Jeff and Helen’s secret wedding was taking place in Gretna Green on Saturday 4th, so I took the opportunity to walk in the Lake District on the way north on Friday (with Heather and Ashleigh) and the North Pennines on the way home on Sunday (with Heather).
We travelled as far as Ruth’s house for Thursday night, which put us within a short drive of the Lakes the next morning. We opted for a moderate walk from Grasmere, up the ridge over Helm Crag, Gibson Knott and Calf Crag. The visibility was excellent over Grasmere, Dunmail Raise and Easedale. Aside from a few small patches here and there, we were largely below the snowline, but the higher hills, particularly Helvellyn, had a reasonable covering. We returned by the path down Far Easedale, which made for easy progress.
On the ridge of Helm Crag, above GrasmereLooking towards HelvellynHeather and Ashleigh on Calf Crag
Once back in Grasmere village, we stopped to buy gingerbread and then went for afternoon tea in a lovely café, before hitting the road just before sunset for the final hour or so to Gretna Green. Once we’d checked into the hotel and freshened up, I met with the gentlemen for a pub dinner in Gretna – many of us choosing haggis – while the ladies did some flower arranging over a buffet dinner!
I was pleased that Jeff and Matt were keen to go to a local parkrun on Saturday morning – there was plenty of time as the wedding was not until 1pm. Although Carlisle was the closest option, its winter course is a dull five-lapper, so we opted for the half hour drive to Crichton parkrun, on the edge of Dumfries. This proved a good choice, an undulating run on tarmac around a university campus with views towards the Galloway hills. We were back in Gretna Green by 10:45 giving plenty of time to get dressed in our suits and make final preparations in the reception room.
The wedding itself took place at the Old Blacksmith’s Shop, as they have done for generations, and was a very enjoyable and intimate event with just 19 guests plus the bride and groom. My Best Man duties went by without incident as the rings were duly passed to the couple! A bagpiper piped Helen into the forge, and piped the newlyweds back out again afterwards. The rain just about held off for the rather chilly photographs in the courtyard, and before long we were back at the hotel and assembling for the reception.
Smiths Hotel provided a delicious meal in an attractive function room, followed by speeches from the bride’s stepfather, bride’s uncle, groom, and me. Thankfully it seemed to be well received. Public speaking is not really my forte! Once the meal was over, we retired for an hour or so before reconvening for a murder mystery evening – not my cup of tea but no worse than the usual alternatives of disco or ceilidh!
After an inexplicably poor night’s sleep, I enjoyed a full breakfast in the hotel before packing up and heading south with Heather for a walk from Dufton. We could see from the motorway that a good covering of snow had fallen at high level. We ascended via the Pennine Way, reaching the snowline on the slopes of Peeping Hill, which had some fairly deep drifts. The views over the Eden Valley to the Lake District were excellent, with Blencathra in sunshine.
Heather above Dufton, with Blencathra in the distance
Above there, the ground was less steep but much more exposed to the very cold north-easterly wind! With a bit of encouragement, Heather overcame a few moments of hesitation and persisted all the way to High Cup Nick at the head of the valley, which gave spectacular black and white views of the crags and the moors above.
Heather above High Cup GillHigh Cup GillHeather at High Cup Nick
I had been in two minds whether to return the same way or continue around the ridge, but we found that a good number of people had trodden the path ahead so continued that way, the wind now on our backs and less cold! Soon we were descending back out of the snow, which just left a half hour walk along the lane back to Dufton.
With a little bit of annual leave to use up, I took Friday off work to make a long weekend trip to the Welsh Valleys, an area with quite a few hills of 400-600m, many of them Marilyns, but which I’d barely visited previously.
After an early-ish start from Derby and a good clear drive, I started walking from Abertillery at around 10:15am. My route started up the bridleway to Arail, where the owner, driving up, challenged me where I was going and why! He obviously doesn’t get many walkers passing through, and grumbled that he ‘didn’t really like people walking through the yard’, but clearly knew it was a right of way really and didn’t actually try to stop me. Soon I was on the open ground of the ridge, initially on the west side overlooking Cwm Big, and later on the east with good views of Abertillery and Blaina below.
Abertillery
After a few miles, a short detour from the path led me to the trig point at the summit of Mynydd Carn-y-cefn, the day’s first Marilyn. I descended the bridleway, past the golf course to Nantyglo, enjoying views of the Sugar Loaf and Ysgyryd Fawr to the northeast.
Nantyglo, and the Sugar Loaf in the distance
After some initial difficulty finding the footpath back up the other side of the valley, I paused for lunch near Mulfran before continuing up the ridge, on easy tracks, to Cefn Coch (Dewey), then down and back up to the summit of Coety Mountain, another Marilyn and the high point of the trip at 581m. It doesn’t seem like many people visit the summit as it was deep in tussocky grass and heather away from the main track. Continuing south, I took another short detour off the track to visit Gwastad (another Dewey) before descending back to Abertillery.
A half hour drive brought me to my room at “Sergeant’s Accommodation” in Nelson, well-equipped en-suite rooms in the former police station! I settled in, popped out for provisions from the Co-op and fish and chips for dinner, then relaxed for the rest of the evening.
There were half a dozen parkruns to choose from within a sensible drive on Saturday morning. I picked the most interesting-looking, Coed Cefn-pwll-du, in the forest above Machen. This proved a good decision, as it was an attractive trail course with good views, challenging hills, and friendly volunteers – but fewer than 50 runners!
Once I’d got my breath back and had a Strava faff, I drove a few miles further to Crosskeys, where I started the day’s walk. The first objective was Mynydd y Lan. A bit of online research had suggested there were unmapped zigzagging paths leading most of the way up through the forest, but I clearly chose poorly as I ended up toiling through knee deep bracken for quite a way on the higher ground. It was a relief to regain a path on the summit plateau as I traversed the Marilyn summit and continued past the group of three transmitters nearby. A short distance beyond there, I picked up a well-walked footpath that led back down through attractive deciduous woodland to Cwmcarn.
Nant y CrochanDescending to Cwmcarn
Having crossed the railway, river and roads, I followed by-ways back up onto the ridge of Cefn Rhyswg, where I paused for lunch in an attractive tree-lined avenue. Continuing for a few kilometres above Nant Gwyddon brought me onto the flat plateau of Mynydd Twyn-glas, with a trig point at the summit. Broad tracks led south onto the ridge of Mynydd Henllys and onwards to the Iron Age hill fort of Twmbarlwm, which gave great views of the Bristol Channel to the south, as well as the surrounding hills and valley towns.
Mynydd Henllys, with Twmbarlwm ahead
A short descent took me down to the edge of Risca, where I followed the canal west for a short distance before reascending south, on a lane through the woods then paths up the bracken-covered hillside to the summit of Mynydd Machen, arriving around half an hour before sunset. I enjoyed the evening light on the clouds and the views of Cardiff and the Somerset coast, but didn’t linger long as I still had a bit of a walk down to the car. I followed a longer route via the main ridge path and byways, as I suspected the minor paths down through the woods may not exist in practice and didn’t want to be messing around with forest navigation in the dark! This got me back to the car in twilight and without needing the torch. Quite a busy day with the 5km run and 28km walk!
The summit of Mynydd Machen, before sunset
After an Indian takeaway for dinner, I had another relaxing evening in the room, planning the following day’s activities. I contemplated making a long, continuous walk out of my four Marilyn objectives, but decided the walks between some of the hills looked too dull to be worth the effort. Consequently, I broke the Sunday outing into several shorter walks.
The first started in Trehafod, west of Pontypridd, and went up Mynydd y Glyn. A good bridleway and forest tracks led most of the way, then the final stretch across open ground was on short grass. Temperatures had dropped several degrees compared with the previous two days, and I only just managed without putting gloves on. Although it was a bright and sunny morning, the views were fairly unremarkable, so I didn’t stay long before descending by the same route.
Looking over the Rhondda
The second walk was a very short one, up Cefn Eglwysilan, east of Pontypridd. A lane passes just a couple of hundred metres from the summit, so I was up and down in just a few minutes. There were good views of the Brecon Beacons from the summit.
The Brecon Beacons, from Cefn Eglwysilan
Then I drove a few miles down the Taff valley to park in Taff’s Well, from where I could tackle two more Marilyns, one either side of the valley, in a single walk. First I went west to Garth Hill, clearly a very popular destination among local people out with their dogs and children – perhaps not surprising being only a few miles outside Cardiff. The summit was a great viewpoint, north all the way to the high Brecon Beacons, east to the Severn Bridge, and south over the sea to Exmoor.
Craig yr Allt, from Garth Hill
I had lunch as I descended the sunny, leeward side of the hill, then continued down to Taff’s Well and back up the other side onto Craig yr Allt. This was a quieter spot than I expected, with just a couple of runners. I spotted what looked like a jet engine test bed in the valley below and, sure enough, could see the sign for GE Aviation Wales from a little further on! I took a different route back down to the car, through a large equestrian centre and then woodland.
Garth Hill, from Craig yr AlltEnemy installations below! Cefn Eglwysilan in the distance.
As it was still only around 2:30pm, I decided to take a short detour on the way home to visit another almost-drive-up Marilyn, the highest point of Wentwood, lacking in interesting views due to the trees and undergrowth. From there, it was only a couple of hours home to Derby.
