The Northernmost Rhinogs

The MWIS forecast said “Very warm, beware sunburn.”  It wasn’t wrong!

Parking lower down from the lane end at Afon Eisengrug the walk up the road was a proper warm-up.  But turning off the road on to the track that accessed the high llyns eased the gradient and it was a pleasant stroll to Llyn Eiddew-bach where I enjoyed a welcome break watching a fisherman on the far side enjoying the landscape in a more relaxed way than I.

path under the manganese mines crags

Less than a kilometre’s walk uphill and I turned off on to a fairly level track south-east, past abandoned manganese mines and some attractive crags that looked like they would be worthwhile to climb.  The path was amongst the best single kilometres that I have walked anywhere, with superb views over Tremadoc Bay to the Lleyn Peninsula.

At Llyn Du the path curves around to the left and some easy scrambling leads to the south top of Moel Ysgyfarnogod.  This was the first point of the day from where extensive 360-degree views could be enjoyed and it was a challenge to identify the many mountains that could be seen.

Moel Ysgyfarnogod summit

The way to Moel Ysgyfarnogod looked deceivingly far but not particularly challenging.  I dropped to the low point and started up the steep grassy slope, finding a path that made progress easier.  The summit was topped and an even better panorama opened up.

Foel Penolau from Moel Ysgyfarnogod

A had a good chat with a couple of local lads, agreeing that being here in such good conditions was better than being on what would probably be an overly crowded Snowdon.  We each another well as they headed off downhill and I stayed for a while longer to enjoy the view; the Lleyn Peninsula, Yr Eifl, Portmeirion, the Nantlle ridge, Snowdon, Arenigs Fach & Fawr, Lake Trawsfynydd, Dduallt, Rhobell Fawr, the Aran ridge, the southern Arans, Cadair Idris with its Cyfrwy Arete and finally the bulk of Rhinog Fawr.

Moel Ysgyfarnogod from Foel Penolau

I walked under the crags of Foel Penolau and curved around to the north-west to the south-west top.  The true highpoint is not definitively known as the north-east top appears to be exactly the same height.  Of course I ticked both!

Trawsfynydd from Foel Penolau

big sky over the Arans

Yr Eifl from Foel Penolau

Snowdon from Foel Penolau

I walked off the north-west crags and over the northern crags of Moel Ysgyfarnogod before crossing the higher ground above and to the south of Llyn Dywarchen.  Dropping down to the footpath led back to Llyn Eiddew-bach for a well-deserved breather before the walk under the beating sun back to the car.

Rhobell Fawr and Dduallt

The long Platinum Jubilee weekend gave me the chance to tick a couple of Nuttalls, one of which – Rhobell Fawr – used to be a TRAIL 100 summit before its removal from the list in the February 2020 issue.  Dduallt was to be the second summit of the day due to its relative nearness to its previously exalted neighbour.  I wasn’t expecting to see many people on this walk as neither of the hills are what you would consider Snowdonia’s “Hollywood” hills.

I parked the car at the layby in Rhydymain, just off the A494 and waited for the light rain to stop.  As I had read various descriptions of the route, particularly between the two summits, it was obvious that gaiters were a must.

From the layby I passed the village chapel and started following the rights-of-way through some muddy wooded areas to Cutiau farm.  I stopped for a chat with the farmer about the way ahead and it surprised me that he was aware of the Nuttalls list, although he probably saw the occasional bagger pass through his farmyard.  He assured me that the views from Rhobell Fawr were worth the effort and confirmed the less than ideal status of the ground between the two hills.

The tarmac lane led beyond its end to a track passing above and around Cae’r Defaid and then up to the forest.  Although the OS map showed the track going through the forest, extensive felling on the right make the walk uphill a lot more open.  The tarmac continued up to the T-junction at the 410 metre contour at which point the tarmac ended.  I carried on up to the junction below Ffridd Graich-fâch and chatted to a walker who had descended from Rhobell Fawr on the standard path before he carried on towards Llanfachreth.

I crossed the fence and was on open fellside for the first time today.  There was no path but the way up was interesting, weaving a way through the outcrops and up grassy rakes with opportunities – not taken – to include some scrambling if the mood allowed.  I crossed the final wall and walked the final few yards to the top.

