barmouth is the one between Barmouth and Dolgellau. On this walk I would see, first hand, what this meant as I turned west and followed the old railway line towards the sea at Barmouth. A combination of the heavy rain and the tide being in had resulted in the estuary being completely filled with water, and when I reached the mouth of the Gwynant I found the path that I should have taken earlier was completely flooded, so it was fortunate that I had taken the diversion through the woods.

The rain stopped soon after I started walking along the trail and gradually the weather improved which enabled me to enjoy the walk as I slowly followed the edge of the estuary with blue skies emerging ahead and even more spectacularly behind me where the combination of water and hills was spellbinding. Eventually the trail turned inland and at a road crossing I turned left and following a levee beside a stream I came back to the main road at Arthog. Across the road I took a footpath that climbs steeply through woodland beside where the stream crashes spectacularly down the hillside. Initially I was not able to see the falls, but later the excellent footpath, that was a delight in itself, brought me to scenes that were simple perfection in their sylvan beauty. Eventually I was deposited onto a road high above the estuary and from this road I followed a track that enabled me to continue to climb slowly into the hills that lie to the west of Cadair Idris. At the edge of a conifer plantation I stopped and looking out over the extensive views across Barmouth Bay I had my lunch before turning off the track to follow a fence to the summit of Braich Ddu. Across the fence was a dreary conifer plantation with severely eroded tracks, but I was walking through grass beside the increasingly steep slopes of Craig Cwm-llwyd.

Despite the earlier sunshine the hills were stubbornly clinging to their cloud cover and providing me with dull, overcast skies as I walked around the grassy slopes above Llyn Cyri. When I reached the top of Twll yr Ogof I found strong winds were still in evidence which made my walking above the cliffs of Craig-y-llyn rather unpleasant. At this point I was questioning whether I was going to reach the summit of Cadair Idris as there seemed to be little improvement in the weather on these tops. However, once I reached the top of Tyrrau Mawr, the promised improvement finally came to the mountains as the sun came out and the wind died down even though, stubbornly, the summit of Cadair Idris remained hidden under cloud. When I reached the popular Pony Path there was no question about whether I would reach the summit as I followed the increasingly and satisfyingly rocky path, a welcome change after the earlier grassy hills, I gradually climbed up to the saddle between Cyfrwy and Cadair Idris. Despite good weather now being almost everywhere, the summit of Cadair Idris was still enveloped in dark cloud when I reached the top, and a brisk, cold wind did not encourage me to linger so turning around I headed back down the path.

It had felt great to be on a proper, rock-dominated mountain, but although it was good walking on rocky ground I was happy to be coming down out of the cold wind. The sun was shining on the path during my descent and the weather continued to improve so that by the time I reached the point where I had earlier joined the Pony Path the summit seemed to have finally cleared of cloud. If only I had been able to delay summiting the mountain by just one hour. Nevertheless I had stunning views across the Mawddach Estuary towards the mountains of Snowdonia that more than made up for my disappointment of the summit conditions. The weather was now fabulous in sharp contrast to how the day had started. I enjoyed the walk along the Mawddach Trail at the start of the day and especially beside the sensational Arthog Waterfalls, but I did not enjoy the western approach to Cadair Idris over grassy hills that do not compare with the sensational route that I had taken on previous occasions from the Minffordd Hotel to the south of the mountain. The tremendous views continued as I made my way down the Pony Path eventually, once more, following the Gwynant stream as I made my way back to Kings Youth Hostel.

Elan Valley

Friday 30th August 2019

My plans for this walk were stopped by the strong winds that were forecast for Wales. I was in the middle of a tour of Wales retracing some of the fantastic walks that I have done over the last twenty years, but nearly all of those walks were up mountains, and the top of a mountain is not the place you want to be in gale force winds that can knock you off your feet. I had planned to walk up the Aran range of mountains in the southern end of Snowdonia on a walk that I had previously done in 2004. Instead I considered staying in the Brecon Beacons National Park and doing another walk in the Black Mountains, but that would also be severely impacted by the strong winds. In desperation I looked at the map and noticed that between the Brecon Beacons National Park and Snowdonia National Park is an area of lower hills known as the Cambrian Mountains or in Welsh, the Elenydd. The Elenydd is not a national park or even a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and consequently is largely ignored by walkers. I had only once been to the area before when, in 2006, I walked up Plynlimon at the northern end of the Elenydd and the highest point.