All in all, a productive weekend with ten new Marilyns bagged – none particularly remarkable and maybe not worthy of future return visits, but interesting to explore a new area and there were some good views, different in character to any other area of the UK. Perhaps for my next similar trip I’ll explore the cluster of Marilyns further west, north of Swansea!
I spent a solo week up in the Highlands and was rewarded as usual with mixed October weather. I drove up as far as Stirling SYHA on the Sunday afternoon, having paced Jeff to a PB around Lichfield Half Marathon that morning. A good night’s sleep in a private room for the bargain price of £21!
Monday’s forecast was for the morning to be better than the afternoon, and for conditions to be less bad well inland, so I got a reasonably prompt start to drive up as far as Bridge of Orchy for a walk up the Graham, Meall Tairbh. I parked by the Inveroran Hotel and started off up the West Highland Way to gain the north ridge of Ben Inverveigh, which led easily all the way to its summit, with some views over Loch Tulla and the Munros to the east, surprisingly almost clear of cloud.
Loch Tulla
A short descent on grass led to the bealach, with unusual glacial drumlins and a small lochan. Then a short, steep reascent led me up to the Graham summit, Meall Tairbh. A lull in the light rain as I crossed the bealach came to an end as I reached the top, confirming my decision to descend directly to the car rather than take the fair-weather option of continuing all the way around to Beinn Suidhe – which looked much murkier!
Looking back to Ben Inverveigh on the descent from Meall Tairbh
A few hours more driving took me, via Morrison’s in Fort William, to Kyleakin, just on the far side of the Skye bridge. I had booked into the Backpackers hostel for five nights, thinking it would be a good base for walks either on the island or the mainland according to weather conditions.
On Tuesday it seemed like the best conditions would again be in the morning, and the worst conditions would be on Skye! I therefore picked a half-day walk up a Graham on the mainland: Creag Dhubh Mhor above Strathcarron. A half-hour drive brought me to Achintee where I was able to park at the bottom of the road. My ascent route started off up the path towards Bearnais bothy, with decent views over Glen Carron. It was spotting with rain for a while but happily this soon petered out to give dry conditions for a couple of hours. An easy grassy gully led up from the path onto the ridge of the hill, and from there it was only a short further ascent to the summit, with very good (if hazy) views east towards the Corbetts and Munros south of Glen Carron.
Looking over Glen CarronLooking towards Bidein a’ Choire Sheasgaich
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the ridge walk from Creag Dhubh Mhor to its subsidiary neighbour, Carn Geuradainn, was very attractively rocky, with several small lochans improving the views. Once I’d made the twisting and undulating traverse between the two, the west ridge gave an easy descent to pick up the path (from Bendronaig Lodge bothy) back to Achintee.
Looking back to Creag Dhubh Mhor
Rain and lower cloud came back in as I descended, and I finished the walk pretty damp. I ate lunch in the car before driving a couple of miles down the road to Attadale Gardens, which kept me occupied for an hour or so with only intermittent drizzle. The autumn colours were beautiful, and there were various sculptures to find around the woods and gardens too.
Attadale Gardens
Wednesday’s forecast was a bit better, especially in the morning, so I arranged to meet up with Amy Ottway to bag a Corbett with her (a repeat Corbett for me). She lives nearby in Drumbuie but can’t often get out hillwalking due to full-time parenting duties. Fortunately her parents were currently visiting and offered to look after the girls, enabling her to come out for the day! We chose An Ruadh-stac, a very impressive rocky Corbett above Glen Carron, next to the more popular but less dramatic Munro, Maol Chean-dearg. I picked Amy up as I passed en route to Coulags, where we started our walk.
The first few kilometres of the walk are up an easy track into Coire Fionnaraich, to the bothy and a little beyond, before turning left on a steeper path up to the bealach between the Corbett and Munro. We had been sheltered from the northwesterly wind until this point, but were severely buffeted as we crossed the bealach to reach the more-sheltered rocky ridge up An Ruadh-stac! Grippy quartzite slabs make for an enjoyable climb for the final 300 vertical metres to the summit, and this section also coincided with a sunny spell that gave excellent views of all the surrounding peaks.
An intense rainbow over Coire FionnaraichLooking towards Fuar Tholl from near the bealachAn Ruadh-stacBeinn DamhAmy on the ridge
It was clouding over again by the time we reached the summit, so we only lingered long enough for a snack before starting the descent. The wind had abated quite a bit by the time we reached the exposed section, so progress was pretty quick and easy all the way down to the valley. A couple of rain showers passed over, so we paused in the bothy for a lunch break before continuing the final few kilometres to the car. It was great to spend a few hours catching up with Amy and to walk together again. I stopped at her house for a cup of tea before returning to the hostel.
Advanced weather forecasts for Thursday had looked very showery, but by the last minute it had improved a lot to predict sunny spells on the coast. I therefore chose to stay on Skye for the day’s walk, bagging the two Grahams (and one former Graham) close to the hostel. A short drive took me to the top of the pass over to Kylerhea, which is the easiest access point for these hills. I was surprised to find an intermittent but very useful trod leading up the heathery slopes of the first hill, Sgurr na Coinnich. This made progress relatively easy up to the summit, which gave very good views over the sea to the mainland hills, capped with snow (whereas there was only a very light dusting on the high ground on Skye). Beinn Sgritheall and the Knoydart hills looked particularly fine with shafts of light shining between the clouds.
Beinn Sgritheall and Knoydart
More traces of path made the descent and reascent to Beinn na Caillich pretty quick and easy, with more great views over Loch Alsh and the Sound of Sleat. I returned to the pass by almost the same route, just contouring around the summit of Sgurr na Coinnich, surprisingly passing a walker and a runner ascending as I descended. Explains why a path is forming!
Snowy peaks beyond Loch Alsh
As the weather was staying pretty fair, I continued straight up the other side of the pass onto Ben Aslak, until recently also a Graham but surveyed and found to be slightly below 2000ft. This was a less dramatic hill, but still gave good views over the sea, and also clearer views towards the Cuillin hills to the west.
The Cuillin hills, from Ben Aslak
Friday, my final walking day, had the best weather of the week. I again walked on Skye, heading a few miles west to the pair of Grahams just beyond Broadford, the easternmost peaks of the Red Cuillin. I parked near the chambered cairn to the east, and followed the track to Coire-chat-achan. From there the ascent soon became very steep, initially over short heather and grass, then boulders, then more grass on the upper slopes. It reminded me of the climb up Glamaig from Sligachan.
Beinn na Caillich
Reaching the summit of Beinn na Caillich (same name as one of yesterday’s peaks!) revealed excellent views west towards the rest of the Cuillin hills, Black and Red, as well as south to Rum and north to Raasay. A good path led across the bealach to the second Graham, Beinn Dearg Mhor, which gave slightly close and better views. Bla Bheinn and Belig looked particularly good in the foreground in the sunshine.
Raasay and ScalpayThe Cuillin hills, from Beinn na CaillichBla BheinnBelig, Garbh-bheinn, and Sgurr nan Gillean beyond
A steep scree descent led me down to the bealach with Beinn Dearg Bheag (just a HuMP), where I had lunch before descending the easy east ridge back to Coire-chat-achan and the car. Amy had invited me back around to go to their local beach, so I spent the rest of the afternoon there before returning to the hostel for dinner and an early night ready for the long Saturday drive back to Derby.
Sunrise over Kyle
No really big walks this time, thanks to poor weather at the start of the week, and the Skye hills not being very far from the road on Thursday and Friday! Nevertheless, a good relaxing break, ticking off six new Grahams and revisiting the Corbett with Amy. That takes my Graham tally neatly to 50 at the end of the trip.
Somehow it’s more than a month since I last went walking! Despite that, I wasn’t feeling very motivated when I woke, but I forced myself to get up and out promptly anyway to make the most of the sunny day in the Peak District. An hour’s enjoyable driving brought me to Hope village, from where I tackled a clockwise round of the surrounding hills.
First up was Win Hill, the steepest of the bunch. Very clear air made for particularly good views over the Hope Valley, Ladybower Reservoir and Bamford Edge.
Lose Hill and Mam Tor, from Win HillLadybower ReservoirBamford Edge
I descended towards Thornhill then picked up the Derwent Valley Heritage Way for a bit, along the river meadows. Leaving the riverside, I ascended the track to Offerton Hall, then the bridleway from there to Shatton Moor. The tracks in this area seemed busier than usual, with plenty of walkers, runners and mountain bikers out. Next I descended over Bradwell Edge, steeply down to Bradwell village, watching paragliders overhead.
Looking over Bradwell DaleBradwell, from Bradwell Edge
A gradual re-ascent took me onto Bradwell Moor and from there over the shoulder of Eldon Hill – rather uninspiring and featureless terrain. I paused for a late lunch on the ascent of Mam Tor. That just left the final busy stretch along the Great Ridge to Lose Hill and down to Hope.
Edale from Back Tor
Definitely worth getting out today for the great sunny weather and air clarity. A nice little warm-up for my trip to the Highlands in a week’s time.
Sadly my relationship with Bec came to an end. To console myself and fill some empty time, after a Saturday spent running the Belvoir Castle 10k and playing with the brass band, I ran away to the hills for the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend. Ruth was away in Scotland, but allowed me to use her house as a base anyway.
