Cambrian Way rerun: Llyn Ogwen to Conwy

Friday 6th June 2025

Three weeks after I set off along the Cambrian Way, last spring, I began the twenty-first stage of this challenging long distance trail. It was a relief after the rain of the day before to find sunshine as I left Idwal Cottage Youth Hostel early in the morning for the longest stretch of high-level walking on the whole route that takes in six mountains more than three thousand feet high. First I crossed the road above Rhaeadr Ogwen falls to join the rough path that crosses the foot of the steep slopes of Pen yr Ole Wen along the shore of Llyn Ogwen. A path climbs from the bridge straight up the mountain, but it is not recommended as it is very steep and eroded so the Cambrian Way deliberately avoids it by following the route that I have always taken on previous visits here. The path beside the lake is very rocky with some scrambling required around boulders and after the heavy rain of the day before the ground was very wet which made my way even trickier than normal, but it gradually improved and eventually I reached the Afon Lloer beside Tal y Llyn Ogwen where I turned left to climb the hillside beside the stream. The weather often seems to be poor when I take this route into the Carneddau Mountains so I felt lucky to have good weather for my final day on the Cambrian Way as if I was being rewarded for my efforts not only for the day before but for the past three weeks on the whole trail. Before finally moving away from the stream I made a point of refilling my water bottle because I knew I would not be any other chance to do so for a long while.

A clear path led me to an enjoyable scramble up some rocks, but any hope I may have had that my way would now be easy was dashed as I saw from the top of the scramble that the eastern ridge of Pen yr Ole Wen continues to rise steeply all the way up to the summit of my first three thousand footer of the day. A cold wind was blowing at the top of Pen yr Ole Wen which prompted me to put on my cagoule before setting off along the stony ridge that led me over Carnedd Fach while I enjoyed extensive views north and towards the highest mountains in the Carneddau. Soon I reached the summit of Carnedd Dafydd, my second high mountain of the day, and immediately I set off along the fabulous ridge that snakes around the head of Cwm Pen-llafar above the crags of Ysgolion Duon. There was often no wind blowing while I was on this path which always feels magical at the top of a mountain and added to my enjoyment as I made my way along the long, variable ridge over grass, loose stones and large boulders that kept me entertained eventually leading me to the lowest point on the ridge before the final steep climb to the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn, the second highest mountain in Wales. Some dark clouds were gathering over the summit and on the far side it was misty so views were now intermittent and as a few drops of rain were falling I continued along the ridge through the mist to pass over Foel Grach and reach mountain number five, now known as Carnedd Gwenllian, but it was called Carnedd Uchaf when I first visited the mountain. My route now turned east, to my right, and as the weather began to improve, or as I left the bad weather behind, I climbed up to Foel-fras, my final three thousand footer of the day, however, I still had a lot of walking to do. I would have loved it if my way was downhill from here all the way into Conwy, but tragically that was not the case. 

With awesome views towards the Conwy valley and out to sea I descended over the small rises of Drum and Carnedd y Ddelw before turning right to descend more steeply down to the pass of Bwlch y Ddeufaen. I was dismayed when I realised that from the pass I would have to climb the steep heather-covered slopes beyond, so I resignedly set off up the hill which went on for much longer than I hoped until eventually I reached the summit of Foel Lwyd where I followed a wall across a col and over the craggy hill of Tal y Fan. The broad grassy slopes beyond revealed a tremendous view that for the first time included Conwy Castle, so, after three weeks my ultimate goal was finally in view, and after reaching a standing stone I followed a wide track on a gentle descent that I hoped would lead me all the way there. Unfortunately Cambrian Way was not going to end that easily for me as it left the wide track to cross a low ridge and descend into a valley. When I eventually thought of checking my location I realised that I had missed a turning and should not have been descending into a valley. Rather than turning around and retracing my steps, climbing back up the hill, which with hindsight I should have done, I tried to take a shortcut, but the only route I found led to a ridiculously steep climb straight back up the hill. When I eventually reached the correct path I was completely exhausted and staggered along the path around the side of the hill to Sychnant Pass. The finale to the Cambrian Way follows a meandering route over Mynydd y Dref, known as Conwy Mountain, where I had stunning views towards Llandudno and along the ridge towards Conwy Castle, which looked fantastic as it heralded the end of my three week trek along the Cambrian Way.

This felt like a grandstand finish to the trail, but I felt it had put the start to shame which was pathetic in comparison. In an attempt to contrast with the end at Conwy Castle, the Cambrian Way begins at Cardiff Castle, but it lacks the same gravitas. Rather than a castle to castle trail, it should be coast to coast and while walking along the ridge of Conwy Mountain I felt like I had reached the north coast of Wales, but Cardiff Castle is a long way from the coast. I tried to correct that by starting from Cardiff Bay, which is perhaps a better starting place. All too soon I came off the hill and into the streets of Conwy, through the town walls and to the foot of Conwy Castle where I found the plaque that commemorates the end of the Cambrian Way. After three weeks, and nine months since my first attempt at doing the Cambrian Way, I had completed the trail, but this final stage, especially my exhausting climb back out of the valley near the end, left me so tired I couldn’t think clearly to reflect on my achievement. This is an epic trail that I thoroughly enjoyed doing, so much so that I didn’t want to go back to work afterwards. Ordinary life paled in comparison to the highs of life on the trail, especially after three weeks. Few other trails are able to match the variety, including the grand traverses over many different mountains that are included on the Cambrian Way. As I caught a train home the following day all I could think about was how to tackle the Cambrian Way a third time.