The map indicated that my route towards Snowdonia would pass through the Elenydd close to the Elan Valley, which is an area that is not only famed for its picturesque scenery but is also sometimes known as the Welsh Lake District. I needed no other incentive, so driving up from Brecon I came into the Elan Valley and parked at the visitor centre. Since I had not planned to walk in the area I had no maps so I enquired inside on a possible walk that I could do and was recommended two walks that should take me all day around Caban Coch and Garreg Ddu Reservoirs. So, to start I climbed to the top of the dam that overlooks the visitor centre and was assailed by the winds that I had been trying to avoid, though they were not as strong as they would have been if I’d been at the top of a mountain. I followed a path along the southern shore of Caban Coch Reservoir below grey, overcast skies through spectacular rocky scenery that made me think it was a travesty when this beautiful valley was marred by the construction of the many reservoirs in the area. The path bent round into a side valley and headed steeply uphill through bracken and heather to the ruins of Ty’n y Pant farmhouse where I turned right to head back downhill across the Nant y Gro and around the head of the valley.

The views were stunning across the tranquil, deserted valley as I stood sheltered from the wind and thought that this was a delightful spot so I just had to stop to take in the stunning surroundings where nature was in abundance. Purple heather could be seen on the slopes of the hill opposite with scattered outcrops and a prominent cairn on top, while across the valley a craggy hill dropped steeply down to the reservoir. Eventually I tore myself away and rather than staying on the bridlepath I followed the directions I had been given “for best views of the reservoir” taking a path that drops down to a forestry road where I was able to take a relaxing walk around the side of the hill with views across the reservoir towards the viaduct that carries a road over the water. The grey, overcast skies threatened rain but held off while still spoiling my views. Eventually the wide track brought me to Llannerch y Cawr Farm and the road at the western tip of Caban Coch Reservoir. On the other side of the river that feeds the reservoir I took a path that climbs through heather to reach a track that follows the contour through a conifer plantation above the reservoir.

So far I had been walking largely on wide forestry tracks that are too artificial to be really satisfying, but that would soon change. After descending a bridlepath I reached the viaduct that I had seen earlier and behind a car park I sat down near the water’s edge to have my lunch. The first set of directions I had been given directed me back to the visitor centre at this point, but now I got out my second set of directions and began a circuit of Garreg Ddu Reservoir starting from the viaduct. The walk was now much better as I proceeded through deciduous, broadleaved woodland heading towards Cwm Coel that was much more delightful than the monotonous and artificial conifer plantations that I had encountered earlier. Initially I was still walking along quite a wide track but after turning back out of Cwm Coel my route came off the track onto a narrow footpath that meanders delightfully around tree roots and crosses streams on plank bridges.

This was a gorgeous path through fabulous woodland and is just the sort of place I love to walk. I was entranced with every step and thoroughly enjoyed myself as I slowly meandered through the woodland not far from the western shore of Garreg Ddu Reservoir until eventually I came out of the wood and reached the northern tip of the reservoir. The impressive dam for Penygarreg Reservoir could be seen through the trees, but unfortunately I had no more time to explore this fabulous area, which will have to wait for another time. Instead I turned south on the far side of the reservoir and followed the course of the old railway that was built to help with the construction of the dams, and provided me with a good route off road and took me all the way back to the visitor centre. This was a fantastic walk that kept me out of the strong winds and took me through an amazing area that I had tragically forsaken all these years in my unreasonable search for mountains. I hope I return to the Elan Valley soon and extend my adventures to explore the Elenydd which I have ignored for too long.