On the Sunday morning, I got an early start to bag a parking place in the layby near Grasmere before it got busy. This proved to be unnecessary as it was almost deserted at 8am. Nevertheless, it gave me the chance to enjoy some peace and quiet in the hills before others were out and about. My route started west, ascending initially to Silver How, which gave good views over Grasmere, into Langdale, and towards the Helvellyn range capped with cloud. The legs felt pretty stiff after the previous day’s race, but gradually loosened as I went on.
Looking over Helm Crag to Seat Sandal and Fairfield, in mist
I continued along the ridge to Blea Rigg, down towards Stickle Tarn, then up steeply onto Pavey Ark. Contrary to the weather forecast of improving visibility, the cloud gradually dropped as the morning went on, and was just touching the summit of Pavey Ark as I arrived. I made the short traverse to Harrison Stickle, then turned north, making the minor detours over Thunacar Knott and Sergeant Man on my way up to High Raise. From Sergeant Man onwards, it was misty enough to need compass bearings to make sure I took the correct paths off each top.
Stickle Tarn, with Harrison Stickle and Pavey Ark above
I dropped back out of the cloud as I reached Greenup Edge and turned east to descend to Calf Crag. Easy ridge walking led me from there to Steel Fell, where I paused for lunch overlooking Dunmail Raise. The morning mist was finally starting to burn off the peaks of Fairfield and Helvellyn, which encouraged me to extend my walk that side of the valley.
Sunshine over Steel Fell
Then it was a very steep descent to the pass, and a stiff climb back up the other side directly to Seat Sandal. I dropped down to Grisedale Tarn then made the final ascent of the day, up to Fairfield, chasing and eventually overtaking a fell runner to keep myself entertained. That just left the long descent to Grasmere, via Great Rigg and Stone Arthur.
Looking over Helm Crag towards the Langdale Pikes
Once back in Kendal, I dropped in for a cup of tea with the Patricks for an hour or so – good to catch up on their summer holiday adventures and meet baby Neave – before returning to Ruth’s house for dinner and a lazy evening.
On Monday, I decided to avoid the Lake District in order not to get stuck in the inevitable traffic jams of the afternoon exodus. Instead, I headed to the Howgill Fells, in particular the quieter northern side, where I parked in the hamlet of Bowderdale. I was pleased that, in contrast to the previous day, the cloud levels were higher than forecast, with all nearby summits clear from the start.
My chosen route was a clockwise round of the Bowderdale horseshoe. This started with a quick and gentle ascent on good grassy tracks over Hooksey to Randygill Top. From there, the ground became a little more strenuous, with short but steep grassy descents and ascents to get to Kensgriff and then Yarlside. I enjoyed the views into the Yorkshire Dales: towards Wild Boar Fell and Baugh Fell relatively close-by, and Whernside and Ingleborough in the distance.
Baugh FellWhernside, Ingleborough and Gragareth in the distance
The descent from Yarlside to the head of Bowderdale gave good views of the crags of Great Dummacks, and the waterfall of Cautley Spout, as well as some colourful patches of flowering heather. Re-ascending the other side, I soon reached the easy ground of the bridleway up from Bowderdale, which led me quickly to the summit of The Calf, the day’s highpoint.
Purple heather on the descent from Yarlside
The return route to the car followed the easy ridge over Hazelgill Knott and West Fell, with great views into Langdale (the Howgill one!) on the left and Bowderdale on the right.
Langdale and Bowderdale
I returned to Ruth’s house for dinner with Ruth, who had spent the day driving back from the Highlands, and chatted to her until mid-evening as I waited for the motorway traffic to die down before an easy drive back to Derby.
My parents stayed with me for the weekend, a year since their last visit. On the Saturday, Dad and I started the day with a run at Markeaton parkrun, while Mum spectated. After coffee back at home, we went up to the Peak District for a walk starting in the village of Grindon, west of the Manifold valley. The first few kilometres led us due north along the undulating bridleway to Warslow. We had lunch looking over the valley, then dropped down, with a bit of a navigational detour when we lost the path for a bit, to Ecton.
Descending to Hoo Brook
Having crossed the Manifold Trail and the river, we climbed straight back up the other side onto Ecton Hill, passing the remains of the old copper mine. From there, we followed footpaths south, over the ridge of Wetton Hill to Wetton village, then steeply back down to the valley, passing close to Thor’s Cave but not actually visiting it this time. That just left a short ascent over Ladyside back to the car.
The Manifold valley, and Morridge in the distanceThor’s Cave
Bec joined us for Saturday dinner at my house, and for our Sunday walk starting from the Cat and Fiddle Inn, between Buxton and Macclesfield. We started south over the moor to Danebower Hollow, then dropped into the head of the Dane valley. A couple of kilometres downstream, we reached Three Shire Heads, always a pretty spot. There were quite a few people wild swimming in the river, which I had not encountered there before.
Flowering heather on Dane Bower
We continued along the byway to Cut-thorn, then took the grassy path over the ridge and down the lane to Wildboarclough. A steep ascent led us directly to the summit of Shutlingsloe, which gave good views of The Roaches to the south, and Shining Tor to the north. We descended into Macclesfield Forest for lunch, then dropped down to Broughsplace, which just left the short climb up the permissive path through Chest Hollow to the car.
Dad, Mum and Bec on the ridge above Cut-thorn, heading towards ShutlingsloeLooking towards Shining Tor
The final three days of our trip were heading through the Brecon Beacons National Park: steeper, more mountainous terrain after the rolling, grassy hills of mid-Wales, but shorter distances per day, so not too strenuous.
With a planned wild campsite that we thought would be quite busy with passing walkers, we didn’t want to arrive early, so we had a leisurely start to the day in Llandovery. This also gave chance for the tent to dry out pretty thoroughly before we packed it away, which was welcome with three days of food in the bag. The first hour or so was on lanes, gradually uphill towards Mynydd Myddfai. This gave good views towards the Black Mountain, particularly as we started descending to Usk Reservoir.
The Black Mountain over Usk Reservoir
Lanes and tracks led us easily through the forests, which just led us with a long grassy ascent onto the mountain: an attractive route with good views of the steep escarpments both sides of Fan Foel.
Ruth below the Black MountainFan Brycheiniog
There were plenty of people around on Fan Brycheiniog, and plenty following the path from there down to Llyn y Fan Fawr, where we planned to camp. I had seen from above, on my recent previous visit with Bec, that this looked like ideal camping ground, and so it proved. Quite a few people were wild swimming in the lake, so we just sat and enjoyed the place for a while, pitching our tent when it had got a little quieter. It was much more pleasant in the evening, once the tourists had gone home!
Our seventh and final wild campsite, by Llyn y Fan Fawr
Rain was forecast for much of the day, but particularly for the afternoon, so we got a very early start in hope of avoiding the worst of it. We set the alarm for 5am, and broke camp pretty efficiently, having had our breakfast and got everything packed up by 5:40, just as the first drops of drizzle arrived – already worth it just to be carrying a dry tent!
With the drizzle came the mist, and the start of the path beside Nant y Llyn was a little awkward to follow in the gloom. It soon brightened up though, and the valley below was in the clear. A steep, pathless ascent brought us up to the misty summit of Waun Leuci, which turns out to be a HuMP that I hadn’t previously bagged! An equally pathless descent took us down out of the cloud to the main road, followed by the steepest climb of the day, up to Fan Gyhirych. We were pleased that the rain still hadn’t amounted to more than a few short showers on this strenuous section of the day’s walk.
The summit of Fan Gyhirych
From the summit, we picked up reasonable paths all the way along the ridge, down and back up to Fan Nedd, although most of the way was in the cloud. Another steep descent and reascent brought us to Fan Llia, where more significant rain set in for the next hour or so as we traversed around the head of the valley to Fan Fawr, the day’s highpoint. The summit was a particularly exposed spot, with the wind whipping up the crags and driving the rain horizontally. We were glad to turn back to the north and have it on our backs as we continued to the day’s final summit, Craig Cerrig-gleisiad.
Looking down the Senni valleyRuth below Craig Cerrig-gleisiad
From there, it was just a short descent to YHA Brecon Beacons, our accommodation for the night. Arriving around noon, we were disappointed to find that check-in didn’t open until 5pm. However, a very friendly and helpful member of staff allowed us to put our bags inside in the meantime and gave us a lift down to Brecon where we could spend the afternoon out of the rain! We spent the afternoon relaxing in a couple of cafes, then caught the bus back up to the hostel. Our four-bed room gave plenty of space to spread out our slightly damp gear to dry fully, and the hostel meal of bangers and mash went down very well in the evening!
Our plans to use public transport to get back to our cars in Conwy that afternoon necessitated another very early start, out of the hostel door at 5am this time, just at the start of twilight. We used headtorches to guide our way the first kilometre or so across the valley to the Taff Trail, which was a large enough track to see clearly.
By the time we reached the Storey Arms, it was pretty much fully light. We continued straight up Corn Du and Pen y Fan, making quick progress up the well-surfaced tourist path, and appreciating the lack of rain! Mist obscured any views above about 600m though, and a heavy shower passed over as we traversed down and back up to Cribyn. However, it then brightened up for a spell as we continued over the next bwlch to Fan y Big, with the cloud-base rising enough to give good views of the sandstone cliffs.
