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.