Southern Black Mountains

Thursday 29th August 2019

During my holiday in Wales I was going back to the places where some of my earliest and most memorable walks have been done, and one such walk was in the Black Mountains in 2002. On that occasion I parked at the end of a narrow lane off the A479 at Pengenffordd, but now I stopped in the car park that is beside the Dragon’s Back Inn on the main road, and paid a small fee for the pleasure. I set off along the tree-lined lane behind the car park heading south-east following the route of the walk that I did seventeen years ago. The weather back then was good, but that was not the case now as the heatwave that I had enjoyed over the weekend was a distant memory so the day before while it often rained I spent my time browsing the second-hand bookshops of Hay-on-Wye. After a short walk along a road I came off and climbed up a lane that took me to the edge of the open hillside just as the sun started to break through the clouds and I was hopeful that this was a sign of a greater improvement in the overcast weather, but it was not to be as almost immediately it started raining. So it was that I toiled up the hill through rain and bracken to plunge into the clouds and reach the top of the ridge at the low point between Pen Trumau and Mynydd Llysiau. In 2002 I had turned left at this point to pass over Pen Trumau and head towards Waun Fach, but now I turned right to walk to the top of Mynydd Llysiau.

I must have walked along this ridge before but I can’t remember when, and with the rain having stopped I quite enjoyed it especially on the climb to where the ridge is narrow even though I still had low clouds. On the other side of Mynydd Llysiau the ridge broadens and as I descended the clouds cleared and the wind picked up so that while crossing the broad saddle and up to the top of Pen Twyn Glas I was being viciously buffeted by the winds. Rain is not a problem as you can put waterproofs on and keep walking, however if it is windy then that rain can blow horizontally into your face and through your waterproofs. Even if it’s not raining it can be difficult to walk in really strong winds and I have encountered enough windy days on mountains to not want to go walking against the wind. I had planned to turn right at Pen Twyn Glas to head over Pen Allt-mawr, but in view of the strong winds and poor weather I veered left along the ridge that descends over Tal Trwynau. My decision was justified by the resumption of the rain, but now I was sheltered by the higher ridge to my right as I descended the heather covered ridge passing the remains of quarry workings until eventually I reached the edge of a conifer plantation.

At this point I was reluctant to keep going on the walk as the strong wind had knocked all the enthusiasm out of me, but soon after I had started walking again the rain stopped and the sun came out, which greatly improved my outlook and encouraged me to keep going and climb the ridge across the valley that terminates on Crug Mawr. After crossing the valley I took a path past Blaenau up the lovely Nant y ffin valley now with stunning views behind me in the sunshine towards the ridge that terminates on Pen Cerrig-calch. It was very pleasant walking up that path and made up for my earlier despondency as I made my way up to the top of the ridge that runs along the edge of the Mynydd Du Forest to the southern tip of the Black Mountains. I don’t think I have ever been up Crug Mawr before, at the end of this ridge, and I didn’t now as I turned left and followed the edge of the plantation with heather covered slopes to my left and the highest peaks of the Black Mountains ahead of me on the horizon. Over the Grwyne Fawr valley to my right I could see the southern ends of the easternmost ridges of the Black Mountains that terminate on Bal Mawr and Hatterrall Hill, and it all looked fabulous in the sunshine.

However it wasn’t long before the clouds enveloped the skies once more and with them the winds picked up as I slowly made my way along the ridge gradually gaining height as I passed over Pen Twyn Mawr and by the time I reached Pen y Gadair Fawr the winds were very strong and cold. This distinctively shaped peak deserves to be the highest point in the Black Mountains, but that honour is taken by the nearby, wide, boggy plateau of Waun Fach. A good footpath has now been built that eased my passage through the bogs between the two peaks and up to the boggy summit of Waun Fach where I remember previously at the summit was a large block of concrete in the middle of a broad bog. That is now gone leaving a more undefined summit beside junction of paths where there is a small, square rock with O.S. written on it. Continuing along the path on the north-east ridge I descended to the shallow peak of Pen y Manllwyn and just beyond I came upon the route, once more, of my 2002 walk that had descended to Grwyne Fawr Reservoir and back round via Rhos Dirion. To my left was an undulating ridge that is simply called Y Grib, the ridge, that I remembered being an utter delight when I descended it in 2002, and was my primary target for this walk.