A clear spell as we headed to Fan y BigLooking down Cwm Cynwyn
There followed an hour or so of pretty heavy rain, so we kept our heads down and didn’t pause much as we continued to Waun Rydd. It began to ease as we descended the good path down the Twyn Du ridge, and actually our waterproofs were well on the way to drying out by the time we had got down to the bottom and followed the lanes down to Talybont-on-Usk village.
Ruth on Twyn Du
We had made quick progress, and arrived with an hour to spare before our bus. Disappointingly, an hour and three quarters later, it still hadn’t arrived, so we gave up on that plan and ordered a taxi that would pick us up half an hour later and take us to Abergavenny. We had bacon sandwiches from the cafe in Talybont while we waited, and then got second lunch at Greggs in Abergavenny when we found we still had an hour or so to fill before our train.
The remainder of the journey went more smoothly, the first train to Shrewsbury running just a few minutes late, and the second one to Llandudno Junction almost on time. A short walk over the bridge led us back to our start point in Conwy, where we enjoyed a fish and chip supper before saying our goodbyes and driving back to our two homes.
All in all, an excellent fortnight’s adventure, and a worthy substitution for our more usual trip to the Alps. The total distance was around 330km, with over 16000m of ascent (and descent!), much of it over tricky rocky or rough terrain with only small paths and trods. We had enjoyed seven wild camps, four campsite camps, an Airbnb and a Youth Hostel over the fortnight.
The Dragon’s Back is definitely a formidible challenge for the race participants, who complete our 14-day expedition in just five days, albeit without backpacking gear. We didn’t feel we’d missed out on too much by omitting the sixth day of the race route, down through Merthyr Tydfil and the valleys to Cardiff – much less wild and mountainous country. Regardless, this was my longest ever backpacking expedition, in terms of days as well as distance and ascent.
Having spent the first week of our expedition traversing Snowdonia National Park from north to south (see previous post), Ruth and I got into the less steep but more remote terrain of mid-Wales: four days of very quiet walking via Rhayader to Llandovery.
We started early from our wild camp on the hillside above Machynlleth. The tent was damp, but not saturated, after a showery night, so the bag felt pretty heavy on my back. The first few miles of the day were along Glyndwr’s Way, which made for easy navigation following the standard acorn waymarks that denote a National Trail. At Rhiw Goch, we diverted off the trail, continuing south on a high-level bridleway over Bwlch Hyddgen – attractive easy walking with views of rolling hills and forests. Progress was pretty quick and easy all the way over the shoulder of Bryn Moel and down to the barn and sheepfolds at Hyddgen.
Ruth near Bwlch Hyddgen
As we walked south along the track towards the foot of Plynlimon, we were overtaken by an ultra runner, the first other person we’d seen that day. A short conversation revealed that she was heading all the way to the Elan Valley that day, reconnoitring the end of Day 3 and start of Day 4 of the race route, and would be returning as a race participant in September. She seemed to be running strongly after a long day over Cadair Idris and the Tarrens the previous day. We were surprised that she was navigating purely by GPS watch, not referring to her map at all.
Afon Hengwm
We paused for lunch at the footbridge over Afon Hengwm, then set off on the day’s largest ascent, up past Llyn Llygad Rheidol and the north ridge of Plynlimon. The upper slopes were in mist, so we heard the people gathered near the summit before we saw them. We were surprised to find two large family groups at the top on this grey day.
The summit of Plynlimon, not quite clear of the cloud
We didn’t have to continue far beyond the trig point before we began to drop back out of the mist, giving views down to Nant-y-moch Reservoir to the right. Good paths made for easy walking along the gentle ridge, then a smaller and steeper trod led us down to Dyffryn Castell. That just left a short climb back up the other side of the valley to the small lakes of Llynnoedd Ieuan. We found an attractive place to camp near the outflow of the western lake, getting set up relatively early after a day with plenty of good path walking.
The next day started dry but with very wet vegetation on the moor after some overnight rain. The pathless terrain made for very rough going over tussock grass to pick up the obscure footpath down into the steep head of the Myherin valley, which has a surprisingly impressive waterfall that must seldom be seen!
The head of the Myherin valley, a very quiet but scenic spot!
Even with the benefit of having proper 1:25000 maps for this part of our expedition, we struggled to locate the start of the bridleway up through the forest from Blaen-Myherin, despite a couple of waymarks early on, and zigzagged frustratingly around the forest for a while, trying to find a passable route. Eventually we did escape onto a path that wasn’t marked on our maps and led us up to the edge of Cefn Croes wind farm on the plateau above. The next cross-country section, east to Banc Nant-rhys, surprised us by having clear trods over the moorland that appear to be there purely as a result of the Dragon’s Back race. Progress was thus quicker than expected onto the next wind farm track, which we followed down through the forest into the Diliw valley, making up for time lost in the wet tussocks and pathless forest earlier on!
Ruth on Cefn Croes
The bridleway over the shoulder of Craig y Lluest was followable in ascent, but then seemed to peter out to leave a pathless descent through the bracken to the head of the Elan valley. After a couple of kilometres of road walking, we were again pleased to find a decent path up onto the ridge to the east. Reasonable trods led us all the way over Esgair Wen and Gwar y Ty, then past two large, named cairns to Cerrig Llwydion, and back down to the lane.
Looking over the Elan and Gwngu valleysCarn Wen, with a view of Craig Goch Reservoir
At this point, we had decided to take a detour off the official race route in order to procure supplies in Rhayader rather than heading directly to Elan Village. The byway down the ridge made for a good final hour and a half’s approach to town. We picked up a few snacks on our way to our Airbnb accomodation – a night of luxury after nine nights under canvas! Once suitably refreshed with fruit juice, tea, cake and biscuits, and nice hot showers, we strolled back into town for a good pub dinner and to pick up more supplies for the next couple of days’ walking, then returned to the room for a relaxing evening with soft chairs and beds!
After a plentiful continental breakfast in the room, we set off in bright weather, back into the town centre and then along the Wye Valley Walk route for a few kilometres, over a low ridge to a wobbly suspension footbridge over the River Elan, then up steeply onto the ridge of Carn Gafallt. There we turned west, following good bridleways down to Talwrn and then (back on the race route now) along the top of the forest south of Caban-coch Reservoir, the lowest of the chain of reservoirs up the Elan valley. Low water levels made the water less attractive than it might have been another month.
Ascending from Rhayader, with Gwastedyn Hill in the backgroundDolymynach Reservoir
Soon we were heading up the Rhiwnant valley, where we left the main track to pick up more good trods onto the Dalrhiw ridge. There we joined a larger path, wide and grassy, that led us easily all the way to the summit of Drygarn Fawr, the highest peak of the area, which I had visited once before by a different route to bag the Nuttall. Today’s route was much easier! We enjoyed distant views of the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons and Black Mountain to the southeast, and all the way back to Plynlimon to the north. The summit features two very large and distinctive cairns, despite there being little rock on the surrounding ground.
Hazy views of the Brecon Beacons, our destination in a few daysRuth by the lower cairn on Drygarn Fawr, with the summit beyond
The path continued southwest, quite clear most of the way to the edge of the forest, then more and more indistinct as we dropped down into the Irfon valley. We were relieved to reach the lane at the bottom after a long section bashing through head-deep bracken that had overgrown the path (although its line remained visible at least). Quite a few people were enjoying the river and driving along the valley as we descended through Abergwesyn Common to Abergwesyn village – apparently quite a well-known local beauty spot.
Abergwesyn Common
Once past the village, we started heading up the next valley, Esgair Nant-y-brain, and found a spot to camp a couple of kilometres up, just out of sight of the farm buildings. We were a little worried we might be asked to move on when the farmer passed by on his quad-bike later on, but happily he just ignored us and continued on his way. I guess he doesn’t have many people wild camping in this quiet place and making a mess. A mountain biker passed by later on, attempting to ride the bridleway which, judging by our experience the next morning, must have involved a lot of walking!
Morning mist at our wild campsite above Abergwesyn.
After a cold night, there was a heavy dew on the tent and ground as we packed up, and the bag felt heavy despite having only a small amount of food. We soon regretted not wearing waterproof trousers, as the path deteriorated into very wet tussock grassland over the bwlch. Even my feet were soon saturated, for the first (and only) time this trip! Progress was frustratingly slow most of the way down the other side to reach the lane by Llyn Brianne Reservoir, where we wrung out our socks and then hastily moved on to escape an unexpected cloud of midges.
The reservoir road made for much easier going for the next few kilometres. We took the short detour to the viewpoint over the dam, but it wasn’t worth it as this proved to be a rubble structure rather than the stone we’d imagined! The water levels in the reservoir were also very low, making it somewhat unattractive when seen close-up.
Llyn Brianne
Another hour’s brisk walking down the lane led us to Nant-y-Bai, the end of Day 4 of the race route. Here we turned uphill through the forest of Nant Gwyn, which was more interesting than expected, thanks to passing a disused mine, with abandoned engine house, and giving good views over the rolling hills to the south to the Black Mountain.