Great Mountains: The Carneddau

The largest area of upland in either England or Wales that sustains a height of more than three thousand feet is called the Carneddau and lies in North Wales within the Snowdonia National Park. The highest points within the Carneddau are the twin peaks of Carnedd Llewellyn and Carnedd Dafydd with another five peaks that rise above three thousand feet. These, with one exception, all lie on a single, long ridge of great mountains that maintains a height above three thousand feet for almost its whole length. The ridge starts on Pen Yr Ole Wen whose craggy slopes rise steeply from the shores of Llyn Ogwen and gazes across the lake into the iconic Cwm Idwal. I have climbed this mountain by just one route on three separate occasions. The obvious route of ascent is direct from Idwal Cottage, but this is an unrelentingly steep ascent and I had been warned against it in favour of the eastern ridge. A path follows the Afon Lloer into Cwm Lloer, but it has invariably been very muddy, though the weather is usually poor when I take the path. I first took this route in 2003 during my first walking holiday in Snowdonia and I think the weather was good, but the path was still boggy and difficult to follow. Once the gradient eases as you approach Ffynnon Lloer the route up Pen Yr Ole Wen turns towards the eastern ridge with an easy scramble.

If the path beside the stream was better this would be a grand way up along a great ridge that steadily climbs with precipitous drops into Cwm Lloer on your right. It is a shame that despite three ascents by this route I don’t have any good pictures of the climb up this great ridge that leads all the way up to the summit of Pen Yr Ole Wen. In 2006 I descended straight down to Idwal Cottage from the top and I remember it being an awesome, relentless scramble that destroyed my knees for weeks following. I would love to attempt the challenge of the south ridge as an ascent, but good weather would be essential as it is an accident hotspot. A much easier and gentler route up is the one that I took as a descent in 2015 down the grassy slopes of the north west ridge of Braich Ty Du, but while this definitely works as a descent it would be very dull as an ascent. Attention at this point should be on the main Carneddau ridge that starts on Pen Yr Ole Wen and sets off around the top of Cwm Lloer gradually rising to the large cairn that sits at the summit of Carnedd Dafydd. This is truly a great mountain with rock in abundance everywhere and impressive cliffs that fall spectacularly down the northern faces.

In 2007 I climbed these northern slopes on Crib Lem, a ridge that separates Cwmglas Bach and Cwmglas Mawr, requiring a scramble that is not too difficult even for someone like me. It is a grand way up a mountain, but if you prefer your climbs considerably more gentle then the slopes of Mynydd Du on the north-west ridge would be better, but for me this is better as a descent so I took this route down in 2005. The main ridge continues above the precipitous cliffs of Ysgolion Duon for an excellent walk across a saddle that doesn’t drop below three thousand feet before climbing up to the top of the highest point in the Carneddau, Carnedd Llewelyn. A great ridge heads off east from the summit before turning south narrowing deliciously along Bwlch Eryl Farchog before rising steeply to Pen yr Helgi Du. This was my route off the main Carneddau ridge in 2003 and again when I repeated the walk in 2009 and 2019. A round of the two main peaks of the Carneddau with Pen Yr Ole Wen and Pen yr Helgi Du must be the best mountain walk in the range and is why I have done it three times. It is great in any weather and I endured some terrible weather on the round in 2009, but I still enjoyed it as these mountains are too great to be ruined by a bit of bad weather.

On the other side of Carnedd Llewelyn is its companion, the shapely Yr Elen that is connected to its parent by a narrow ridge. In 2007 I descended from the top down the broad grassy slopes of Braich y Brysgyll, but for an ascent I prefer something steep and the north-eastern ridge provided me with a glorious route up in 2015. In 2003 and 2006 I visited Yr Elen as a diversion from the main ridge returning to Carnedd Llewelyn to continue along the main ridge, but this unfairly relegates a fine mountain to a supporting role tagged onto its bigger parent. This is not fair as it deserves to be climbed for its own sake and not simply to tick a box in a list of mountain tops. Resuming the walk along the main Carneddau ridge a long descent down the slopes of Carnedd Llewelyn takes us to the grass saddle of Gwaun y Garnedd before rising again to the top of Foel Grach. Just beyond the summit is a small refuge hut that was very welcome on my walk in the area in 2003 as it provided me with shelter from heavy rain and gave me somewhere dry to sit while I had my lunch. Grassy slopes continue the descent and now for the first time the ridge drops below three thousand feet, but it isn’t long before the gradient rises again to a peak whose fortunes has improved considerably.

At one time Garnedd Uchaf was not considered to be more than three thousand feet high, but then a re-survey revealed that it was, although it is still the smallest in the Carneddau. The first couple of times I visited it I had difficulty finding the top because of low cloud and a low prominence, until eventually in 2006 I had good weather and was able to appreciate the great views across to Yr Elen and Carnedd Llewelyn. Since then the top has been officially renamed Carnedd Gwenllian to tie in with the historical connection of the names of the other peaks, but I will always remember it as being Garnedd Uchaf. At this point the ridge splits in two descending west over Bera Bach and Drosgl on a ridge that I have climbed a few times, twice (in 2003 and in 2015) climbing onto the ridge from the nature reserve to the north and once (in 2005) from Bethesda to the west. Despite long grassy slopes it is a convenient route up to the Carneddau ridge. East of Garnedd Uchaf the ridge crosses a boggy saddle before rising one more time to reach the summit of Foel-fras, the last three thousand footer in the Carneddau

The terrain beyond Foel-fras is broad and grassy with much less rock and less of the mountainous feel as the ridge descends over Drum, also known as Carnedd Penyborth-Goch, gradually descending all the way to the coast. I came down this ridge in 2003 and it makes a great descent with far reaching views out to sea. In 2006 I got off a train at the station in Llanfairfechan and walked from the coast all the way into these great mountains on an epic walk that took in all seven peaks in the Carneddau in one single day. This is the only time I have reached them all in one day as usually I do the northern peaks separately from the highest peaks, for example, as I did in 2003. Although the whole range is an awesome series of mountains it is really the two highest mountains, Carnedd Llewelyn and Carnedd Dafydd, and those near them that deserve the accolade of being Great Mountains. In that area rock abounds with sheer cliffs, narrow ridges and great views that are enough to hail these mountains with ultimate praise.