The weather was now deteriorating with each step so I was not making this descent in as good a weather as I had enjoyed before, but nevertheless it was fabulous to sail down the ridge keeping to the crest all the way down to the final rise up to the remains of Castell Dinas that overlooks the Dragon’s Back Inn and my car. This walk was not the same as the memorable walk that I did in 2002, but instead I had tried to also conjure up memories of other walks that I have done in the Black Mountains, although ultimately the poor weather did me no favours as I wasn’t seeing the area at its best, but I should be grateful that I did have some sunshine on the walk. Sadly this was the last walk during my holiday in the Brecon Beacons National Park before heading north, but I could have easily spent the whole fortnight in the park and enjoyed every moment. The Brecon Beacons National Park was the scene of most of my earliest hill walks and has shaped my experiences ever since, and so I have great memories and fondness for this area that has been rekindled on my memorial tour. I hope it is not too long before I return to the Brecon Beacons and resume my love affair with this fabulous area.

The Waterfalls Walk

Tuesday 27th August 2019

I love walking through wooded gorges with steep sides beside a narrow river as it meanders along the bottom in amongst dappled sunlight. These places are usually completely wild and totally given over to nature allowing it to fill every corner with abundant vegetation in the damp atmosphere. Apart from the vitally important footpath that enables me to walk through these landscapes there is wild nature everywhere, completely unspoilt by the ruinous hand of man. They are magical places that I adore wherever I have encountered them from the Ingleton Waterfalls in the Yorkshire Dales to the narrow glens that flow out of the Ochil Hills in Scotland. The start of my love affair must have happened in 2000, early in my walking career, when I first came to the Waterfall Country in the Brecon Beacons National Park. I returned in 2003 for a slightly longer route around this stunning area and for my twentieth anniversary tour of Wales I wanted to retrace my steps of that second walk to return to the scenery that sparked my love of wooded gorges. Since all other waterfall walks that I had done since have been measured against this one, this is, for me, the original Waterfalls Walk. I started in the same place as on all my previous visits, in the village of Pontneddfechan and parked near the Angel Inn.

Initially I enjoyed a wide path beside the river through dappled sunlight despite wet conditions underfoot following overnight rain. Previously this walk has been a wet weather alternative and although there had been some rain at the start of the day this had largely cleared by the time I started walking and during the day the weather would gradually improve. I was already enamoured with the experience as I walked through the narrow glen with trees overshadowing everything and the sun making a brief appearance peeking through the leaves before hiding behind clouds until the afternoon. After turning the corner into the side valley of the Afon Pyrddin I discovered just how muddy and slippery the path was when I slipped over onto my knee, as if I didn’t already have enough problems with my knees. Brushing myself off I now more carefully made my way towards the first of the great waterfalls on this walk: Sgwd Gwladus. This tall, slender fall is majestic and beautiful and has a special place in my heart remembering the times when I have explored all around the amphitheatre in which it sits getting up close and personal with the Lady Falls.

This time I didn’t get so intimate and was happy to just gaze in awe from afar and take a load of pictures before returning to the Nedd Fechan to continue along the riverside path as it weaves a course up the hillside that is narrow and at times satisfyingly tricky with steep drops to the ravine below. Eventually the path descends to the horseshoe waterfalls with many more falls coming in rapid succession culminating in the thunderous Sgŵd Ddwli. There were so many waterfalls they all seemed to merge into one in memory although the stunning wooded scenery provided me with the perfect backdrop of sylvan beauty that matches any mountaintop any day. When safe to do so I dropped down onto the river bed and took many pictures looking up and down the river towards the falls and over the top of them as I absorbed myself in the surroundings thoroughly enjoying myself. Eventually I reached the car park at Pont Melin-fach where I took the signposted path that takes a rough undulating route along the eastern bank of the river and although there are not so many stunning waterfalls on this section I really enjoyed the walking along a challenging and exhausting path.