Craig ClungwynThe old mine above Nant-y-BaiLooking towards the Black Mountain
A series of lanes and byways led us easily the final couple of hours to Llandovery, where we paused at the post office to send our 1:25000 maps back to my house to save carrying them on the next section of our walk, and at the supermarket for more supplies. Soon we had set up camp at the well-appointed Erwlon campsite, enjoying the luxury of a picnic bench next to our tent, and excellent hot showers. We did a bit more laundry, which dried pretty well in the sunshine and breeze before we walked back into town for an Indian meal for dinner – very enjoyable.
Not wanting to mess around with quarantine rules and PCR tests, Ruth and I chose to spend this year’s summer holiday in the UK. Rolls-Royce had put all of its Civil Aerospace employees on two weeks’ unpaid leave, as a post-Covid cost-saving measure, so that fixed the dates of the trip. Ruth had become aware of the Dragon’s Back endurance race across Wales, and we decided to use that route as inspiration for 14 days of backpacking, covering the first five of the race’s six very long days.
Our start point was therefore Conwy. We met there on the Saturday morning at 10am, parking on a semi-residential street that seemed a safe and considerate place to leave the cars for a fortnight. After a few minutes dividing the shared kit between us and figuring out a way to squeeze it into our bags, we were ready to set off. I took the tent, while Ruth took the cooking equipment and a larger share of the food – similar to our normal arrangement on Scottish expeditions, except we used Ruth’s new, slightly heavier but significantly more spacious two-man backpacking tent, to avoid two weeks of very cramped conditions in my ultra-lightweight one.
We had decided to tackle the race’s first running day over the Carneddau, Glyderau and Snowdon over two strenuous walking days. The route started with an attractive climb, straight out of Conwy village, onto Conwy Mountain, with good views of the day’s hills ahead. Before long, we were dropping down a little to cross the Sychnant Pass and reascending gradually onto Tal y Fan. We passed a large group of wild horses with foals on the lower slopes.
Ruth and brightly-flowering heather on Conwy Mountain
Another short descent led us to Bwlch y Ddeufaen, before the longer ascent up onto the high Carneddau ridge. Good paths and gentle gradients made for relatively easy going, although the bag felt heavy with a full load of food and water, and the warm and humid conditions were energy-sapping. The views were good although very hazy, with the pointy ridge of Elidir Fawr to the right and remote Cwm Eigiau to the left. I had never previously noticed the little bothy on the northern slopes of Foel Grach. It would not be a comfortable place to spend the night – more of an emergency shelter!
Looking south from Carnedd Gwenllian towards Carnedd Llewelyn, and Elidir Fawr in the distance
Carnedd Llewelyn was the high point of the day, and marked the start of a few kilometres of more dramatic ridge walking over Carnedd Dafydd to Pen yr Ole Wen. Only towards the end did we get views down to our planned wild camping spot for the night, Ffynnon Lloer. This proved to be an ideal discreet spot, with a good water source from the outflow stream and plenty of flat grass. One other solo camper appeared a bit later and set up on the other side of the lake. Having had a relatively late start and a long day, we cooked dinner (flavoured couscous, as usual when wild camping) straight away, and not that long later got to bed.
The northern crags of Carnedd DafyddRuth on Carnedd Dafydd, with Pen yr Ole Wen, Tryfan and Glyder Fawr in the background
As usual, the first night under canvas hadn’t brought especially good sleep for either of us, but we’d had plenty of hours of rest so didn’t feel too tired getting up around 6:30 on Sunday morning. Early starts became our pattern for the fortnight, taking down camp before others appeared on the hills and benefitting from the cooler temperatures of the morning. The day started with a steep descent into the Ogwen valley, where plenty of people had already parked up for their walks up Tryfan and the Glyders. We proceeded straight up the other side, taking the quickest route to the summit of Tryfan, up a good pitched path on the grassy lower western slopes, then up the rocky gully that reaches the ridge just north of the summit.
The Ogwen Valley, from part-way up TryfanSeagulls on Tryfan, looking towards Bristly Ridge
Even passing the summit mid-morning, there were plenty of people about. We didn’t linger long before descending the bouldery south ridge to the bwlch and tackling the steep path up onto Glyder Fach, parallel to Bristly Ridge. It was good to reach the flatter ground of the summit area, and continue more easily from there along the ridge to Glyder Fawr. The path from there down to Pen y Pass was boldly marked on the 1:50000 map, but pretty small and surprisingly little used on the ground. Thankfully we had good visibility (if still very hazy) and no difficulty following it!
Tryfan, and the top of Bristly RidgeThe Snowdon range, from Glyder Fawr
We had hoped that an afternoon ascent of Snowdon via Crib Goch would avoid most of the crowds, and so it proved. We overtook a trickle of people as we ascended the lower part of the Pyg track and then the scrambly ridge to the summit of Crib Goch. The steep climb was very hard work in the afternoon heat, and we had to ration our water supplies to make sure they lasted, with no opportunities to refill from a stream until late in the day. The knife-edge ridge was good fun, as always, although with the heavy bag on my back I found myself wanting to keep my hands on the rock a larger proportion of the time. Once down at the next bwlch, it felt a long way up the easier scrambly ridge of Crib y Ddysgl. A coastguard helicopter provided some entertainment by making several passes and waving at the crowds on the Pyg track below!
Crib GochY Lliwedd and Snowdon
We were happy to reach the summit of Snowdon a bit later, with mostly downhill remaining. We didn’t bother joining the long queue for the very highest point, but had a snack nearby then continued down the top part of the Watkin Path, which has been stone-pitched since I last went that way, making the footing much less loose. A short climb led us onto Y Lliwedd, where we finally escaped the rocks and could enjoy grass underfoot for the descent to Gallt y Wenallt. From there, we weren’t sure what to expect from the suggested descent route, quite directly down a ridge and then by a stream (a welcome water supply!), to the Cwm Dyli power station. It proved to be very steep in places, but on easy short grass with sheep trods a lot of the way.
Looking back over Llyn Llydaw to Crib Goch and the Glyders
Then it was just a couple of flat kilometres to the Llyn Gwynant campsite for the night. Luckily we arrived with a few minutes to spare before closing time to take advantage of the campsite shop to replenish our food supplies. We were also pleased to find that take-away hog roasts were on offer, saving us having to cook that night. Then we had enjoyable hot showers and drank plenty of water to rehydrate after a long, hot day.
We were breaking the second stage of the race route into three days, a bit less strenuous than our first two, and were glad not to have quite so much ascent ahead of us as we set off along the shores of Llyn Gwynant, enjoying the morning reflections. The start of the day was lowland walking, following footpaths through the woods above Bryn Gwynant. Working with only the 1:50000 map for this part of the expedition (to save weight), we struggled to locate the path at one point, and wasted some time searching for a good way through. It turned out to be located a bit further west than is shown on the map.
After a bit of lane walking, we began the first proper ascent of the day, up onto Cnicht. We overtook a film crew who were making a documentary about a para-athlete taking part in a triathlon on Snowdon a few days later. Presumably this was a warm-up / training day for her. In general, though, the hill was very quiet, which made a nice change from the previous day. From the summit, we took a fairly direct route around the head of Cwm Croesor, with a very steep, pathless descent initially to Llyn Cwm-y-foel. From there we were mostly able to follow footpaths and trods past the remains of the Rhosydd mines and up the ridge to Moelwyn Mawr. We enjoyed the views back to Snowdon, and towards Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge, once again in hazy sunshine.
The Nantlle Ridge and Snowdon, from CnichtThe old quarry buildings at Rhosydd
I had forgotten how impressive the ridge to Moelwyn Bach is, over Craigysgafn. This was the unexpected highlight of the day, impressively rough and rocky and reminiscent of Knoydart for a short stretch. From Moelwyn Bach, we doubled back to the bwlch and descended to the impressively-situated Llyn Stwlan. Once below the dam, we followed little-used and faint footpaths down to the Ffestiniog railway line, where we picked up faster tracks via Dduallt to Maentwrog.
Moelwyn Bach, from Moelwyn Mawr – a more impressive ridge than I had remembered!Llyn Stwlan
To save carrying dinner for the day, we had planned to get a pub dinner before continuing to camp, and the Oakeley Arms proved a good choice with tasty food, quick service, and plenty of space. Once suitably refreshed, we continued a few miles along lanes and through the forest to the shores of Llyn Trawsfynydd. This turned out to be a popular location for an evening stroll or bike ride. We found a spot to camp just off the track a short distance south of the dam – reasonable ground, and it was fine not to have a good water source nearby as we would be crossing several streams early the next morning.
The day dawned a little cooler – a relief after three hot days – and we didn’t take long to have breakfast and pack up camp. The first half hour of walking was level, alongside a conduit carrying water into the reservoir. This was followed by a very rough ascent of a pathless, tussocky hillside to reach the traversing footpath across the slopes of Moel Ysgyfarnogod towards Llyn Eiddew-mawr – once we got to it, a better path than we expected in these very rough hills, and grassy rather than heathery. We had to don waterproofs for a few minutes as a heavy shower passed through, but it soon stopped and the breeze dried off our waterproofs and bags pretty quickly. From the lake, it became pathless again for a couple of kilometres, over a shallow bwlch and back down to reach the footpath descending to Cwm Bychan. The flowering heather was very attractive with the odd sunny spell illuminating it.