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.

Yr Elen and the Carneddau

Sunday 30th August 2015

On my walk the day before this one I had seen across the valley a promising route up the north-eastern ridge of Yr Elen. I had never climbed Yr Elen by that route before, or in fact by any route before. On this holiday I was trying to find new routes up the familiar mountains of Snowdonia, and Yr Elen is a mountain where I have been to the summit several times, but always from the higher peak of its neighbour, Carnedd Llewelyn. Yr Elen is really just an off-shoot or side-ridge of Carnedd Llewelyn so most of the time I have simply nipped across the connecting ridge to ‘bag’ the summit and then nipped back. The last time I was on Yr Elen was in 2007 and on that occasion I came down the long north-western ridge. The idea of doing this new ascent of Yr Elen was so appealing to me that I abandoned my planned walk for this day in order to do it, but first I had a long walk-in to get there from where I’d parked in a narrow street in the tightly-packed community of Gerlan above the town of Bethesda.

I have parked at that point several times before so I felt fortunate to find an empty parking place now before setting off up a footpath that led me to the farm of Tan-y-garth on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park. It was very hazy at this point in the day with the sun spending most of the morning trying to pierce through thin cloud, but it was ultimately never really successful with the cloud eventually thickening up and descending in the afternoon. However, I had one benefit with the weather as there was hardly any wind, even at the top of the mountains. The day before this walk there had been a strong, cold, northerly wind blowing at the tops, but this was happily absent for this walk. Beyond Tan-y-garth I crossed the open hillside onto a track that headed into the valley of the Afon Caseg past the ruins of ancient settlements and with the mountains of the Carneddau brooding under the clouds before me and Yr Elen taking centre stage.

Soon the track ended and I was left to find whatever trace I could find of a footpath up the valley below the towering rocks of Carreg y Gath and into Cwm Caseg. The steep-sided, crag-filled cirque was a stunning sight with tremendous scenery all around me that was simply breath-taking, but the lack of a clear footpath indicated that this area is rarely visited. This is tragic and marks a significant difference between Snowdonia and the Lake District where footpaths abound, every valley has clear routes through it and every fell has many clear paths up to the tops. In Snowdonia there are few clear paths apart from on the top of the ridges where the footpaths are well-defined, so this means it is easy to get away from the crowds who stay on these well-defined routes. With the clouds already beginning to descend onto the mountain tops I reached the foot of the steep north-eastern ridge of Yr Elen and began my ascent.

After an initial steep climb up a grassy slope the gradient eased and the ridge narrowed to give me a glorious ascent with jagged rock to my right and smoother grass and scree slopes to my left. Near the top of the ridge a mass of rocks blocked the route up, but a path materialised just before and followed a cunning route through the blockage to scramble satisfyingly up to the top of the ridge not far from the summit of Yr Elen. This was a fabulous end to what had been a relatively easy, but satisfying climb and deposited me at the top of Yr Elen with thin cloud swirling around undecided on whether to cover the summit or not. While I had my lunch at the summit the clouds played with the top of the mountains, sometimes covering them and sometimes lifting to reveal tremendous views of the surrounding mountains, and all the time with hardly a breath of wind.

When the views across to Carnedd Llewelyn were briefly clear I crossed the fabulous, narrow ridge that connects Yr Elen with its bigger neighbour while to my left, towards the mountains that I’d visited the day before, the clouds lifted to afford me with sensational views to match the quality of the ridge under my feet. The sun was not seen again as the cloud descended once more and I climbed the well-defined path up the scree to the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn. I had hardly seen anyone all morning, but as I made my way from the summit along the well-defined path at the top of the ridge that connects Carnedd Llewelyn and Carnedd Dafydd, I passed many, many people. This is a glorious ridge and fully deserves its popularity. Cloud filled the northern crags of Ysgolion Duon above Cwmglas Mawr just as it had when I crossed this ridge in 2007, but now it was mesmerizingly windless.

Being at the top of this ridge with no wind added to my enjoyment and prompted me to literally skip along the path and hop across the rocks as I made the most of this magical experience. I entered the clouds once again as I neared Carnedd Dafydd and with the cloud now lingering I traversed the ridge over Carnedd Fach to reach Pen Yr Ole Wen at the western end of the glorious Carneddau ridge. My original plan for this day had been to climb the south ridge of Pen Yr Ole Wen but with my change of plans I was now looking to descend that way so I took a compass reading and turned north to head down the long, grassy slopes of Braich Ty Du to eventually return to my car. Even though the weather had deteriorated during the course of the day the lack of wind had made being at the top of the mountains a memorable experience. These are great mountains and the ridge between Carnedd Llewelyn and Carnedd Dafydd is amazing to walk along in any weather. When I was last there in 2009 the weather had been atrocious and yet I had still enjoyed the traverse. I hope I don’t leave it as long to do it again.

A Circuit above Aber Falls

Saturday 29th August 2015

The August Bank Holiday weekend saw me heading back to an area that at one time was my usual haunt at this time of the year, however, that all ended in 2009 and apart from a couple of trips up Snowdon I had not been back to Snowdonia at any time of the year since. So, I felt like I was due a return not only to this once familiar ground, but also to see if I could find any new routes up these well-known mountains. The first place I went was somewhere that I had not been back to since my very first walking holiday in Snowdonia, back in 2003, when on the last day of that holiday I had climbed up the northern mountains of the Carneddau starting from Aber Falls. Despite ever since wanting to take the footpath that climbs to the top of the waterfall I had never been back, until now. In 2003 I had taken a route that went around the falls, and on this walk I would return to the same mountains as then, but the route that I now took was via the top of Aber Falls on that path that I have wanted to walk for a long time.

