The Other Moel Eilio

 After the previous year’s cancellation due to pandemic restrictions the club’s annual post-Christmas day out made a welcome return in 2021.  Seven of us met up at Dolgarrog’s Adventure Parc Snowdonia, best known for its artificial surfing lagoon, and booted up before heading out on to the eastern foothills of the Carneddau. 

Seven of us wound our way up lanes and woodland paths to just above the remote pool on the Afon Porth-llwyd before easier walking led to the Coedty reservoir.  We stopped for lunch at the dam after which we followed the track uphill to the foot of the east ridge of Moel Eilio.  The wind was picking up and we worked our way up the slope into the clag to the summit where we only stayed for a few minutes before heading south-east towards flatter ground which was just tantalisingly in sight.  After reaching the fence line some of the more sensible members of the group decided to ascend a little to avoid following the challenging ground that the fence was leading over; their decision was justified as they found a much easier way down. 

We walked along easy tracks that led to, and under, the Llyn Cowlyd pipeline before gingerly making our way down the very steep roads leading to the Conwy valley, made greasy by the damp and decomposing leaf litter. 

The final mile was along the main road to the Adventure Parc where we unburdened our shoulders of rucksacks and feet of boots before indulging in coffees and hot chocolates in the café for a debrief and discussion of forthcoming post COVID-19 adventures.

A Carneddau Meander

The rising footpath southwest out of Abergwyngregyn that joins the North Wales Path turned out to be a good warm up.  We continued in the sunshine the highpoint of the path and then took a rising traverse line to join the footpath that curved around the southwest flank of Moel Wnion.  Although there was a breeze, it was surprisingly warm.

At the col between Moel Wnion and the Drosgl ridge we decided to head down towards Aber Falls rather than take aim for Drosgl.  It was mid-afternoon and it was apparent that continuing would put us at risk of walking back in the dark and more importantly, missing the 4'o'clock closing time of the café!

We saw two motorbike scramblers who had come down from the top of Moel Wnion and they made short work of the northwest slopes of Drosgl.  Although envious of their rapid progress, the noise somewhat spoilt the ambience.  The ponies and sheep close to track of the scramblers seemed to agree as we could clearly see them running away from the disturbance.

From the col, Drosgl was the obvious summit ahead and the top of Gryn Wigau at the end of the shoulder was clear but not particularly prominent.  Bera Mawr, although set back behind Drosgl, showed off its castellated top.  Sometimes, actually being at a place to view the lie of the land can make sense of terrain in a way that studying maps doesn't.  I still have these Nuttall summits to tick and this recce gave me a good preview of that future route.

We followed the Afon Garn down to rejoin the North Wales Path and took some photos of the Aber Falls.  The walk out was easy and I was surprised by the number of day-trippers on the path, despite the sunny skies and warm weather.

Reaching Caffi Yr Hen Felin with time to spare, I indulged with a hot chocolate and a big slice of delicious Victoria sponge cake rounding off a relaxing post-Christmas day out.

Crafnant

Just a couple of days after Christmas produced some good weather for the club’s annual post-festivities walk, this year heading to Crafnant for a circular walk taking in the Creigiau Gleision ridge.

I was first to arrive at the car park and I booted up while awaiting further arrivals.  Cars pulled in at regular intervals and soon a group of thirteen headed up the lane to a track leading uphill through woodland to the Gelli Plantation and past Lledwigan before starting up the open hillside.  The group stretched out and although we followed the path as best we could, a few diversions were needed to avoid some boggy areas before hunkering down in the shelter of some low crags to eat lunch.  Our heathery dining room turned out to be just below the north-east summit with good views of the higher Carneddau and Llyn Cowlyd.

The path along the ridge passed beneath the highpoint of Creigiau Gleision but I took a quick detour to the summit.  At this point I started to wonder who was doing the navigating and wondered whether the rest realised just how close to the summit they were.  Maybe they were just happy to be out and bagging summits didn’t have the relevance to them as it does to me.

Ogwen valley

looking back to /Creigiau Gleision

Pen Llithrig y Wrach

As we walked south, the views along the Ogwen valley impressed as the Glyderau broke up the low sunrays, casting their shadows across to the Carneddau.