Rhinog Fawr ahead
We took a snack break in Cwm Bychan then set off back uphill, up the Roman Steps path to Bwlch Tyddiad, passing a few other walkers. Just beyond the bwlch, the small path up Rhinog Fawr sets off around the bottom of the crags and up to the hidden lake of Llyn Du, then zigzags up the hillside beyond to the summit. This made for relatively easy progress across rocky, heathery ground that would otherwise be very tough to cross. We were surprised that the cloud levels were significantly higher than forecast, and the summits were clear. From the top of Rhinog Fawr, we could see ahead to our planned campsite by Llyn Hywel, just beyond Rhinog Fach.
Ruth below Rhinog FawrRhinog Fach and Y Llethr ahead, with Llyn Hywel in-between, our destination for the day
The descent to Bwlch Drws Ardudwy is a steep one, mostly down a fairly loose gully, and our progress was quite slow with the heavy bags. We were glad to reach the easy ground at the bottom and start plodding up the trods up the valley towards Llyn Hywel. We resolved not to take the path up the west side of Rhinog Fach, but to continue right up to the lake, set up camp first, and make an out-and-back ascent from there with lighter bags. We had wondered what the ground would be like for camping, but it turned out that there were several areas of good flat grass near the outflow from the lake, and that the knoll to the west made it a really sheltered spot. A beautiful place to spend the night!
Looking over Llyn Hywel to Y Llethr
Rhinog Fach felt easy with not much in the rucksack. We didn’t wait long at the summit as there were quite a few midges – a surprise as we had not been bothered setting up camp in a more sheltered spot by water! Soon we were back down at the tent and had a leisurely late-afternoon and evening, resting, sheltering in the tent from a couple of passing showers, cooking our couscous, and enjoying the views of the mountains and coast.
More rain fell overnight, and in the morning the hills were shrouded in mist. We were looking forward to another campsite night after two consecutive wild camps. As usual, we broke camp early, motivated by the forecast that the morning would be drier than the afternoon. Soon we were in the mist on Y Llethr, where predominant vegetation on the ridge changes from heather to grass.
Looking back to Rhinog Fach
We continued in the mist over Crib y Rhiw to the summit of Diffwys, the cloud damp but not actually precipitating, then retraced our steps a short distance to the top of the old miners’ path into Cwm Mynach. The top is tricky to locate but further down it’s clear with several well-built terraces and causeways as it zigzags down to the forest.
Entering the forest below Diffwys
The remainder of the day’s walking was fast and easy, initially along the forest tracks and then down the lane to Bontddu, where we sheltered in a bus shelter for a few minutes as a short but very heavy shower passed! We took the attractive bridge over the estuary to Penmaenpool, where we duly paid our 30 pence toll for a crossing on foot! There we picked up the Mawddach Trail, busy with cyclists and walkers, all the way to Dolgellau.
The toll bridge at Penmaenpool
By mid-afternoon we had set up camp at the Tan-y-Fron campsite, enjoyed hot showers and done a spot of laundry. The sun shone for a couple of hours, almost enough for the clothes to dry on the campsite fence before we headed back into town for takeaway pizza, a drink at a nearby pub, and a visit to the supermarket to resupply with food as we returned to camp.
The third day of the Dragon’s Back race itinerary starts in Dolgellau. Again, we broke it into three medium walking days, the first of which took us over the Cadair Idris range. The ascent from Dolgellau was initially up lanes to Bwlch-coch, then up grassy slopes on a helpful quad-bike track to the ridge of Gau Graig. We made good time, on much easier ground that we’d got used to in the Moelwynion and Rhinogydd the previous few days. From Gau Graig, the gradient eased as we ascended gradually to Mynydd Moel, which was just below the cloud-base and offered excellent views back to the east over Llyn Arran.
Ruth on Mynydd MoelSunshine on Gau Graig and Llyn Arran
As we continued west to the summit of Cadair Idris, we entered the cloud, so sadly missed out on the best views over Cwm Cae. The ridge had been very quiet but, as expected, we met lots of people near the summit, and the Pony Path was busy with tourists for the next few kilometres. We regained solitude as we reascended to Craig-las, back below the cloud and enjoying the views towards Barmouth and south to the Tarren hills that we would visit the next day.
Looking down to Barmouth
The easy ground continued over Craig-y-llyn, then down the valley to Bodilan. Our destination for the night was the basic but popular Birds Rock campsite, beside the River Dysynni. This seems to be more of a family holiday destination than a walkers’ campsite, despite its location nestled among the hills! The 50p shower was disappointingly lukewarm (Ruth advises that the ladies’ shower was better!). We got an early night and quite a good night’s sleep despite the night being fairly wet and windy.
Pleasingly, the rain had passed over by the time we got up the next morning. The day started with a short crossing of the low ridge over to Dolgoch. Cadair Idris had cleared for a while the previous afternoon while we were in camp, but was back in cloud, as were the tops of the Tarren hills ahead. A good track beside Nant Dol-goch made for easy progress up the slopes of Tarrenhendre, just leaving a short climb up steep grass beside a fence to the summit, entering the cloud at about 500m. Today the cloud was damp enough to merit wearing waterproofs, and the long grass was also very wet to walk through.
Looking back towards Cadair Idris, in cloud againNant Dol-goch, just before we entered the cloud
We continued east along the ridge, over Foel y Geifr and then steeply up to the day’s high point, Tarren y Gesail, where we found a useful zigzagging mountain bike track to aid the ascent. A badly-timed heavy shower passed as we walked up the ridge to the summit trig point and back. The descent to Machynlleth was quick and easy on forest tracks, emerging near Dovey Bridge where we passed the Snowdonia National Park boundary, seven strenuous walking days from its northern edge where we started in Conwy.
Back below the cloud on the descent from TarrenhendreLeaving Snowdonia, at Pont ar Ddyfi
We had reached Machynlleth in the early afternoon, so went to a cafe for a while for tea and cake, then to the supermarket, and finally to the Red Lion pub for a drink followed by an early dinner. As there are no convenient campsites right near town, and to help shorten the next day a little, we continued up onto the hills to the south for the night, following Glyndwr’s Way for a few kilometres until we found a suitable patch of grass beside the path, with good views overlooking the Dovey valley.
Bec and I took an afternoon walk in the Peak District this hot, sunny Saturday. We started in the small village of Foolow and followed footpaths through the fields to Grindlow and then up Hucklow Edge, where we spent a while watching gliders being winched into the sky from the Camphill airfield over lunch.
Then we traversed around to Abney Grange and descended into the head of Bretton Clough. We followed the valley down as far as Stoke Ford, admiring the various knolls and hollows left behind by past landslides, then doubled back up the tracks onto Eyam Moor, gaining good views back up Bretton Clough and across to Abney Clough, and then higher up towards Mam Tor, Win Hill, and Kinder Scout beyond.
Bec in Bretton CloughLooking back up Bretton CloughCotton grass on Sir William Hill
From the top of Sir William Hill, it was just a short walk down to Eyam Edge and back along the lane to Foolow for a welcome cold drink at the Bulls Head.
Bec and I took a week’s holiday, planning a few days in Brecon followed by a few days at Ruth’s house in Cumbria (while she was away supervising DofE). To start the trip with something different, we had booked to spend half a day canoeing down the River Wye! We found ourselves running early on the drive down, so paused for an hour or so for a stroll around the Cotswold village of Bredon’s Norton, where my grandparents lived and my dad grew up. Not much had changed since my last visit around 12 years ago.
From there it was only an hour or so to ‘Canoe the Wye’ in Symonds Yat, where we were hiring the boat and equipment. After a short dry-land training session and safety briefing, we took a short minibus ride to Kerne Bridge, 13km upstream but only 5km by road thanks to the meandering course of the river! We launched the canoes and spent the next four hours or so paddling gently downstream – mostly very placid water but with a few more rapid sections to add interest without adding much difficulty. We paused for lunch at the riverside about half way, and enjoyed watching peregrine falcons overhead, just as advertised on the map we’d been issued! I kept my phone and camera in the dry barrel, so no photos from the water.
Afterwards, we strolled a little further downstream to try to get a view of the whitewater rapids, but disappointingly found that you couldn’t really see much from the west bank of the river. Some fungi on a log were the most notable feature. Then it was around another hour’s drive to our AirBnB townhouse in Brecon – a very attractive location right by the River Usk with views towards the Beacons.
Giant mushrooms in the woods near Symonds YatOur AirBnB townhouse for the first three nights (the blue one)
Saturday looked like it could offer the best weather of the next three days, so we opted to head to the highest hills: a circuit of Pen y Fan and its neighbours from the north. It was only a short drive up the very narrow lanes to the small car park at the bottom of Cwm Gwdi. The initial part of the walk up gave good views over the Usk valley, but once we got onto the ridge of Cefn Cwm Llwch we soon reached the cloudbase, then remained in the mist all the way over Pen y Fan, Cribyn and Fan y Big.
Bec in Cwm Gwdi
We had lunch at the summit of Fan y Big, and watched the leading runners of a fell race around the horseshoe of Cwm Cynwyn pass by. We passed the rest of the field as we descended the ridge of Cefn Cyff, and soon dropped back out of the mist. Once down at Rhiwiau, we followed the lanes and bridleways around the foot of the hills back to the car, with the cloud breaking at times to give fleeting views up to Cribyn and Pen y Fan. Overall, the visibility was a little disappointing relative to the forecast, but still a good day in the hills. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1611661
Me and BecMany fields in the Usk valleyCribyn, from the valley
On Sunday, we had a more leisurely start, spending the morning exploring Brecon itself, particularly the promenade beside the River Usk, the Cathedral Close, and the woodland trails by the River Honddu.