Once I had arrived at the car park for the Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve I headed along the track through a delightfully wooded valley until I eventually reached the foot of the tall Aber Falls. This was a splendid sight and it was such a long time since I had last been there I had forgotten just how good is this waterfall. After taking many pictures to keep as a reminder of this waterfall for many years to come, I retraced my steps and diverted onto a path that climbs scree slopes up to the top of the waterfall. At one point the path crosses some steep crags on a glorious, narrow terrace high above the falls with some precarious scrambling that made the traverse even more exciting, especially after recent rainfall. Eventually I emerged beside the stream above Aber Falls with the sound of the waterfall roaring steeply below.

I had to head upstream for quite some distance before I was able to safely cross and from there I ascended the steep heather and bilberry covered slopes for a frustratingly long and tedious climb. I had no footpath to follow and bands of rain and sunshine passed overhead as I slowly approached the rocks of Bera Mawr. With full waterproofs on I completed the climb up the scattered rocks under the mixed weather conditions while strong, cold winds  encouraged me to keep my waterproofs on throughout the day despite later spells of sunshine. The rocks of Bera Mawr eventually led me to the highest point, which was actually near the far side of the widely scattered rocks, and after I’d had enough of climbing over the wet, slippery rocks I made my way across the grassy slopes that separate Bera Mawr from its twin, Bera Bach, where I sought shelter from the strong winds and had my lunch.

Striking off along the top of the ridge I headed towards what had been known as Garnedd Uchaf when I was last in the area, back in 2006, but now appears to be called Carnedd Gwenllian. According to Wikipedia the summit was officially renamed on 26th September 2009 after a campaign by the Princess Gwenllian Society. Gwenllian of Wales was the only child of Llywelyn ap Gruffudd who has long been immortalised in the name of the nearby mountain of Carnedd Llywelyn, however walkers do not like change in old favourites, and so for me Carnedd Gwenllian will stubbornly remain Carnedd Uchaf. Despite cold winds it was sunny at the top of the mountain while the views towards Gwenllian’s father with Yr Elen beside him were fabulous. When I was on these mountains in 2003 the weather was very poor and I had no view to enjoy, but now the weather was treating me a lot better.

From the top of Carnedd Uchaf I headed towards Foel Grach with now Carnedd Llywelyn brooding under dark clouds beyond. It had started to rain when I reached Foel Grach in 2003 and the dark clouds of Carnedd Llywelyn once again deposited their bounty upon me when I reached Foel Grach. I didn’t stay long at the top, or go further along the ridge, as once I’d touched the summit cairn I turned around and headed back towards Carnedd Uchaf where the weather was better and the sun was shining. I hadn’t enjoyed my long climb up the dreary slopes to Bera Mawr, but as I walked past Carnedd Uchaf and towards Foel-fras with the sun shining once again I relished being at the top of a mountain again with far-reaching views all around me. I never enjoy long climbs, but walking along the top of a ridge with the sun shining, revealing stunning views, I am reminded of why I made the effort to climb that long slope.

When I reached Foel-fras I had summited my third Welsh three-thousand-footer of the day, which left me with another twelve that I hoped to summit before the end of my holiday. This is the northern-most three-thousand-footer so from there I began descending, not on the long ridge over Drum that I had taken in 2003, but turning left I headed steeply down towards Llwytmor. It was very windy at this point on my walk and there was little trace of a path for me to follow as I passed over Llwytmor until I reached Llwytmor Bach where I turned left again and descended into the valley of the Afon Goch. When I finally reached the bottom of the valley I picked up a faint path that took me back to the top of Aber Falls. I was now sheltered from the strong, cold winds that had been assailing me while on the tops so I was finally able to take my waterproofs off and enjoy the sunny weather as I made the rocky traverse above Aber Falls once again. The weather was fabulous back in the nature reserve as I basked in the sunshine while slowly descending into the wooded valley.

This was a curious walk with changeable weather and some frustrating or tedious moments, but also with some very enjoyable occasions. I really enjoyed the traverse across the rocks above Aber Falls so I will want to do that path again and that gives me an excuse to see the falls themselves again. It was also great to be at the top of mountains again for the first time since Easter and reminded me that despite how much I may enjoy long distance paths there’s no beating being at the top of a mountain in good weather. It was interesting to note that the least enjoyable moments of this walk were on the ascent and descent when I was not following a footpath, which does teach you something about me. Despite the changeable weather this was a good start to my long-awaited return to the Welsh three-thousand-footers.

The Northern Carneddau

Saturday 6th September 2003

In my goal to walk up all fifteen mountains in Wales above three thousand feet I had just three left to complete, but there was a major obstacle in my way: the weather. As I sat in my car at the Bont Newydd car park near the village of Abergwyngregyn on the North Wales coast, rain was hammering down. Up to this point in my walking experience I had never walked in weather anywhere approaching this severity, so I was seriously considering abandoning the walk. I got the plan for this walk from the Walking Britain website where it says “not all of the route follows clear paths so it is recommended you choose a day with good visibility and remember that this part of the Carneddau offers few places to shelter in poor weather” but eventually the rain stopped and I cautiously ventured out of my car and headed off into the reserve. Coedydd Aber is a National Nature Reserve whose main attraction is the waterfall of Rhaeadr-fawr, Aber Falls, and I’m sure the rest of the reserve is also worth a visit, but I have little memory of it, and actually I don’t even have vivid memories of the waterfall. I have never been back, though I have thought of returning many times, if only so I can take the path to top of the falls.