At Craiglwyn summit we put our heads together to decide which way to descend, particularly as daylight was starting to ebb away.  A line between Moel Ddefaid and Clogwyn yr Eryr was chosen and as there was no path we followed the line of an old wall and new fence, neither of them marked on the map, to the head of the Crafnant valley.

Crafnant valley

A leisurely stroll along the road ended the walk but not the day.  An enjoyable hour was spent in Ye Olde Bull Inn in Tal-y-bont where a welcome pint beckoned.

An Outlying Carnedd

I arrived at the Cwm Eigiau roadhead carpark, albeit a little later than planned, and was surprised that there were no spaces left.  I had expected this tucked away corner of the Carneddau to be less popular than this but perhaps quiet areas in the mountains are becoming increasingly difficult to find.

With more daylight I would probably have added Pen y Castell to the walk but the afternoon really only offered the option of a quick up-and-down of Craig Eigiau if I wanted a relaxing walk.  I started up the track leading to Melynllyn and as I turned the corner the highest tops showed off their snowy summits.  My objective was over 200 metres lower and held a lot less snow cover.

the northern Carneddau

At the fence which rises meridian-straight up towards Foel-fras, a faint path leads away leftwards from the track towards the ridgeline of Craig Eigiau.  It led up amongst the snowfields which, if steeper, would have needed crampons to safely cross.

My leisurely pace gave another walker the chance to catch me up and he said that he was heading for Carnedd Llewellyn, admitting that he may have left it a bit late in the day to reach the summit as it was almost mid-afternoon with only a couple of hours of good daylight remaining.  Although in his fifties, he said that his mother had coerced him into attending chapel earlier in the day, hence his late start.  Pleasantries completed, we wished each other well and he continued ahead of me.

Carnedd Llewellyn

Craig Eigiau’s summit ridge has some interesting terrain with rocky outcrops to explore.  The summit itself was a smooth sloping shelf of rock which, from a certain angle, replicated the outline of the main Carneddau ridge in front of it.  The clear skies allowed good views from the sea to the tops and after the obligatory summit shots I turned to retrace my steps.

Craig Eigiau summit rocks

Christmas Carneddau

It’s not often I head into the hills without any previously unclimbed summits as targets, but this was one of those rare days.  My club had organised a day out in the northern Carneddau and had touched lucky with quite good weather following the country’s battering by Storm Eva over Christmas – it was the only day that was forecast to have a lull in summit windspeeds.

We started from Abergwyngregyn and walked up the road to the North Wales Path, following it eastwards before turning right up the track that led to the summit of Drum.  I’ve rarely reached any hill as easily as this, with the sun shining and no wind.

The ridge to Foel-fras was a different matter and my post-Christmas fitness was sorely tested.  I slowed down significantly and reached the top quite some time after the rest of the group.  From here though, it was mostly downhill all the way.  We descended to the col below Llwytmor and walked up the short rise to the summit which was a new Nuttall for me.

I had hoped to tick Llwytmor but wasn’t necessarily expecting it as walking with a group tends to lead to a route defined either by “follow-my-leader” or consensus.  With today’s company I would have been happy with just getting out on some high summits – which I hadn’t visited for over 27 years!

From the summit a spiked tor beckoned us to the far side of the plateau before we avoided Llwytmor Bach in the increasing wind and decided to take a beeline to the Afon Goch above Aber Falls.  The path to the side of the falls needed some care to traverse as the tributaries made the exposed rock somewhat slippery but after what turned out to be the crux of the route, the easy path led us back to the road for the last mile to the car park.

Creigiau Gleision

A fried breakfast at the club’s hut in Llanberis set me up for another day of mopping up Nuttalls and as nobody else expressed any interest in my objectives for the day, the walk turned into another solo expedition.

Three of my fellow club members advantage of my drive over Pen y Pass, asking to be dropped off before their traverse over Snowdon and back down to the hut.  I parked behind Joe Brown’s in Capel Curig and set off on the bridleway leading to the day’s first summit, Crimpiau.  The cloud was obscuring the view but was slowly rising and snow on the ground was first seen at just below 450 metres.  The summit was well-defined, leaving no doubt that the highpoint had been reached.