Rhobell Fawr summit

At the summit of Rhobell Fawr, the wind prompted me to add a layer and not to linger too long.  There were views but they weren’t brilliant because of the overcast sky.  Although the highpoint is marked by a trig point, about one hundred metres just east of north lie some rocky outcrops that look like they might be as high but the map clearly has them as lower.  Just to future proof my ascent in the event of any subsequent survey, I crossed the wall by the stile, passing a couple and their dog, and wandered around two or three knolls that had what I though was summit potential.  From here onwards, I saw nobody else on the walk until some hours later I returned to the road. 

the Rhinogs from Rhobell Fawr

Cadair Idris from Rhobell Fawr

the Aran ridge from Rhobell Fawr

The path downhill was easy to follow the path as it was the usual way of ascent from and descent to the forestry road.  There was one “bad step” that I avoided by skirting it to the left but it didn’t look quite as bad from below.  Although this was the obvious way to the summit, I think that my freestyle route over the untracked ground was one of the best and interesting single kilometres I’ve walked.

Back on the main forest road it was only a few hundred metres to the sign to Dduallt – a convenient spot for a snack – at what was marked as Ty-newydd-y-mynydd on the Ordnance Survey maps.  The sign pointed directly into the gloom of the forest along a narrow ride, through which a muddy and boggy path had obviously been followed by previous Nuttall baggers.  There was quite a lot of storm damage that could be seen just off the path and in places some trees had fallen across the path, most of which could be ducked under.  A turn right along a shorter ride led to open country; more open than the map suggested as the result of felling operations in Bryn Melyn. 

the Dduallt signpost

pointing into the forest

Following the fenceline was the obvious thing to do, despite the lack of a path.  A sudden dip to a stream caught me by surprise but it was clearly on the map if only I had been bothered to look closely.  A quick down and up brought me back to flatter ground with the fence turning left to the north, providing a pathless handrail which was boggy, tiring and just a bit demoralising.  When the fence started veering slightly towards west of north, it was time to start forging a way northwards towards a right-angled fence corner, in the hope of keeping to a very vague and intermittent path which appears to be heading roughly towards Dduallt and it became clearer as it ascended.

The summit cairn is on the east side of the fence just before reaching it, on the west side of the fence, is an outcrop that looks as high as the cairn.  It has the remains of an exposed quartz vein on its top and to protect my tick from any future summit relocation, I tapped the top before walking to the cairn. 

Dduallt summit

The views were hazy but it was obvious that here was a superb viewpoint with Arenigs Fawr and Fach, the Rhinogs, Rhobell Fawr, Cadair Idris, the Aran ridge and Llyn Tegid all clearly identifiable. 

Moel Llyfnant, Arenig Fach & Arenig Fawr from Dduallt

the Rhinogs from Dduallt

Rhobell Fawr from Dduallt

Cadair Idris from Dduallt

the Aran ridge from Dduallt

Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala) from Dduallt

Retracing my steps back to the Dduallt signpost was a lot easier than the way up.  And from there the way back to the car was downhill all the way and under a sunny sky with time to contemplate a very enjoyable day out.

The Aran Ridge

 

I hadn’t been on a big Welsh hill for over three years so it was about time to seek some Cymric solitude.

Which made the decision to climb the biggest mountain in Wales that I hadn’t previously been on an easy one, especially as I had been looking at this route for a long time.  Aran Fawddwy is one of those British peaks that is higher than everything south of it which gives it a certain, if little known, esoteric cachet.

Starting at the village of Llanuwchllyn at the south-west end of Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala) a good track meanders under Garth Fach before a footpath bears left to gain the omnipresent ridge under Garth Fawr.  Rising steadily, the path can be followed directly but this lessens the adventure as the lower summits would be bypassed so it is worth taking some short detours to add to the day’s achievements and to enjoy some more expansive views over Cwm Croes.  I’ll admit that I ignored Moel Ddu but Moel Ffenigl was a pleasant distraction before strolling along the top of Craig y Llyn towards the imposing rise of Pen-aran.

Some classic foreshortening made this look steep and although the contours tightened, it was an easy enough slope to climb.  The reward from Pen-aran’s summit was the impressive view of Aran Benllyn and the walk’s ultimate destination of Aran Fawddwy.  The panorama from south-west around to the north gave me the chance to test my limited knowledge of the names of the peaks in view, from Cadair Idris, past the Rhinogs to Rhobell Fawr and Dduallt and finally turning to Arenig Fawr.