On this occasion I stayed on the main path to the foot of the falls and after a moment continued round to the right along the path to the river, Afon Garn, where I crossed a dilapidated fence and made my way slowly up the valley. It must have been a scary moment for me as I headed out onto the featureless hillside in poor weather when I didn't have the confidence gained from previous excursions in poor weather. Eventually I reached a path at the top of the shallow col, whose reassuring hand led me along the path gradually climbing the hillside soon plunging into low cloud. Slowly I passed around Drosgl and drew near to the outcrops of Bera Bach, where despite wet rocks I climbed up to the top before continuing along the ridge carefully following my compass as I made my way across the bleak hillside.

Two years after this walk I returned to the area to bag the lesser tops that I had missed out on this occasion, so it was then when I stopped to bag Drosgl and head across to Bera Mawr, the twin of Bera Bach. I had other concerns on this occasion as I was still developing my skills in bad weather and didn’t want to risk tragedy by veering off route. My goal on this walk was to visit the three tops that are more than three thousand feet high and nothing else mattered. I also had poor weather two years later during this part of the walk, and since I have never been back to the area around Bera Bach you can say that I’ve never actually seen anything from the top. The closest I’ve gotten is in 2006, while visiting the three-thousand foot high mountains of Wales again, I passed close by on my way up to Carnedd Llewelyn, which was when I took the photo below.

The weather had not improved as I bypassed Garnedd Uchaf and headed towards Foel Grach, but just as I was beginning to feel I could navigate anywhere it started to rain heavily again. Fortunately there is a purpose-built stone shelter near the summit of Foel Grach that was a welcome sight in the pouring rain and was a great relief for me to be able to have my lunch in the dry while the rain fell outside. Once the rain stopped I emerged from the shelter and after visiting the summit of Foel Grach I headed back along the ridge to the top of Garnedd Uchaf, which I found without too much difficulty despite not having a GPS to pinpoint the location. I had somehow, with the aid of little more than a map and compass and not much experience of using them, been able to safely locate the summits of two of my three target mountains, despite bad weather.

My third target was Foel-fras, which lies a little further away from the other two along a ridge in a north-easterly direction. I was now feeling very happy with myself and my ability to navigate in bad weather and it wasn’t too long before I reached the top of Foel-fras and the last three thousand footer of my week’s holiday. All that remained now for me was to continue along the ridge slowly losing height as I passed over the top of Drum (Carnedd Penyborth-Goch) following a developing track as it passed below the long line of small tops north of the Afon Anafon and pick up the route of the North Wales Path dropping down into the valley and back along the road to my car. This was a ground-breaking walk as this, more than any other walk, established my ability to walk in bad weather. Despite being at the top of open grassy hills I had been able to use my compass to navigate a route to the top of three three-thousand foot high mountains and come back down again. I would never be the same again.

The Carneddau

Friday 5th September 2003

During my holiday in Snowdonia, my first ever walking holiday there, I had set myself the challenge of walking up all fifteen three thousand foot high mountains in the National Park, however, I had already failed in this endeavour because I’d not gone to the top of the precipitous Crib Goch, but I was not to be deterred by this and was determined to visit the top of all the other mountains. I had done two on the first day, two on the second including Snowdon, and then Snowdon again the third day, while on the fourth day I topped the three three thousand foot high mountains in the Glyderau. While I may have only done half my target with just two days left, those two days were spent in the Carneddau, ‘the largest contiguous area of high ground (over 2,500 or 3,000 feet (910 m) high) in Wales and England’, to quote Wikipedia. In this area are seven recognizable tops above three thousand feet, although only one is classed as a Marilyn, which means it has a drop of more than five hundred feet.

When I tried to repeat this walk in 2009 the weather was terrible, but for this walk I had brilliant weather all day as I climbed what I believe are two of the best mountains in Britain. I parked my car beside the A5 trunk road where there is plenty of road-side parking and after crossing the road walked past Glan Dena and Tal y Llyn Ogwen onto the steep hillside following a route beside the Afon Lloer on as far as I can recall ground that was rather wet, but that doesn’t make sense as 2003 was a very hot and dry summer, so either I remember incorrectly or the hillside was well watered from the stream, or maybe the muddy path that I remember was in 2009. The path wasn’t very clear, but it was possible to follow the right route thanks to posts that marked the way so eventually I drew near to Ffynnon Lloe, though before reaching the lake I turned left towards the eastern ridge of Pen yr Ole Wen, which has some sporting scrambles before the terrain levels out to leave me with a pleasing walk to the summit.

I seem to remember thinking at this point that I was fed up with all the scrambling that I was doing, which looking back seems amazing. Now I think that a bit of easy scrambling livens up a walk, but back then I’d become used to striding out along the grassy ridges of the Brecon Beacons National Park, where there is no scrambling. My dislike for scrambling wouldn’t last very long and soon I would embrace it and eagerly seek it out. Pen yr Ole Wen was my first three thousand footer of the day, and is usually climbed direct from Idwal Cottage up the stupendously steep southern ridge (although it’s so steep that ridge doesn’t seem to be an accurate description). My reading around before coming to Snowdonia convinced me to take the longer route via Ffynnon Lloe, and if I’d disliked the scrambling on that route I can’t imagine how I’d have reacted to the south ridge. I came down the south ridge in 2006 and it almost destroyed my knees, they were aching for weeks after.

Having climbed my first three thousand feet high mountain of the day, the walk stayed then above three thousand feet until I’d bagged my fourth mountain of the day starting with a thoroughly enjoyable walk along a narrow ridge past the large cairn of Carnedd Fach and up to the top of Carnedd Dafydd. This is a grand mountain with some truly stunning features, most notably the crags that line its northern slopes, Ysgolion Duon. Carnedd Dafydd may not be a Marilyn, but I feel sure that if it was in Scotland it would have earned the right to be a Munro. A fabulous walk along a narrow rocky ridge took me across Bwlch Cyfryw-drum to the scree covered slopes of Carnedd Llewelyn, but my first target was not the highest point in the Carneddau, it was its partner, Yr Elen.

