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WalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWay
  • RickSails

WalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWay

A walk from Cardiff Castle through the length of Wales over the highest peaks to Conwy Castle. En savoir plus
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  • RickSailsWalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWayVoyageur
    View west towards Idwal YHA hostel from Llyn Ogwen south shore

    Start of day 39

    22 juin 2022, Pays de Galles ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Had a great stay in Idwal hostel. Used Washing machine and very warm drying room that dried clothes in an hour.

    Warden Jerone was welcoming and helpful. The hostel does not provide meals but has a well appointed kitchen where I cooked one of my freeze-dry meals. It was great being able to use the dining room to eat and lounge to sit in and write blogs particularly as they sold cider!

    For this evenings camp I had planned to walk off the ridge down to a Bothy for shelter. It was beside a stream and near a lake where I could replenish water. Warden Jerone advised against the descent he said was steep over slippery grass instead suggesting I take more water and camp on the ridge beside the shelter on Foel Grach so I bought two 500ml bottles. Another 1Kg, as if I didn’t already have enough weight. He also suggested I start my walk on the road side of Llyn Ogwen (Lake Ogwen) to avoid boggy ground along the north shore of the lake. Having dried my boots keeping they dry was an idea that attracted.    En savoir plus

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  • RickSailsWalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWayVoyageur
    Llyn Ogwen from the east track to farm
    Replacement stile ready for installationDownstream footbridge ove Afon LloerFootbridge over a tributary to Afon LloerCheckpoint 36 upper footbridge over Afon LloerNicely laid path up the Afon LloerPath on final approach to foot of Pen Yr Ole Wen mountain

    Idwal hostel, CP36 to Pen Yr Ole Wen

    22 juin 2022, Pays de Galles ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    I walked this part of the route 6-7 years ago in low cloud, today was glourious, with an occasional welcome breeze. Left YHA Idwal hostel 09:15, bought a sausage roll for lunch and a Magnum for now from kiosk next door. Walking the 1.7 miles along south shore of Llyn Ogwen on the A5 passed lots of people preparing to ascend the climbers paradise that is Tryfan (pronounced Tre-ven in English) and some fishermen. Stopped for a chat, discovered they were fishing for rainbow trout but “they weren’t biting” as so often seems the lament of fishmen!

    At the end of the Llyn Ogwen I turned left/north onto a short access road. Soon passed what looked like a retirement home. I could see rows of upright chairs through a window but it all seemed to be closed and there was no one around. I wondered if there were staff shortages like behind my brother and sister-in-law’s John and Jay’s house in Turiff? Or perhaps Brexit? Or maybe no enough clients? Researching later I discovered this is the 32 bed Glan Dena Hut owned by the Midland Association of Mountaineers.

    A hundred yards later passed the only other building, a farm, and entered National Trust land with signage reading - no fires (sensible), no drones (seemed a little churlish) and no wild camping - umm. Walked a short distance west to the two foot bridges over the Afon Lloer (Lloer stream) to that are checkpoints on the Cambrian Way then back to the east side to begin ascent over mostly grassy ground. OS Map suggests ascend east side of stream, Cambrian Way guidebook suggests west side of stream, National Trust signs said follow the waymarked path - but of course, there weren’t any. I chose the east and was keeping pace with two middle aged chaps with day packs who chose the west side of the stream so with my 16kg pack I reckoned I chose the easier side.

    The 1000’/350m up the Afon Lloer over a mile/1.6km was variously grassy, rocky and with short 6-8’ scrambles. Towards the top I filled up the water I had used so far today as it is the last I would see for 36 hours. To filter water I am using the excellent Grayl water filter loaned to me by my daughter Angharad that she used in the Far East. It makes about 450ml in under a minute.

    Midland Association of Mountaineers
    Glan Dena Hut
    Capel Curig,
    Betws y Coed
    https://www.themam.co.uk/index.php/huts/glan-de…    En savoir plus

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  • RickSailsWalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWayVoyageur
    Crag approach to Pen Yr Ole Wen
    Ffynon Lloer - the tarn at the foot of Pen Yr Ole Wen and Carnedd Dafydd from Bwlch Yr Ole WenPath from Crags to top of Pen Yr Ole WenSummit of Pen Yr Ole Wen looking SWFoot of Pen Yr Ole Wen. Crags I ascended on the left. Centre route I think I should have takenBwlch Yr Ole Wen looking south towards Pen Yr Ole Wen illustrating how rocking surface wasWind break shelters atop Carnedd DafyddRoute improved to worn track from Carnedd Dafydd to Carnedd LlewelynSummit of Carnedd LlewelynPonient marker stone on summit of Foel Grach

    Check points 37 & 38 and end of day 39

    22 juin 2022, Pays de Galles ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Final section is called the Carneddau comprising 11 peaks on a ridge of 16.5 miles. After the third peak each is progressively lower than the previous. The first six are over 3000’/915m. The third and highest, Carnedd Llewelyn, is only 65’/21m lower than Snowdon. Perhaps because they do not ‘quite’ have the record they are less visited, including by me. I have never been to any of these peaks, my only knowledge of them is what I have read. There is a Bwlch (saddle) between each peak, so navigation was an easy task of walk up one peak, walk down to the Bwlch, then up the next peak. At least it was easy for me because weather was still glorious for the fourth day. Because they are so high they are often in cloud so I was privileged to see them all in sunshine.