At Pont Rhyd-y-cnau I finally left the Nedd Fechan behind to take a heavily eroded track up out of the valley, onto the road at the top of the ridge and down the hill on the other side to the caves of Porth yr Ogof. I have no desire to venture into dark, claustrophobic caves and am most happy when I have sky above my head, but I did go down to the mouth of the cave and peered into its vast, dark, waterlogged depths before climbing back up top to have my lunch. With the sun now beginning to come out I headed south and investigated the opening where the river emerges from the cave system before I once more resumed my trek beside the river on a relatively easy path in gorgeous sunshine and idyllic scenery. Eventually I reached the big waterfall of Sgŵd Clun-gwyn, which is larger than anything I had seen on the Nedd Fechan, and was justly drawing in the crowds, although getting a good view of it was not easy. Continuing south beside the Afon Mellte I saw a sign warning of a dangerous path, which just drew me on along the narrow and wet route that did not seem to me particularly difficult compared with any other paths that I have been on.

This path brought me to another big, wide waterfall, Sgŵd Isaf Clun-gwyn, which I had remembered having difficulty accessing on previous visits to the area, but now it was clustered with many people, and the crowds continued around the third waterfall on the river, Sgŵd Pannwr, brought out by the good weather and a bank holiday. I was unable to continue walking beside the river so at this point I had to climb steeply up the side of the valley completely wearing myself out in the warm weather. There was now just one waterfall left on the walk, and this one is, if not the greatest on the walk, it is certainly the most exciting. Descending steeply back down into a side valley, to the Afon Hepste, I came before the great Sgwd yr Eira, and carefully made my way over wet rocks to the foot of the waterfall and walked behind it. It is a fabulous feeling to stand behind a waterfall and to have the glorious sight of water falling in torrent just a short distance in front of me. I took many pictures, despite the sun not shining, before taking the path on the other side of the river steeply up the bank to the top where I realised the sun had come out again so I descended back down and took even more pictures.

Eventually I tore myself away and finally climbed back up the steep hillside and happily took the path that slowly led me all the way to the Dinas Rock car park and passing through Pontneddfechan returned to my car. It is astonishing that it has taken me sixteen years to do this walk again when there are walks in the Lake District that I have done countless times, again and again, even though this is a fabulous walk. The walks that I am doing on this holiday are so iconic they have totally shaped the way I now approach walking and my perception of what makes a great walk. This walk is without doubt a great walk, if not one of the greatest. It is, most definitely, the waterfall walk.

The Black Mountain

Monday 26th August 2019

As part of my nostalgia tour of Wales to celebrate twenty years since my first hill walk I was in the Brecon Beacons National Park to do a walk that I first completed in 2003 up the Black Mountain. The next time I did a walk up the Black Mountain was in 2009 while I was doing a highlights tour of Wales for my tenth anniversary, and on that occasion I did a similar walk but in the opposite direction, and I have not been back since. The Black Mountain is amongst the least visited areas of the park for me and every time I have walked up it I have headed for the north-eastern corner where the highest point can be found and completely ignored most of the rest of this vast upland area. I had considered going to the western tip of the mountain until I decided that the best way to honour the walks that I have done in the past was to cover the same ground. Therefore on a hot Bank Holiday Monday I drove from a misty Brecon over the pass into the sunny upper Tawe valley.

As before I parked near the Gwyn Arms and set off across the lovely wooded gorge of the Avon Haffes and up onto the open hillside. It was already hot as I toiled up the hill into the vast hinterland of the Black Mountain with hardly any wind and the sweat was pouring off me. In 2003 I had diverted off the main path to explore the various shallow tops in the area all with a scattering of limestone outcropping, but now with the heat I didn’t feel as if I had the energy. I was walking through a fascinating area of shake holes following a track between Castell y Geifr and Twyn Du in the middle of the thin band of limestone that runs across the south of the park. The rock that dominates the Brecon Beacons National Park is red sandstone as I saw the day before on the highest peaks. Eventually the gradient eased and a slight breeze developed that cooled me sufficiently to encourage me to leave the path and head towards the top of Disgwylfa that lies near the northern edge of the band of limestone.