Yr Elen sticks out from Carnedd Llewelyn and is connected to its bigger parent by a short, narrow ridge. After crossing the stony slopes below Carnedd Llewelyn I passed along the narrow connecting ridge and up to the summit of Yr Elen where, given its vantage point sticking out from the main ridge of the Carneddau, the views are stunning stretching all the way out to the Menai Strait and Anglesey. Returning along the narrow connecting ridge, I climbed the stony slopes up to the top of my fourth three thousand footer of the day and the highest in the Carneddau, Carnedd Llewelyn. There are another three three thousand footers in the Carneddau, but they would have to wait till the next day. My next target was several nearby, lower hills that I wanted to bag, in the same way as I’d bagged the western hills of Snowdon earlier in the week I was now keen to bag these, which is really quite pathetic.

An easy descent leads to the satisfyingly narrow ridge of Bwlch Eryl Farchog at the end of which is a short but satisfying scramble. I could have gone around the scramble but since I didn’t then surely I was already beginning to appreciate them. Another scramble led me to the top of Pen yr Helgi Du, a grass topped hill of not modest proportions but still less than three thousand feet. A relatively broad grassy ridge led me to the much broader top, though smaller height, of Pen Llithrig y Wrach where a satisfying descent brought me down to near the inlet for the Llyn Cowlyd Reservoir and a bridlepath that led me all the way back to my car. This is a truly great mountain walk that as I found in 2009 cannot be ruined by bad weather. Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llewelyn are great mountains that are a joy to climb especially in the good weather that I was blessed with on this walk.

The Carneddau

With no new walks to talk about, I’m going back to 2005 and the walks I did in Wales over the two May Bank Holidays. During the May Day weekend I had a very strenuous holiday walking over the three thousand foot hills in North Wales. It was an extremely tiring weekend that left me bruised and aching; I must have already been getting old!

Saturday 30th April 2005

The first of the three days was spent going over the Carneddau, the largest area of hilltop over 3000 feet high in the whole of England and Wales (which isn't really saying much, but it's the best we’ve got). After driving over to North Wales in the morning in pouring rain I parked at Gwernydd, which is just off a side street outside Bethesda, and started walking up a road past Ciltwllan heading up the side of the hill. Once I was out into open country I followed vague paths up Y Garth onto the ridge of Gyrn Wigau and across the grassy plain past a rocky Right-of-Way path and up onto the top of Drosgl.

The rain was still falling and as I was now also in the clouds there were no views for me to enjoy, but that seemed to be the norm when I was walking in this area. The last time I was there I'd parked at Bont Newydd and accessed the hills by going past Aber Falls. That day had been wet with low clouds as well and on that occasion I'd missed out Drosgl by staying on the right-of-way so on this walk I decided to right that oversight and climb through the boulder field to reach the large summit cairn at the top of Drosgl. My next target was Bera Mawr, which is the northerly of two prominences north-west of Garnedd Uchaf. Bera Bach is the higher of the two at 807m but since it's collection of rocks is on top of the main ridge it has virtually no drop. Bera Mawr, however, is somewhat to the north of the ridge and has a large enough drop to put it on some mountain lists. Despite this it was Bera Bach that I'd climbed two years before so on this walk I veered to the left of Bera Bach following a faint path at the foot of the rocky outcrops towards Bera Mawr. This is quite a fun lump of rock as a little scrambling is necessary to get onto the top; it was just a pity visibility was nil as I'm sure the views across the Aber Falls Nature Reserve towards the Lavan Sands and Anglesey would have been tremendous.

Coming down off Bera Mawr I refrained from rejoining the top of the ridge and kept to the contours edging around the top of Cwm yr Afon Goch, across the infant river below Garnedd Uchaf and round towards the top of Llwytmor. This was another hill in the northern Carneddau that I'd never been to before and now I had completed the list of hills that I wanted to bag in this area. The last time I'd been there, two years previously, my sights had been solely on the three-thousand-footers. This weekend I wanted to take in some of the other hills that fall just before the Munro standard as well as those great hills themselves. After lunch on Llwytmor I headed across the col to Foel-fras and I was surprised to discover significant amounts of snow in the sheltered northern areas of the hill. When I was in the Lake District over Easter I had not seen any snow even on Helvellyn, but in Snowdonia I saw a lot of snow on all of the three-thousand-footers in the Carneddau. The snow wasn't icy and most of it showed signs of being in the advanced stages of a thaw, but it was still a surprise for me to see snow so late in the season.

