A fine mountain top in the Arans

What a beautiful and unassuming mountain top!
What made it so good was a grand cairn on the top of a rocky outcrop, fantastic views of so many other mountains I have visited in the last few years and a georgeous lake close to the summit.

Had it been warmer I might have been tempted to take a swim.

It is called Glasgwym (Blue Valley) 780m and the lake is Llyn y Fign, Lake of the bog.


We parked in the little car park at the end of the minor road in Cwm Cywarch about 5 km from Dinas Mawddwy. Our first summit of the day was Pen y Bryn- fforchog (Top of the forked Hill) at 685m.

Cadair Idris

The weather forecast was good and we had not been to the Cadair area for over 10 years. We booked into the Llanllwyda campsite; a lovely farm site that is well run by Mrs E Williams.

We packed the cotton tent and tarp to make a shelter over the front of the tent as we expected some rain.

Our plan for was to leave the car in the lay-by on the pass between Cross Foxes and Minfordd (on the A487 SH753135) and walk the main spine of the mountains back to the campsite. We had Liz to provide a lift back to the car.













We set off at about 9.30, and the start was not gentle! It heads straight up the grassy slope to Gau Graig (Hollow rock) at 683m, 400 m of ascent in about 1km. The top is crowned by a ring-like cairn.

Gau Graig

From here we headed SW keeping to the edge on the right which provides fine views of the steep cliffs below and Llyn Arran on the way to Mynydd Moel (Bare Mountain) at 863m. 

We continued the easy ascent to Penygadair at 893m, which was busy on this fine day. Toffee and Jess enjoyed scrounging picnic cast-offs and enjoyed the admiring comments as usual.  

 Unfortunately in the still air the flies were irritating so we did not linger on the top but headed onto our next which was Craig Cwm Amarch 791m. The views down to Llyn Cau are spectacular from this point.

Craig Cwm Amarch

 We then retraced our steps north to the col but headed NW up the other side towards Cyfrwy (The Saddle) 811m which provides fine views west back to Penygadair and Mynydd Moel, and our route this morning.

The route ahead drops down to the col where the Pony Track ascends from the north. The initial descent is not the easiest walking as it crossed a large boulder field, so you have to watch where you place your feet to avoid stumbling.

Once the col is reached the route is easy across grass and the gradients are easy. We headed for Carnedd  Lŵyd and Tyrrau Mawr (661m) and  Craig-llyn 622m.

View over Llynnau Cregennen and Mawddach Estuary

We descended steeply across rough grass and farmland to Bodilan Fach near Castell y Bere, and took a byway back to the campsite at Llanllwyda, tired and in need of a drink. We had walked 1225m of ascent and 1467m of descent over a distance of 15km approx. 

A good day having visited 7 tops towards my list of Welsh 2000ft mountains. 4 left in Wales out of the 190 in total.

Castle Combe

What a little gem! The village is unspoilt by modern development. Any new building has been tastefully built in keeping with the cottages and there are no TV aerials or satellite dishes.
We spent a few hours here meeting Lindsey's relatives over a tasty lunch in the pub. Then we had a delightful walk through the lanes and footpaths.

OK lets get into the Rhinogs whatever the weather does!

Ever optimistic that it would clear up we drove up the minor road into the depths of Cwmnantcol into low cloud and rain and parked near a cattle grid about 1km east of the church.

We donned a full set of waterproofs and gaiters expecting to get soaked. We set off  on a path/bridleway across the moorland between Moelfre and Moelblithcwm. The path on the ground does not follow the right of way marked on the OS map; it heads straight for the col at its lowest point. We joined the track at a long retangular wall boundry then across wet ground to the outflow of the resorvoir; Llyn Bodlyn.

On compass bearings we headed for the bend in the path that heads SW from Pont Scethin  to a cairn on the long shoulder that leads down from Diffwys. From here the navigation is ealy as the wall acts as a handrail all the way to Diffwys at 750m.

Llyn Hywel

Still rainin, howling a gale and visibility down to 50m.

We kept our heads down following that faithful wall over Crib-y-rhiw  and Y Llethr at 756m. The cols between do not drop much otherwise we would have lost heart. We encountered a lone fell runner heading south into the wind and rain who had found a map. I hope the owner found their way off the hills in that cloud?