As the cold and wind made themselves better known I reached into the top pocket of my rucksack for my hat and gloves but the first thing I found was a Christmas bauble, put there by a mischievous hut-dweller!  It could have been worse, I’ve heard stories of rocks being buried in the depths of rucksacks of the unsuspecting.

Tryfan

The drop to the col passed three Carneddau ponies; their dull-coloured coats camouflaging them well.  The final few metres to the top of Craig Wen offered some interesting scrambling with a choice of routes to the summit.  Another drop to a very boggy col was the prelude to the first Nuttall of the day, Craiglwyn.  The views had improved by now with the higher Glyderau tops and the Ogwen valley coming into view, as well as the high Carneddau sporting significant amounts of snow.

Carneddau Llewellyn, Pen yr Helgi Du & Pen Llithrig y Wrach

From Craiglwyn the next two summits could be clearly seen.  Creigiau Gleision was soon reached from where I saw a fellow solitary walker (possibly Steve Smith – see here) on the summit of Pen Llithrig y Wrach with the clear path allowing easy progress to Creigiau Gleision North Top, passing an interesting quartz outcrop.

Creigiau Gleision and North Top

Time had passed too quickly to descend to the dam of the Llyn Cowlyd reservoir and finish the walk in daylight, so I decided to retrace, at least partly, my steps.  I skirted Creigiau Gleision’s summit to the left – a mistake soon realised by the boulder field that I had to negotiate.  I bypassed Craiglwyn on the right through heather, although some sheep trods made like easier.  Then it was just a case of finding a way to the bridleway above Tal-y-waun – a task not too difficult until I encountered the unpassable gorge of Afon Llewesig and an equally unpassable area of gorse !  More retracing of steps, this time uphill, before the final half mile walk along the A5.

A New Start

Because of my recent Lakeland-centric wanderings to complete the Wainwrights and Outlying Fells, it had been quite a few years since I had stayed at my climbing club’s hut in Llanberis.  The Christmas meet provided an ideal opportunity to bag a couple of Nuttalls – the list that I’ll be mostly concentrating on.

I have always been keen to walk up Mynydd Mawr, having been captivated by this picture by Ginger Cain.  A fellow Scouser, Ginger has produced some magnificent mountain art, and his Llanberis gallery of the same name is well worth a visit.

Six of us set off for Nant-y-Betws near Betws Garmon and a short road walk led to a bridge over Afon Gwyrfai to woodland where the climb started.  We emerged below Cwm Du and followed the path westwards to the base of the north-west ridge.  The path upwards was soon found and we followed it steadily to the mist-covered summit.  The lack of a view, combined with a breeze and rain made this a place not to linger so we headed down, along the top of the Craig y Bera cliffs.  One of our senior members entertained us with past stories of loose rock on the well-known Sentries Ridge as we gazed through the mist down the gullies to the narrow arêtes.

The steep descent led to some shelter at the top of the forest where we stopped for lunch before finding the vegetated path at the bottom of the forest.  A quick road walk past the Snowdon Ranger led back to the cars and a quick refreshment visit to the Cwellyn Arms before driving back to the hut for an epic Christmas Dinner.

Following the previous night’s festivities, no firm plans were being made and nobody expressed any interest in joining me on a foray on to the most northern tops of the Carneddau.  Starting from the parking area below Bwlch y Ddeufaen, a path ran alongside the wall to the west ridge of Foel Lwyd and then followed the north side of the wall, slightly avoiding the true summit of this WASHIS classified hill.  By now the wind had gained quite some speed, making the climbing of the wall a little awkward.  The summit cairn was found easily as well as the alternative summit mound.  Once I’d found the throughstones in the wall, regaining the path was easier than leaving it.

I dropped down to the col and was quickly at the rebuilt trig pillar of the Nuttall summit of Tal y Fan.  The breeze helped with the decision to leave quickly and regaining the col led to the good path down to the road.

Now in my post-Wainwright existence, a couple of simple Nuttalls eased me into a new era.  I’m looking forward to some new mountainous areas to explore.