The south-west ridge took me to Garnedd Uchaf, the summit of which was quite a hunt for me in the clouds, and I seem to recall I had a similar problem two years previously. Those GPS thingies may have come in handy to find the top but a map, a compass and a bit of luck was just as good as any technology. Heading south I approached Foel Grach passing the hut where two years before I'd sheltered from a particularly violent rain shower. The shelter was not required on this walk as the clouds were now beginning to lift and by the time I reached the summit of Foel Grach the clouds had lifted enough to reward me with amazing views of the rocky edges of Yr Elen and the massive snow-marked bulk of Carnedd Llewelyn. As if by magic, crowds of people also appeared on the hills so that after hours of having the hills all to myself I suddenly found things a little crowded. To avoid a large number of people coming towards me down the main path I veered off to the left to stay on top of the ridge, which itself veers to the left of the path reaching an imperceptible top at the head of Cwm Eugiau. The outcrop has no name but someone has given it a cairn despite having no drop to speak of. It may be a hill that's not worth bagging (it's not really a hill at all, merely part of Foel Grach) but at least it kept me off the overpopulated main path. Turning back towards the south-west I eventually rejoined the path and the literally dozens of people who were enjoying tremendous views from the top of Carnedd Llewelyn. After the bad weather of the morning it was astonishing how brilliant the weather had now become and how quickly all these people had responded to the clearing weather. I could only surmise that the hills in the northern Carneddau where I'd been walking were the last to clear (not really too surprising since the bad weather had been moving northwards). Now in glorious sunshine and with stunning views all around me I headed down to Bwlch Cyfryw-drum and keeping to the very top of Cefn Ysgolion Duon I headed up to Carnedd Dafydd which was also heavily populated (although I suspect they were all part of the same large group). I now had a decision to make, whether to walk across to Pen yr Ole Wen or miss it out. In the end I decided that since I'd been up there before, two years before this walk, similarly with Yr Elen, which I'd also missed out, I would begin my descent from where I was back to the car. So, heading down the scree to the north of Carnedd Dafydd I passed over Foel Meirch descending enjoyably down Mynydd Du eventually joining a footpath alongside the Afon Llafar. Following this footpath through fields I reached the beginning of a road and walked the half-mile distance back to my car. This was a very enjoyable walk in very changeable weather conditions that just got better and better.

The Carneddau

Sunday 30th August 2009

This time last year on the August Bank Holiday Monday the weather was terrible and this year I seemed to be having similar weather with persistent rain, low cloud and high winds. Last year I went up Snowdon in bad weather so when I woke up to rain this year I decided it would be the Carneddau that would get the bad weather treatment and unfortunately the rain would continue for the rest of the week. I had decided that I wanted to do a repeat of the very first walk I made over the Carneddau in 2003 when I was still quite green as far as hill walking is concerned. The weather on that occasion was much better and served as an excellent introduction to the delights of the Carneddau and to scrambling. After driving over from the youth hostel I parked near where I’d started my walk the day before, below Tryfan. The walk began by going past a farm at the western end of Llyn Ogwen and up a very muddy path marked by wooden posts beside the stream, Afon Lloer with views through the mist of a rainbow around Cwm Idwal. Eventually I reached Ffynnon Lloer where I had a look at the lake and the low cloud that lingered around the cliffs that surround. Returning to the path I climbed up the east ridge of Pen Yr Ole Wen on a fabulous scramble that I remember from the last time I was here in 2003. It was a good introduction to the delights of scrambling being an easy and short climb, but in stunning surroundings, however, I’m sure I remember not enjoying the scramble back in 2003. Now I enjoyed it immensely despite the shortness and the ease of the climb, but of course back in 2003 I had never done anything like that before having before this point mostly walked along grassy ridges. Its amazing how back then I preferred a grassy ridge to a rocky slope. How things change! Once at the top I followed the ridge to the summit of Pen Yr Ole Wen and from there I followed the ridge over the large cairn of Carnedd Fach and up to the top of Carnedd Daffydd. Beyond the summit I continued along the boulder-strewn ridge taking extra care not to slip on the wet, slippery rocks. This is a fabulous ridge but the weather was making it quite tricky. I feel that thick mist adds a closed-in, slightly comforting feeling to a walk. It gives me the feeling that I am walking miles away from civilisation and from anybody else, when, in fact, this isn’t the case. I suppose the challenge of braving the bad conditions is also part of the appeal of walking in weather like this. However the wind was very strong which was making the traverse quite unpleasant at times but eventually I managed to climb up to the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn where I had my lunch while listening to the Belgian Grand Prix.

After lunch I descended the grassy slopes of the southern ridge until it narrowed into a wonderful walk with rock under foot along a narrow ridge. It was an absolute delight to walk. Why had it taken me so long to do this walk again? There were some great scrambling moments that were made particularly tricky in the wet conditions, particularly at the end of the narrow ridge as I climbed up to the top of Pen Yr Helgi Du. I am sure that even when I did this part of the walk back in 2003 I loved this section including the scramble at the end. Despite not liking the scramble to Pen Yr Ole Wen I had been won over by the wonderful delights of the walk over the Carneddau and was thoroughly enjoying the scrambling moments even though  I was now in considerably worse weather. Once at the top I made a gentle scroll through the strong wind and rain along the wide grassy ridge down to a water channel which I followed to a tarmac road. Dropping steeply down this track took me back to the main road where a walk along the road eventually brought me to my car. Despite the awful weather I really enjoyed this walk mainly because it was over such fantastic mountains. This is one of the best walks in Wales and in years past acted as my introduction to scrambling. During this week in Wales I was aiming to do some of the greatest walks over the greatest mountains in Wales. Even in bad weather this was just such a great walk.

The Carneddau by Crib Lem

Saturday 25th August 2007

On another holiday I was once more in Snowdonia enjoying the Welsh 3,000 foot mountains. There are only two places in Britain, outside of Scotland, where great rugged mountains can be found: the Lake District and Snowdonia. I have visited the Lake District many times so it's only fair to let Snowdonia have some of the fun. My goal on this holiday was to take in a few different routes up the familiar mountains, hopefully on routes that require a good amount of scrambling. To start, on this walk I was in the Carneddau, taking a route described as the best scrambling in the Carneddau.

After over three hours of driving in the morning I parked in Gerlan near Bethesda. The start of the walk involved going to the end of the road and then up a path beside the Afon Llafar, spurning the wide ridge of Mynnydd Du to follow the river into Cwmglas Bach. Up to this point the weather had been, if anything, a little too warm, however the tops were cloud-covered and it wasn't long before I also was lost in the clouds and no longer required my sunglasses and sun hat. After the wet summer it had been nice to enjoy a bit of sun, but unfortunately it wasn't to last.