    The first was the hardest - Pen Yr Ole Wen. It began with a Crag of 100’/30m facing due east. I tried three routes up, twice driven back. Part way up the third it occurred to me, surely Tony Drake, the author of the Cambrian Way, had not intended a climb on what was a hiking route with a few scrambles. When I got to the top, ahead of me was a walker who had been below me before I started ascending. He must have overtaken me via another route. A few people on the top and the guidebook confirmed I should have walked further round the mountain where there was an easier route from the north. I had seen a party walk this way but they had stopped beside the tarn so assumed the route only lead there.

    Once on top of the Crag the path was a straightforward steep walk to the top of Pen Yr Ole Wen. The route up and down the next peak Carnedd Dayfydd 3423’/1044m (check point 37) was over square stone blocks 3-4” across. This was hard going because these are ankle breaking sizes. Surface improved to a worn track to peak 3 Carnedd Llewelyn 3485’/1062m (check point 38). Then was the delight of grass down the next Bwlch (Gwaun y Garnedd) and up Foel Grach 3202’/976m, itself surrounded by rocks. This was my wild camp pitch for the night at 3100’/950m but the sun was blazing, breeze was just the occasional zephyr, the view was magnificent and the pegs went in all the way.    En savoir plus

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  • RickSailsWalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWayVoyageur
    My pitch on Foel Grach looking NE
    Shelter next to my pitch I used for privacy and was next to in case of poor weatherPitch looking north along ridge

    Start of day 40

    23 juin 2022, Pays de Galles ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    06:00 forced out of bed by sun making tent too hot to stay in. Weather still glorious for now the fifth day. 3/4 runners passed near me yesterday evening, one stopped to chat. It seems many fell runners are doing the ‘Welsh 3000’. A challenge to climb all 15 peaks in Wales over 3000’ in 24 hours. Explains why there were more people out late last night than I was expecting.

    While I was packing up local walkers Craig and Racheal stopped to chat. They were walking the opposite direction to me and had wild camped on the next peak I was to walk over. As a result of chatting and blogging it was 10:00 before I started walking. But no rush, I have all day.    En savoir plus

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  • RickSailsWalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWayVoyageur
    Wild? Horses were in abundance on the Carnedd
    Foel Fras, yet another pile of stonesSummit of Foel-FrasSheep were everywhere, what else can be 'grown' on the mountains?Not sure why I took this, perhaps to illustrate the easier going in the latter part of the routeMore wild? horses/ ponies? on another small summitSummit of Tal Y Fan trig pointAbandoned quarry workingsMaen Penddu stone

    Check point 39

    23 juin 2022, Pays de Galles ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    Today continued much as yesterday, up Peaks Carnedd Gwenllian, Foel Fras 3091’/942m, Drum 2526’/770m and Tal Y Fan 2000’/610m. Going was far more pleasant ground than first part of yesterday as it continued to be over grass. All peaks were easy enough except the last, Tal Y Fan 2000’/610m (check point 39). The Bwlch before it Bwlch y Ddeufaen was particularly low at 1378‘/420m so I had a 622’/189m ascent. I was so tired by now that this took me an hour. I had also run out of water mid afternoon so was feeling parched.

    After Tal y Fan it was downhill to Mean Penddu, a stone sticking out of the ground that probably had superstitious significance in ages past. This was my last objective for today on the ridge. From here I turned right/south east to descend towards my accommodation for the next couple of nights, Cefn Cae Camping site in Rowen. I soon passed over a stream so was excited to be able to fill the Grayl water filter bottle and have my first drink for 2:30. On the map the descent looked like a straightforward couple of miles downhill, initially over grassed fields full of sheep, then along a road. Disappointingly, after a glorious 5 days, it began to rain as I was about half way down. As a result I had to pitch in the rain. Surprisingly for a formal campsite, I was only able to push in pegs about half way. The long ascent to Tal y Fan had also put me behind, what I thought was, an easy schedule so I was rushing to make my dinner date of 8pm at the Ty Gwyn Hotel next door to the campsite. Having pitched my tent I threw in my rucksack in the hope the rain would cease. As luck would have it, when I returned from the pub, it had stopped raining so I was able to set up the rest of my pitch in the dry.

    I received a friendly welcome in the Ty Gwyn (White house), great fish & chips and a couple of Ciders.