Aran Fawddwy & Aran Benllyn from Pen-aran summit

Aran Fawddwy & Aran Benllyn

I had seen a couple of family groups on the lower slopes but they didn’t continue on to the higher ridgeline.  It was on Pen-aran that I met the first of only nine other fellow walkers that I saw on the higher ground on this bank holiday Monday.  No doubt there would have been people queuing up to touch the trig on Snowdon summit but even though I wasn’t alone for all of the day, I still found some solitude on one of the country’s highest and most interesting summits.

The half mile from Pen-aran to Aran Benllyn is one of the finest stretches of walking I’ve ever done.  It’s over easy ground but the view ahead towards Aran Fawddwy is magnificent.  From Aran Benllyn you pass over the intermediate summit of Erw y Ddaffad ddu before tackling the rocky summit slopes of the peak that has been tantalisingly in view for a lot of the ascent.

Aran Fawddwy from Aran Benllyn summit

Pen-aran & Llyn Tegid from Aran Benllyn summit

The summit trig point appears to be perched precariously at the very highest point and reaching it rewards you with a vista that demands you take some time to appreciate it fully.  I had walked over five miles and ascended about 3,500 feet to get here so I succumbed to gazing at the surrounding mountains.

Aran Benllyn from Aran Fawddwy summit

Suddenly it felt like a long way back to the car – it was – but every step was a pleasant reminder that this less popular mountain deserves the appreciation that those who stride its slopes must surely understand.

The “Big” Ben More

 Munro baggers will know that there are two of their objectives that are called Ben More.  The Mull version is possibly better known as it is the only Munro on that island and is quite often kept to be many compleaters’ final summit.  But the mountain that looms over Crianlarich is a mountain that commands respect.

Ten club members set out from Inverardran Cottage which is the superb base of our hosts, the Ochils Mountaineering Club.  We walked alongside the A85 on the course of the old railway before starting uphill just past Benmore Farm.  The zig-zag track led to the start of the pitched path that relentlessly gains height.

Ben More is a TRAIL 100 mountain and is described by TRAIL magazine as “sadistically steep”; it’s not wrong!  We walked up towards the snow line and as the snow became more abundant than occasional patches, just above the start of the old stone dyke, we put on our crampons.  Progress now became a lot easier.

Cruach Ardrain

The boilerplate characteristics of the snow showed that it had gone through quite a few freeze-thaw cycles as the sunny days melted the surface and the nights of clear skies refroze the top layer of water.  These conditions were widely reported across Scotland at the time and in the days that immediately followed, resulting in many walkers being caught out, lulled on to the hills by seemingly attractive conditions but finding themselves have to deal with bullet névé.

Ben Lui & Ben Cruachan

The views became more expansive as height was gained with Ben Lui and Ben Cruachan particularly catching the eye to the west.  We took a line slightly to the left of a direct summit bearing and curved around to the right as we neared the top.  Whether the true summit is the cairn or the trig point, I had my photo taken at both to satisfy myself that I had actually reached the highest point of the mountain.  All the ground was shrouded by layers of snow subjected to cycles of freeze thaw and there was a slight breeze compounding the sub-zero temperature; we took shelter in the natural cleft a few feet below, and just to the west, of the summit pillar.

Ben Lawers & Loch Tay

Ben Vorlich & Stuc a' Chroin

Many summits, near and far, completed the impressive panorama.  Bens Lomond, Lui, Cruachan and Lawers could be seen from the south to the north-east.  Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’ Chroin were prominent just south of east.  Neighbouring Stob Binnein dominated just over a mile to the south.  And a tantalising glimpse of the Paps of Jura 70 miles to the south-west was a surprising highlight.

Stob Binnein from Ben More summit

Stob Binnein from just above the bealach

We had become a group of four as the faster amongst us continued well ahead of us.  As we descended south towards Bealach-eadar-dha Bheinn I spotted a group of people and immediately feared the worst.  I soon recognised a few people from our original 10 and as I got nearer was told that one of our party had taken a tumble and had sustained arm, shoulder and possibly rib injuries.

Luckily a group of Manchester and District (MAD) Ramblers were quickly with him quickly followed by a member of the Tayside Mountain Rescue Team who was out on a walk with his wife.  Telephone conversations were had and soon the Prestwick based Coastguard rescue helicopter was on the scene and our casualty was promptly airlifted to hospital in Glasgow, no doubt reaching the warm indoors before any of us!

AIRLIFT!