Climbing steeply into the cwm I picked up a faint path that climbed to my left on the side of the cwm and after a while turned onto the ridge that skirts the side of the cliff. Once onto the ridge the path turned right to begin the great scramble, but in the absence of views the ridge was not as amazing as it could have been, though under foot it was really enjoyable. The gradient lessened after a while and then things got a little hairy as a number of pinnacles had to be circumvented. The scrambling here was rather tricky but a do-able route was always available to insured that the ridge stuck to a solid grade one standard.

Eventually the ridge merged onto the mountain-side and left me with a short scree climb up to the summit of Carnedd Dafydd. At the summit an amazing thing happened as the clouds thinned and cleared to reveal clear views on the other side of the mountain producing an awesome sight all around me. Sitting at the summit I reflected that I have been up many mountains, this particular one three times before, and yet I still found the rock scenery around me thrilling. A barren, boulder-strewn landscape is so special and precious to me that I am in awe of it every time I summit a true mountain. The awesome views, however, were short lived as the clouds returned to envelope me as I left the summit.

During my traverse of the ridge of Cefn Ysgolion Dion the sun and clouds alternated frequently with the overlapping times affording me with a possibility of seeing a rare Brocken Spectre. After a number of no-shows I eventually managed to make sure I was standing in the right place at the right time to witness a good example of this optical effect. I can die happy now, my life has been fulfilled because I have seen a good Brocken Spectre. Soon after that the sun failed to reappear and a strong, cold wind came out of nowhere that eventually required me to put on not just my cagoul but also my gloves. With the cold wind continuing to blow I trudged up the interminable scree to the top of Carnedd Llewelyn, the second highest mountain in Wales.

With little reason to linger I headed off towards Yr Elen, Llewelyn's partner. Checking the compass direction I crossed the mist-covered summit plateau and descended to the bridging ridge that took me across to Yr Elen, though, in the mist little enjoyment could be gained from the crossing and the summit also failed to excite me. Heading off north I descended the steep scree slope eventually emerging below the clouds as I walked along the ridge of Braich y Brysgyll gradually descending to the river. Once at river level I found the ground to be very wet under foot with no sign of a path. After a very wet crossing I reached a fence with a footpath on the other side, but no way over the barbed-wire. With great risk to the seat of my trousers I crossed the fence and followed the right-of-way, but no actual path on the ground, to the road and thence back to the car.

This was a good walk but marred by poor weather and wet, boggy ground at the end, but that takes nothing away from the fabulous ridge ascent and that Brocken Spectre.

The Carneddau

Saturday 29th April 2006

Only a week after I returned from the Lake District I was heading off on the train again, this time to North Wales to walk up all fifteen of the 3000 foot mountains in Wales. To start I got off the train at Llanfairfechan and immediately started climbing up the hill, joining a track that starts above the village and climbing steadily up into the mountains following a well constructed path that always gains height all the way up to the top of the hill, Drum. From there the track deteriorates into a path that climbs up to the first 3000 footer: Foel Fras, and on the summit I had my lunch before heading off towards the other 3000 footers.

The next is Garnedd Uchaf, a mountain that for a long time was not included in the list of 3000 footers until a new survey revealed that it was higher than originally thought, so instead of fourteen 3000 footers there are now fifteen. This was the third time that I had been to the top of the 15th 3000 footer, but it was the first time I had enjoyed a view. It's amazing how different things look in clear weather; the top looks much smaller when you can actually see it. I remember once wandering around the summit trying to find the highest point, but now there was no doubt that the mass of rocks is indeed the summit.

Next on the list is Foel Grach where during the first time I was there I took shelter in the mountain hut that is near the summit while it rained heavily outside. This time that would not be necessary as I had clear weather when I passed over the top and continued along the ridge towards Carnedd Llewelyn. With magnificent views to the south and awesome cliffs to the north I climbed almost up to the summit, but once above the cliffs I veered off towards Yr Elen, my next 3000 footer. Crossing the edge of the summit plateau of Carnedd Llewelyn I came to the northern end of the mountain and descended to the narrow linking ridge with Yr Elen. This ridge is a fabulous walk with high cliffs on the right and a steep grassy slope on the left. I really enjoyed the diversion across this ridge to the summit of Yr Elen and once the top was bagged I got to do it all over again as I returned to Carnedd Llewelyn.

On reaching the summit I had a look at the fabulous views south and then headed off towards Carnedd Llewelyn's partner, Carnedd Dafydd. The linking ridge between these giants is another great walk with plenty of rocks to clamber over and stunning cliffs to gaze down on the northern side. Eventually the ridge widens as the summit approaches with scree under foot making for slow progress on the steep terrain. Once at the top my eyes turned towards the final 3000 footer of the day: Pen Yr Ole Wen. Crossing this less interesting ridge I came to the summit and the highlight of the day.

There is a path from the summit that goes straight down the hillside to the A5 at Idwal Cottage. I had never taken this path before so I didn't know what I had in store for me, but, oh boy, I do now. This was a bone-crunching, knee-destroying, terrifying descent straight down the mountain. At one point a bit of scrambling was necessary that would have been fine going up, but in descent it was really nerve-wracking. The grips on my gloves were, on several occasions, the only thing between me and a certain fall, but to stop being melodramatic about it I got down okay, even if my knees were aching following the walk. It may have been tricky, but it was a really thrilling descent, which is what it's all about. I just wanted the mountains to keep coming.

However, I may add with hindsight that the descent of Pen Yr Ole Wen had a really bad effect on my knees. My knees were not just aching that evening, but for over a month afterwards so that while in the Lake District a month later my knees were still very stiff and painful. I believe my knees hadn't quite mended from a knock on neighbouring Tryfan the previous year and this descent just brought it back worse than ever. Thankfully my knees eventually mended and left me with no major problems.