    Cefn Cae Camping Site
    Rowen
    Conwy
    North Wales
    LL32 8YU
    (01492) 650011
    https://www.campinginnorthwales.co.uk/home

    Ty Gwyn
    High Street
    Rowen
    Conwy
    LL32 8YU
    (01492) 650232
    https://www.tygwyn-pub.com/home    En savoir plus

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  • RickSailsWalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWayVoyageur
    Path from Maen Penddu was a former coach road
    Worn path gave way to delightful grassed pathThe Gorse interspersed with Heather looked wonderfulDesending down towards Sychnant passHouse half ways up hillside with no decernable road accessSychnant passCaravan park from Conwy mountainConwy mountain summitBeautiful HeatherConwy Mountain information board

    Day 41, Conwy Mountain CP40, Final day!

    24 juin 2022, Pays de Galles ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    Forecast for my final day was a mixed weather day of sunny intervals and scattered showers. So I was surprised to be forced out of my tent at 06:30 because the blazing Sun made it too hot. Weather was extremely windy overnight battering my little Wild Country Zephyros 1 tent. It had stood up well although 1 windward peg had partly pulled out. I suspect principally because I had been unable to push the pegs all the way into the hard ground.

    I was still full from last night’s meal in Ty Gwyn so just had a yogurt for breakfast from the camp honesty shop. My swift breakfast and not needing to strike camp allowed me I to start walking 07:37, the earliest I have started on this trip. Initial section was to retrace my descent of yesterday back to the ‘Maen Penddu’ stone. This took 2 hours. Half way up was YHA Hostel Rowen. I had thought of staying here but the need to bring my own food put me off. This choice felt vindicated by the knowledge that I would have had to ascend and descend from here to get my Bus home tomorrow. Being at the campsite meant this was my only ascent.

    From Maen Penddu route was over a well worn track for half a mile that changed to a grassy track, initially in open country, latterly bounded by Gorse and, as my sister-in-laws Jay and Cressetta pointed out from my photographs, Heather growing through them making this part of the route look really wonderful in green and purple. I had to agree with the Cambrian author Tony Drake, who described this as possibly the most beautiful section of the Cambrian Way. This lead onto the very steep Sychnant pass that was once a main coach road until a road was constructed around the headland Penmaen-Bach point. This lead onto the western lower slopes of Conwy mountain, criss crossed with wide footpaths where I passed half a dozen people walking their dogs. At this point the overcast weather of the last few hours turned to rain.

    I few hundred yards further I was at the top of Conwy Mountain (check point 40). This was an extensive hill fort covering a few hundred yards of the top of Conwy Mountain. I walked past a number of what had clearly been fortifications and an information board providing more detail. At the east end of the fort the path began to descend towards Conwy. The route took me to the Afon Conway (river Conwy) estuary, then along an estuary side walking/cycle path passing many moored boats before entering Conwy.    En savoir plus

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  • RickSailsWalkThroughWalesOnCambrianWayVoyageur
    Conwy Castle from the west
    The walk up to the Castle entrance from visitor centreFrom top of one of the castle towers looking east across the estuary's towards LlandudnoLooking west from the east most towerLooking west from the east most towerLooking north along the estuary towards the sea from the east most towerThis looks like the castle but is actually a section of the extensive town wallHarbour entrance through the town wallWalk along the town wall towards Castle entranceA little Welsh to English translation on slate, of course!

    Final objective, Conwy Castle, CP 41

    24 juin 2022, Pays de Galles ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The entrance to Conwy town was through old town walls. Initial section had typical sea side tourist shops and a Fish and Chip shop where I saw a Seagull steal a patron’s meat pie. The gull was immediately surrounded by a dozen others who loudly argued over the pie that was gone in a few moments. Quite entertaining, but not for the poor chap who lost his pie of course. Then passed an RNLI station where I got ‘gonged’ to join as a supporter, something I had been meaning to do for a while. Around the corner Conwy Castle towered in front of me. A right turn towards the town centre lead to steps up onto part of the extensive town wall, which lead into the castle visitor centre. Entrance ticket organised I walked from the visitor centre along the entrance path, up a few steps then finally into Conwy Castle (check point 41), final objective achieved!

    The castle is extensive, much of it is preserved with multiple spiral staircases in its many towers. The photographs illustrate the commanding view up and down the estuary and across to Llandudno which is effectively an extension of Conwy.

    After a walk around the shops I caught a bus back to Rowen for a short walk to the campsite then to the Ty Gwyn for cider and supper. An electric Organ had been setup and what followed was an evening of songs and hymns in Welsh. I was surprised how many of them I knew.

    Tomorrow back to Cardiff on five buses. The first at 09:35 from a stop 30 minutes walk from the campsite so plenty of time to strike camp and pack up.    En savoir plus

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    Fin du voyage
    24 juin 2022