Old stone cottages in Brecon
Later, we took a short drive to Talybont for an afternoon walk up a new Marilyn for me, Tor y Foel. The route initially traversed through woodland on the Taff Trail above Talybont Reservoir, then doubled back up the ridge of the hill to the summit, a good viewpoint towards the high Brecon Beacons (in the clear) and the Black Mountains (mostly in the mist). We descended the east ridge then followed the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal towpath back to Talybont, making a nice contrast to the outward route. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1611670
Looking over the Talybont Reservoir to Waun RyddBec on Tor y Foel, looking east towards the Sugar Loaf
In the evening, we went out for a lovely meal at an Indian restaurant in town, then set about re-planning the next part of our holiday! Unfortunately Ruth had let us know that she had had a positive PCR test result and consequently that we would not be able to use her house in Natland as our next destination as had been the plan. We decided that there was still plenty to explore around Brecon so we would see what accommodation we could find nearby for the next few nights. Surprisingly, another AirBnB turned out to be available just a few doors down the same street from our first, and we were pleased that they were able to accept our last minute booking!
Monday’s weather forecast had improved from earlier predictions, so we headed to more high hills on the Black Mountain, towards the west end of the National Park. We started our walk by the chapel in Glyntawe, and were soon out onto the open hillside, ascending steeply onto the ridge of Fan Hir. The visibility was excellent today, and we enjoyed views both directions along the escarpment as we continued up to the summit.
Fan HirBec on the crags
A short shower passed over as we had our lunch near Bwlch Giedd before reascending to the highest point of the day, Fan Brycheiniog. The next section of ridge, over Bannau Sir Gaer to Waun Lefrith, gave the most dramatic views of the day, with the red sandstone cliffs and the lake of Llyn y Fan Fach below. From Waun Lefrith, where we passed a few other walkers, we headed south across the moorland on sheep trods, soon reaching the main bridleway. This led us all the way back to Glyntawe, past lots of interesting limestone outcrops and shake holes. A great day in the hills in mostly good weather. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1611674
Bec on Fan BrycheiniogLlyn y Fan Fach
After heavy rain on Monday night, we decided Tuesday would be the best day to visit the waterfalls at Ystradfellte, something I had not actually done before despite numerous visits to the Brecon Beacons including staying at the bunkhouse nearby. This proved to be a very popular spot, even on a weekday, and we were unable to park at the main car park in Cwm Porth, instead being directed to the alternative at Gwaun Hepste. We followed the well-marked trail down through the forest to the first falls, Sgwd Clun-gywn, then branched off the tourist route to follow the ‘dangerous’ riverside path (actually just the public footpath with a few small rocky steps!) down to the much more impressive Sgwd Isaf Clun-gwyn.
Bec by Sgwd Isaf Clun-gwyn
There we rejoined the main path past Sgwd y Pannwr, then up and over the ridge to the much-celebrated Sgwd yr Eira. The footpath passes behind the waterfall on the undercut ledge! We had our lunch on the far side, watching a few people swimming in the plunge pool, then returned to the car by our outward route. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1619210
Bec behind the fallsSgwd yr Eira
Wednesday was a more leisurely day, taking a trip west to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, near Carmarthen. This has been open since the year 2000, and has a mixture of well-established gardens and newer projects that feel like a work in progress. Particularly memorable were the double-walled garden, which also houses the tropical glasshouse, and the Great Glasshouse, the largest single-spanned glasshouse in the world, containing plants from the Mediterranean, California, Australia and South Africa.
Bec under an arch of sweet peasThe Great Glasshouse
We ended the day with a visit to the adjoining Bird of Prey Centre, where we tried a short falconry session, flying a black kite for a few minutes. Impressive to see it so close up, but unfortunately, after a dry and bright day, a heavy shower coincided exactly with the time we were out with the bird!
Bec with a Black Kite!
Thursday was the final day of our trip, so we packed our stuff into the car and checked out of the cottage before heading east for our day’s walking on the Black Mountains, starting at the car park below Hay Bluff. The walk started with a steep ascent up to the summit and Welsh-dragon-adorned trig point. From there, the going was much easier as we proceeded southwest along the escarpment, initially downhill to Gospel Pass where we found a manned checkpoint for a military training exercise, and heavily laden soldiers jogging down from the other side of the pass to reach it. A group of fell ponies added interest to the easy reascent to Twmpa, as did the soldiers running in both directions.
Bec on Hay BluffPonies, looking back towards Hay Bluff
We continued over Rhos Dirion, with a pause for lunch on the edge, then took the descent path from Y Das down to Rhos Fach, which was the end point for another group of soldiers on endurance training. A mixture of lanes and bridleways led us easily back along, below the escarpment, to the car. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1619213
The Wye ValleyFoxgloves below Y Das
All-in-all a great week away together exploring some familiar and unfamiliar places, with great scenery, mostly decent weather, and lovely company.
Ruth decided to take her new car for a trip and visit me in Derbyshire for the weekend. We walked not far from Bakewell both days, just the two of us on Saturday and with Bec on Sunday.
Saturday’s walk started in Ashford in the Water and took us up the fields to Sheldon, then through luxuriant wild flower meadows to the head of Deep Dale. We followed the valley back down to the Wye valley then walked up Monsal Dale, past the weir and viaduct, and up Upperdale to Cressbrook Mill. There we forked right into Cressbrook Dale, taking our lunch break on the valley rim near Wardlow. Our return route to Ashford was over Longstone Moor, always a good viewpoint over this corner of the Peak District.
Ruth under Monsal Head viaductRavensdale CottagesCressbrook Dale
On Sunday, I dropped in for my second dose of the Pfizer Covid vaccination at Derby’s Arena, then we met Bec in Baslow around half past nine – the first time she and Ruth had met. We started by heading south through Chatsworth Park to Beeley Lodge. From there, we followed tracks up the side of the valley to the earthworks of Hob Hirst’s House, then north across the moor to Robin Hood. We followed the paths up to Birchen Edge, having lunch below Nelson’s Monument, where we were unexpectedly bothered by a few midges! After lunch, we continued over the moor, north then west to Wellington’s Monument, from where it was only a short walk down the track back to Baslow.
Chatsworth HouseBec and Ruth on the lane above Beeley LodgeBec and Ruth on Birchen Edge
Bec and I took a lunchtime stroll at Clumber Park, about a decade since the last time I walked through this area! We parked on the Lime Avenue and circumnavigated the lake in an anticlockwise direction, pausing for lunch at the refreshment van in Hardwick. Lots of people enjoying the forest trails, swans and geese on the water, colourful rhododendrons, and fine reflections near Clumber Bridge. And pleasingly, none of the forecast showers arrived.
Bec on the weir below Clumber BridgeSwans on Clumber Lake
Bec and I took a Sunday walk from Taddington village, enjoying the warm and bright weather. Our route initially took us west, over Sough Top to Chelmorton village. From there, we dropped down the valley to Churn Hole – I’d forgotten how impressive this little gorge is – into Wye Dale.
Meadows above ChelmortonAn unlikely place for a large tree to grow!
The next few miles were following the river downstream, initially on the riverside path through Chee Dale, which winds its way below the overhanging limestone cliffs, and is forced onto unusual stepping stones along the river in a couple of places where there’s no gap between the river and the walls of the gorge. This is usually a quiet place, but today was definitely the busiest I’ve seen it with walkers, wild swimmers and rock climbers in abundance!
On the Chee Dale stepping stonesBec under the overhanging cliffs
Once we reached the lane at Miller’s Dale, we climbed up to join the Monsal Trail disused railway for a few miles, passing through two tunnels and over the viaduct to Monsal Head. From there, we dropped down to the weir, finding lots of people picnicking on the riverbank, and continued down the riverside path to the bottom of Deep Dale. That just left the final ascent back up to Taddington.
After an enforced gap last year, Ruth and I resumed our annual tradition of spending Spring Bank Holiday week in the Highlands. I went up with only one Corbett unbagged, but decided not to visit it this time as I’d like to leave it for an occasion when I can invite as many friends as I like to join me for the walk and for a celebratory meal afterwards. So, our objectives were a few Corbetts that were return visits for me but new for Ruth, and a few Munro Tops to satisfy my bagging needs.
I drove up as far as Ruth’s house after the motorway traffic had died down on Friday night, and we spent the Saturday morning driving up to Glen Clova, in Ruth’s car this time but sharing the driving as usual. Our objective for the day was Ben Tirran. I had just taken a quick route up and down by Loch Wharrel last time, as a second outing after a walk on Mayar and Driesh, so was keen to make a slightly bigger loop of it this time. We parked near Clova village and headed up the good pitched path to Loch Brandy, surprised to find it quite busy with other visitors. Not what one often finds on a Corbett, but it turned out hardly anyone proceeds beyond the loch and the ridge above was customarily quiet!