AgustaWestland AW189    G-MCGT 

We all took the traversing descent path down to Benmore Glen with the group once again splintering based on differing levels of fitness and fatigue.

Such a taxing day resulted in the night’s meal being hailed as the finest of feasts.

A 2021 Summary

2021 carried on in a manner similar to 2020.  Pandemic lockdowns and travel restrictions lessened opportunities for time on the hills with some days out feeling almost subversive.

At the start of 2021 I had 280 summits on my rather eclectic ticklist of ticklists with TRAIL 100 and Nuttall summits making up the bulk of desired tops.  2021 was very quiet from a point of view of additions to my list with no “new” summits being discovered.

Overall I :

            went on             9                                  walks

            walked              94.6                              miles

            ascended          23,192                          feet

            walked for         61 hrs 29 mins            (including rest stops !)

            reached            29                                 individual summits that I hadn’t been to before

            reached            0                                   individual summits that I had been to before

            reached            25                                 summits on my combined ticklist

            reached            1                                   previously unclimbed TRAIL 100 summits

            reached            20                                 previously unclimbed Nuttall summits

            drove                1942                             miles on trips to and from walks

The vast majority of this year’s walking occurred on the Pennines and Cheviots resulting in a significant increase of my expertise of traversing rolling peat moorland .  I completed the English TRAIL 100 summits on The Cheviot.

All of this meant that at the end of 2021, my ongoing ticklist dropped to 255 summits.

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.

Northern Solitude

For the second time in under a month, an early start marked the beginning of a day walking over remote Cheviot summits.  At Wedder Leap car park I laced my boots after eating a breakfast butty and set off, crossing the River Coquet to start what was to be another long day in the hills.

At a junction in the track I decided to follow the track uphill.  I soon worked out that this was a navigational error that would take me to the summit of Kyloe Shin but at the point of realisation I reckoned that it would be easier to continue than to reverse and descend.  The summit turned out to be a worthwhile leg-stretcher and descending the grassy north-west ridge was a pleasure.

towards Uswayford

The route ascended the felled forestry slopes of Middle Hill, skirting around the top before descending to the col below The Middle and then taking the traverse path on its east slope.  Uswayford could be seen clearly at the head of the valley over a kilometre away.  The well maintained track allowed quick progress and as I at the farmstead I crossed the bridge and skirted the farmyard boundary, walking around the enclosed solar panels while looking for any clue as to where the way ahead went.  Although the ground was boggy I decided to roughly follow the fenceline and was soon on a vague path.

Bloodybush Edge trig point

I crossed the stile at the point 506 col and followed the fence on its southern side to the summit of Bloodybush Edge.  I knew that there was a triangulation pillar at the top but as I crested the convex slope I could hardly see it.  Because it was so white it successfully blended in to the sky in the background; it was probably the whitest trig point that I’ve ever seen.  From here the broad dome of Cushat Law dominated the view ahead with the fenceline meandering the three kilometres to its top.

Cushat Law from Bloodybush Edge

Cushat Law summit towards Hedgehope Hill

Views from Cushat Law’s summit cairn towards the higher Cheviot summits had improved.  I had a quick conversation with a man who had followed me up with his dog, before he set off towards the Breamish valley.  My route off was to retrace the three kilometres to Bloodybush Edge and then back down to Uswayford.

I had been calculating the time that would be needed to tick Windy Gyle and I worked out that chasing the tick would add two hours to the walk; probably more as my variation of Naismith’s rule starts to fail if the day’s total time exceeds 8 hours.  I thought it almost certain that heading for the third summit would result in me finishing the walk in the dark – the extensive cloud cover would exacerbate the lack of light – and the resultant tiredness being a hindrance to my own safety.  And thus the decision to head straight back to the car was made.

Windy Gyle from Bloodybush Edge

Although at some point in the future I would have to make the long drive again to tick off Windy Gyle, I consoled myself with the thought that combining the trip with a return home via some northern Pennine summits would offset the petrol expense.  That plan will have to wait until BST arrives in 2022 with the lengthening days.

As I walked over The Middle it was clear that Windy Gyle summit would have been reached at or after sunset which justified the decision not to climb it.  I got back to the car 15 minutes before sunset, having been going for over eight and a half hours.  Considering the looming long drive home in the dark I was happy with the day’s route choice decisions.

But the long day did make me feel good about the stopping off at Burger King on the M6 for my tea!