When I reached the small, scattered limestone pavements at the top I had a great view west across the Black Mountain towards other limestone-covered tops such as Cefn Carn Fadog and Foel Fraith. Descending back onto the path I continued north crossing the Afon Giedd and after climbing over a shallow hill I left the limestone behind to drop down to the Afon Twrch. After crossing the river I branched off the main path to take an increasingly faint track through the grass that headed up the hill to the north. Instead of following a compass bearing I was following this sheep trod that turned around the side of the hill so eventually I came to my senses and turned north up the vast, grassy, featureless slopes. This was a very tiring and demoralising toil up the hill towards a top that I could not see and that never seemed to get any closer, but eventually, and with much relief, I reached the north-eastern escarpment of the Black Mountain.

There I found stunning views across the steep slopes below Bannau Sir Gaer that were amazing and compensated for the exhausting climb up a pathless hill. At the cairn on the nearby 677 metre top at the western end of the escarpment I stopped to have my lunch before heading off along the path beside the steep drop with extensive, but misty views north although my eye, and my camera, was only looking along the escarpment. After passing over Picws Du I had to endure a steep descent to Bwlch Blaen-Twrch, but it was the steep climb up the other side in the hot weather that really wore me out and made me think it was too hot for mountain walking. On reaching the top of Fan Foel I turned south with the escarpment and found a headwind that kept me cool as I made my way up to the highest point on the Black Mountain, Fan Brycheiniog.

From this point the walk was an absolute delight as I followed the escarpment down to Bwlch Giedd ignoring the clear path that descends steeply down the escarpment and I had climbed in 2009 to continue along the Fan Hir ridge with stunning views ahead of me towards the Tawe valley and back along the edge. This long descent was effortless with a cool breeze and a gentle gradient all the way down to the bottom of the valley. It is debateable whether this walk would have been better in the other direction as although that would have eliminated the long climb to Bannau Sir Gaer it would have robbed me of the glorious descent down Fan Hir, so ultimately I think that tedious, pathless climb is unavoidable. This was a fabulous walk in fabulous weather, but it was a little too hot when I didn’t have a cooling breeze.

Brecon Beacons

Sunday 25th August 2019

During my holiday in Wales I was revisiting some of the great walks that I have done over the last twenty years in Wales to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of my first ever hill walk, which was in the Black Mountains in the Brecon Beacons National Park. I had planned to stay in the Black Mountains for the second walk of my holiday but the weather over the bank holiday weekend was amazing and could not be wasted. With not a cloud in the sky I thought I would take advantage of the good weather and go up the Brecon Beacons, the highest hills that lend their name to the whole park. This walk was inspired by one that I did in 2003 when I parked beside Talybont Reservoir and climbed over the hills to the east of the Brecon Beacons. I was now staying in the Brecon Beacons Danywenallt Youth Hostel, which sits at the foot of the dam for the reservoir, not far from where I’d started in 2003, so now I just started from the hostel walking across the dam. After a short walk along the road away from the reservoir and passing sweet smelling, though invasive, balsam I turned up a narrow road marked “To the hill”, and once off the road passed along a lovely tree-lined path to emerge onto the open hillside and climb a wide path through bracken. Despite my early start it was already quite hot so I was soon sweating as I toiled up the path to reach the heather covered top of Twyn Du.