The descent into the col between Y Llethr and Rhinog Fach was rocky and steep and the rain had made the rock very slippery.
But, we dropped out of the cloud for a brief glimpse of Llyn Hywel, so here it is!

Toffee in the Afon Cwmnantcol

The ascent to Rhinog Fach ws the most enjoyable part of the walk, on interesting rock with little scrambles to maintain the interest.

The top of Rhinog Fach 712m was not a place to linger on such a windy and wet day but the rain had at last stopped!

The descent north, is initially on a good path that peters out amongst the crags, boulders and heather that would have been easier to negotiate could we see where we were heading, but the low cloud persisted.

We ended up on a path west of Llyn Cwmhosen that met the path through Bwlch Drws-Ardudwy.

Bwlch Drws-Ardudwy

We found the descent tiring on the slippery rock and the dogs didn't like the craggy drops and boulders. The walk back to the car after a long day seemed to go on for ever, but we have sworn to return in descent weather when we can see what we are walking amongst.

The Wild Rhinogs

The Rhinogs are a wild range of mountains in the Snowdonia National Park. They are usually passed by on the way to the Honey Pot spots around Snowdon. The view that most people see of these rugged and beautiful mountains is their dramatic profile as they drive past on  A470 between Glanllwyd and Trawsfynydd.
Most visits to these heather clad mountains are made via the Roman Steps, but we were heading for the even more remote southern tops. We were going to explore Diffwys, Crib y Rhiw, Y Llethr and Rhinog Fach.





We arrived at a beautiful Campsite in Cwm Nantcol, a couple of kilometres east of Llanbedr.

It was a lovely bright and sunny Friday afternoon, so we went on the riverside trail that led past some waterfalls and afforded superb views of the Y Llethr in the distance.







 

 Unfortunately the weather deteriorated that night with heavy rain and high winds coming in from the south west. We therefore decided against heading into the hills and opted for a walk along the coast from Llanddwywe north to Mochras (Shell Island).
The strong wind was blowing loose sand along against our backs, a good reason for heading north and not south into the wind.

We returned along a footpath that skirts the edge of the airfield just behind the dunes. The going was tough, battling into the wind and trying to find a non-existent path.



The hills remained shrouded in a deep layer of cloud all day.

Sunny weekend on the Gower

The Gower is about an hours drive from home and it is so beautiful. It was the first place to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK.

It consists of stunning beaches with a coast path that flows along the cliffs. There are some enchanting caves with considerable history of habitation.  Inland there are wild moors with constant views of the sea.
It seems to attract better weather than mainland areas around and the lighting is enhanced by the blue sea.

We decided to camp for the weekend above Three Cliffs Bay. We were pitched on the cliff top with a perfect view of the beach and the tide going in and out.

The weather was very sunny but a cold wind blew most of the time. Despite this we got into the sea, albeit wearing our wetsuits.

 Enjoy the pictures.

Minchin Hole

The North Pennines and Cross Fell

Cross Fell is the highest mountain in the North Pennines. It lies in an area of upland moor called Milburn Forest, east of Penrith. It is sandwiched between the A66 and the A689.
The valleys contain a collection of delightful villages with spectacular views of the steep sided uplands that are remote and frequented by a few mad walkers and mostly grouse.
We were on a mission to bag some of the mountain tops that exceed the 610m contour (2000ft in old money). We reconed that the beat time of year would be the winter when the moorland bog would be frozen making the walking easier, so we headed up in the middle of February.

Dufton

We stayed in a converted barn in the village of Dufton. The village has a good pub, The Stag,  serving excellent food and beer that we could not resist. Dufton lies on the route of the Pennine Way and has a Youth Hostel .to cater for walkers. The fountain and water trough were built by the owners of the lead mines that provided employment during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Many of the villages have large rectangular village greens with the houses around the edges, access is usually in the corners. It makes a very natural community feel to the villages.

Saturday 14th Feb.

Village green in Milburn

We drove to Milburn another beautiful village with a large grassy village green and a school at the centre and parked the car. We followed tracks and footpaths across the farmland to Wythwaite and up to Grumply Hill (what a fantastic name for a hill) and Wildboar Scar. Here we reached the snowline. We headed for Tees head then on up to Cross Fell 893m. At this level we were in the cloud so used compass bearings to find the top, a large stone built structure with walls as shelter. The snow depth almost covered the walls so no shelter was afforded by them.