There, I now had a little wind and gentler slopes so happily made my way along the path towards a prominent hill ahead of me until the gradient steepened once again and I was plagued by flies during the hot, sweaty climb to the majestic pile of stones called Carn Pica. It was difficult enough climbing this steep hill in the hot weather but to have swarms of flying insects buzzing around me at the same time made this particularly arduous. Once at the cairn there was relatively flat terrain before me and thanks to a little breeze mercifully hardly any flies. After passing over the gentle rise of Waun Rydd the view opened up to reveal my destination on the horizon: the Brecon Beacons, and with a good gravel path under my feet this was a wonderfully relaxing walk. Dropping down to the top of Cwm Cwareli I followed the escarpment above the steep cliffs of Craig Cwareli and later Craig Cwmoergwm, while in the distance under clear blue skies the Brecon Beacons kept drawing me on. Eventually I reached the top of Fan y Bîg where I found a large swarm of flying ants hovering over the hot summit rocks, and ahead of me the prospect of a steep descent down to Bwlch ar y Fan.

The day before I had endured a painful descent when coming down Black Hill in the Black Mountains, due to my having forgot to bring my walking poles for this holiday. To prevent any problems on this walk I was wearing knee supports, which I had remembered to bring, and they worked wonders in limiting the pain to barely a whimper. At the bottom of the pass I continued along the ridge steeply climbing to the top of Cribyn while a keen wind kept both the flies at bay and prevented my overheating. During my frequent stops for a breath I took a look at the views and noticed that the Upper Neuadd Reservoir in the valley to the south was empty, which I remembered being full on my previous visits to the area, although they were all a long time ago. The summit of Cribyn was also plagued by flies so I soon headed down to the col and was reminded of my first visit to the Brecon Beacons in 2000 when I had bypassed Cribyn taking the clear path around the southern slopes. From the bottom I now had an even steeper climb all the way up to the top of Pen y Fan, which is not only the highest point in the Brecon Beacons, but the highest point in Britain south of Snowdonia. As such it draws crowds of people, especially when the weather is good, and on this occasion the summit was packed, with long lines swarming up the paths from the Storey Arms.

When I finally, wearily, reached the summit I did not stay but quickly crossed over to its neighbour, Corn Du, and from there turned south away from the crowds. It always amazes me how some mountains draw the non-walker or tourist walker, while most mountains are ignored, and good weather on a bank holiday weekend had ensured that Pen y Fan was at its busiest, so I quickly hurried away. The ridge south, however, was swarming, not with people, but with flying ants. This is a relatively rocky ridge and the flies were in abundance in many places on the path, but I wasn’t bothered by this and since I knew that the last of my steep climbs were over, and with a flat ridge to walk upon, I was in buoyant mood feeling as if I had tonnes of energy left. The day before I had become tired long before the end of the walk, but now I felt I could walk for many more miles, as indeed I would have to do as there was still a long way for me to go. I had an enjoyable walk along that rocky ridge beside the edge overlooking the Taf Fechan valley, and ignored the faint, eroded path down, when I eventually reached it, that I had taken in 2000, in favour of the better path further on that is the route I have taken ever since. I remember this path down as also being badly scarred, but some good repair walk has now been carried out on the steep descent that took me down into the heat at the bottom of the valley.

As I approached, I noticed that the Lower Neuadd Reservoir was empty, like the upper one, but here there was restoration work being carried out on the dam, which meant I couldn’t walk across. Instead I followed a muddy temporary path that took me around to the other side of the valley where I followed a bridlepath along the route of the Taff Trail, briefly up a road and then turned right into an initially felled plantation onto the route of an old railway. This provided me with a very long, but relaxing walk through the Talybont Forest around the southern slopes above Talybont Reservoir all the way back to the hostel. This was a fabulous walk in really good weather where I benefited from staying high for much of the walk, which kept me away from the worst of the heat until eventually I descended for the long walk out. I have very little memory of the walk I did in 2003, but the comment in my diary at the time that it was “around the hills east of the Brecon Beacons” indicates that the walk I had just done was not the walk I did in 2003. When I was doing this walk I assumed that I had done it before, but when I checked afterwards I realised that I hadn’t. This was a fairly strenuous walk, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as I walked over the awesome mountains of the Brecon Beacons in tremendous weather.