Snow covered stone shelter on Cross Fell

 We then headed back to Tees head, then on to Little Dunn Fell (842m) and finally Great Dunn Fell (848m) with its golf balls on the top. Unfortunately it was all in the cloud so we could not see any views that I am sure would have been worth the climb on a fine day. We descended to Milburn via Silverband Mine across rough moor and farmland. A walk of approx. 13km with 900m of ascent.

Sunday 15th Feb
We chose to walk from the village of Dufton today towards Threlkeld side to a spot height on the flat topped moor at 699m, then on to a trig point at 692m. We remained close to the edge of the moors and the weather was much better today. The wind was cold but the cloud higher. We followed the edge south to Backstone Edge (699m), then on to Narrowgate Beacon and the spectacular High Cup Nick. From here we followed the route of the Pennine way back to Dufton.

High Cup Nick

Monday 16 Feb

We parked at Hartside Cross on the A686 Penrith to Alston road. Then walked south on course of Old Tramway to an area of old mines where the tramway ends at a river valley Aglionby Beck. We then followed a line past some mine workings to the top of Melmerby Fell 709m marked as Dun Edge on the map. Once we were on the top we headed NW across nice grassy path to Knapside Hill and ate lunch in the shelter of  the large cairn. Then north to Little Knapside Hill and Fiends Fell 634m and down to the pass. We didn't stop but instead continued straight across to Black Fell 664m, as we had plenty of time. It snowed briefly when we got back to the car.

Tuesday 17th Feb

We walked from the village of Dufton where we were staying heading along the route of the Pennine Way on some old byways past Dufton Fell to the broad top of Knock Fell (794m). From here we could see our destination in the far distance, Meldon Hill 767m with over 5 km of pathless moor, peat hags, soft snow and deep heather. We saw no one all day, I don't think anyone goes up here except for grouse management. From the top of Meldon Hill we could see Cow Green Resorvoir to the east and the vast military area of  Mickle Fell to the south east that we would tackle at some time in the future.

We descended across more pathless moor to High Cup Nick and back down the Pennine Way to Dufton. A tough day of 21km and about 1088m of ascent.

Small frozen lake between Knock and Meldon Hill

Wednesday 18th Feb
We parked in layby alongside telephone box on the on the A689 near Whitley Castle. Headed SW past Whitley Castle Roman Fort on the Pennine Way for a short way then headed uphill to the right past a lime kiln and to a track heading towards mine workings on Whitley Common. Then across grassy fields there is a long climb up to Grey Nag 656m where the sheep shelter provided shelter from the strong wind. Then SW following boundary wall and fence to Tom Smith's Stone Top and then SE following boundary to Woldgill Burn then Gilderdale Burn to the footbridge on the Pennine Way back to Whitley Castle Roman Fort at the start. 13km 440m ascent.
The Castle is huge covering an area of 4 acres and with the most complex sequence of oval shaped ditches in the Roman Empire. Formerly known as Epiacum, it is about 24km south of Hadrian's Wall and is thought to have been built to defend the lead mines in the area. It is worth a visit if you can negotiate the mud bath surrounding it. We met a group of visitors in smart clothing and city shoes attempting to get near. 
Thursday 19 Feb
We parked SE of Brampton at Clesketts in the car park where the road splits. Headed S on gravel track to Howgill cottages then onto a steeper track up the access land following the line of the valley to the NE of the stream to the end of the visible buggy line at a shooting butt. Turned south across rough moor and peat hags to the summit cairn and trig point of Cold Fell. Lunch in the shelter from the strong SW wind.  Our return went via the Coins Currick at SH 574 m then down to the west end of Tindale Tarn following the track back to the start. 9 km Asc. 410m.

Friday 20th Feb

We took some photo's today!!

River Eden near lacy's Caves

The weather was considerably better today and we had had enough of struggling across featureless moor and bog. We headed for Little Salkeld NE of Penrith. We parked in the village and walked north following the railway to where it meets the River Eden. A short way further are lacy's Caves, a series of man made caves cut into the soft red sandstone along the river bank. They were commissioned by the local landowner Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Lacy in the 18C.
We continued along the river north to meet a minor road and turned right towards Glassonby. We turned off on a track just after the steep hill towards Long Meg and her daughters. This a bronze age stone  circle of huge standing stones. From here we returned along farm tracks footpaths and lanes to Little Salkeld for lunch in the Mill.

Lacy's Caves

Long Meg and her Sisters