Loch Brandy
We continued up to Green Hill, which gave good views north to Lochnagar, which was holding quite a bit of snow after the cold Spring, and then along the very easy grassy ridge to The Goet, as the summit of Ben Tirran is known. This gave hazy views of Mount Keen and Mount Battock to the east. From there it was an easy descent over grass and short heather to Loch Wharrel, similar in character to Loch Brandy but far quieter, and then on down to the valley on intermittent paths. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578469
Ruth above Loch Wharrel
Once back at the car, we resolved to drive around to Glen Isla to cook by the car, then see where we could find to camp either near the head of the road or on the slopes of our morning objective, Monamenach. It turned out there was a suitably discreet spot very close to the car park, at the edge of a small conifer plantation and close to the River Isla, which meant we could use the larger tent and didn’t have to carry backpacking gear up the hill. We were pleasantly surprised not to encounter any midges as we cooked or set up camp.
The River Isla by our camping spot at Auchavan
Once we’d taken down the tent in the morning, and had breakfast by the river, we set off on a quick march up the hill, only around 3km from road to summit and all on a well-graded track, and consequently only about 45 minutes of effort. We had overtaken another walker on the way up, just nipping up to bag the Corbett before his hotel breakfast and golfing, but the hill was otherwise deserted. The sunny morning rewarded us with good views north to the adjacent Munros, Creag Leacach and Glas Maol. Last time I had made a bigger round of it by continuing over them and some of their Tops, but today we had another Corbett objective, so we didn’t linger long before descending back to the car. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578472
Creag Leacach and Glas Maol
The second hill of the day was Creag nan Gabhar, near Braemar, so we took a drive up Glen Shee and over the Cairnwell pass, and most of the way down the other side. I had half a memory that the car park at Auchallater was pay-and-display, and so it proved. Needless to say, we parked for free in a layby 100 yards up the road! After following the main track up Callater Burn for a couple of kilometres, we branched onto the smaller track up the north ridge of the hill, having lunch part-way, above Glen Clunie. Once past the summit, we descended east to the end of Loch Callater, where we paused a short while in the sunshine to admire the view. Then it was an easy walk back down the track to the car. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578479
Pretty cascades on Callater BurnThe outflow of Loch Callater
For the next four nights, we camped at the Invercauld campsite in Braemar, somewhere I hadn’t stayed for years and a more attractive site than I remembered. We were allocated a pleasant pitch by trees at the edge of the campsite. It was good to have a base camp set up that would not need to be moved each day, and the place was also well set up for social distancing, with only tents and small campers permitted to use the shared facilities.
Our camping spot in Braemar
As the weather was set fair, we decided to do our planned one-night backpacking expedition over the Monday and Tuesday. Our objectives were four remote Munro Tops on Ben Avon and Beinn a’ Bhuird, the Corbett Creag Mhor, and the Graham Cnoc Chaochan Aitinn, and we had decided the best plan of attack was to approach from the east, parking at Cock Bridge. The first few miles were along the tracks past Inchmore and over the low pass to the shooting lodge at Inchrory in Glen Avon: not the most interesting walking but quick and easy going.
The River Avon, with Meall Gaineimh beyond
Once we’d passed the Linn of Avon, we soon turned onto the hill path up the northeast ridge of Ben Avon. Part-way up, we passed the ghillie (with shotgun), who had been searching unsuccessfully for his dog that had run off. We didn’t see any sign of it – hopefully he did eventually! The good path made for easy climbing up to Meall Gaineimh – a short detour off the path but worth it for the rocky summit and views ahead to Ben Avon – and then up the ridge to our first Munro Top of the day, East Meur Gorm Craig. This was an interesting rocky ridge with impressive granite crags on its east side. From there it was just a short traverse on to the next Top, West Meur Gorm Craig, higher but less interesting than its eastern neighbour. We had first lunch in a rather blustery spot near the summit. The remainder of the ascent to the summit of Ben Avon was very easy walking, gently uphill over the tundra, passing a few snowfields thanks to the cold Spring. A very strong wind was blasting over the summit tors, but we found a good sheltered spot in the lee of the rocks for second lunch, and spent a while enjoying the views over the grand Garbh Choire separating Ben Avon from Beinn a’ Bhuird.
Ruth on the summit tor of Meall Gaineimh, with the flat plateau of Ben Avon beyondThe crags of East Meur Gorm CraigLooking over Garbh Choire from the summit of Ben Avon
The continuation down to the bealach and back up to Cnap a’ Chleirich, our next Top, was similarly easy walking, with more good views over the corries north and south. We passed a few walkers going in the opposite direction. From there, we crossed a couple of large snowfields on the traverse to Stob an t-Sluichd, Beinn a’ Bhuird’s northern Top. This was another interesting rocky ridge, with good views west to the snowy plateau of Ben MacDui and Cairn Gorm.
Looking over the bealach to Beinn a’ BhuirdRuth on Stob an t-Sluichd
A 3km walk back to the south, gently uphill almost all the way, brought us to the rim of Coire nan Clach, the grand eastern corrie of Beinn a’ Bhuird, from where it was just a short walk to the summit of the Munro. We descended the easy north ridge of the hill to Cnap Leum an Easaich, then more steeply northwest past the crags of Spion Rocks to the River Avon. We hadn’t bargained upon so much snowmelt in estimating how difficult the river would be to cross, but after a few minutes deliberation of the best spot, got on with taking boots off, rolling up trousers, and wading to the other side. The water was actually only about knee deep in the deepest section, and didn’t push us too forcefully. Then we only had to walk a short distance upstream to find some suitable short grass to camp on the riverbank – an attractive location although a bit less sheltered than ideal, making for rather a noisy night after our standard Ainsley Harriet couscous dinner. Day 1 route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578490
Coire nan Clach on Beinn a’ BhuirdOur wild camping spot by the River Avon
The next morning dawned a little cloudier, with a bit of mist over Beinn Mheadhoin. We packed up camp pretty efficiently and were soon ascending the adjacent heathery slopes, directly to the summit of our Corbett objective, Creag Mhor, again a return visit for me but a new bag for Ruth. After enjoying the views for a few minutes, we descended more gently northeast to the bothy at Faindouran Lodge, which has an attractive attic sleeping area. From there, the next few miles were along the riverside track down Glen Avon, enjoying views of yesterday’s Tops, and then another track up Glen Loin and up some zigzags right to the summit of the Graham, Cnap Chaochan Aitinn – not a very exciting peak but fairly remote and worth ticking off while we were passing so close anyway!
Ruth at the summit of Creag MhorLooking up Slochd Mor between Ben Avon and Beinn a’ BhuirdColourful mosses on Cnoc Chaochan Aitinn
We continued along the ridge for a few kilometres then dropped down fairly steeply on sheep tracks into Glen Avon to cross the footbridge opposite the lodge. That just left a reverse walk of the first few miles from the previous day, back past Inchmore to the car. Over 40 miles with backpacking gear over two days made for a pretty tiring expedition, even if most of it was on good tracks or easy tundra. It made for a very enjoyable traverse of the two Munros though, and a good remote camp, far from anywhere or anybody, and some efficient bagging too. Day 2 route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578495
After a night back at base camp in Braemar, with welcome shower facilities, we headed back east to Glen Muick for another walk collecting a few Munro Tops, this time on Lochnagar. Our route started with the standard approach up the track to Clais Rathadan, but rather than continue up the Munro path, we took a rough traverse around Meikle Pap and across the bottom of the main corrie of Lochnagar, giving fine views of the cliffs from below.
Lochnagar
Continuing across Coire na Saobhaidhe brought us fairly easily to the day’s first Top, Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe. Traces of path led from there up to Cac Carn Beag, the Munro summit, my third visit. There are very few Munros I’ve visited more than twice, but Lochnagar is certainly one that’s worth returning to. We spent a few minutes enjoying the views over the extremely impressive buttresses and gullies at the corrie rim.
Awesome buttresses and gulliesLooking over the biggest crags
Then we headed south across the plateau to the two flat Tops labelled White Mounth on the map, quite appropriately today as there were a few good snowfields. We then traversed around the head of Glas Allt to reach Cuidhe Crom, covered in unusual red boulders, and down the ridge to the day’s final Top, Little Pap. We descended the steep but very well built path down Glas Allt, past an unexpectedly impressive waterfall, to soon reach the shore of Loch Muick, from where the lakeside track led all the way back to the car park, gradually getting busier as we approached the foot of the loch and tourist terrain! We resupplied on groceries in Ballater for the remainder of the trip before returning to camp. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578503
Looking back over the corrie of Lochnagar from near Cuidhe CromThe impressive waterfall on Glas Allt
On Thursday morning, we got up quite early to break camp and do the long-ish drive north, over the Lecht pass and Slochd summit to Inverness (for fuel) and on north to Ben Wyvis. We knew it’s a busy car park, so were pleased to find a few spaces still free mid-morning on a bright summer day. The first objective of the walk was Ben Wyvis’ lower Corbett neighbour, Little Wyvis: rather a rough ascent from the northwest, but not as bad as I remembered it from my previous visit. We were surprised to pass another hillwalker descending as we approached the summit ridge. The summit gave very hazy views west to the Fannaichs, An Teallach and the Beinn Dearg hills, and also southwest towards Strathfarrar and Strathconon. It’s always fun to look at these extensive mountain panoramas and remember that I’ve climbed literally all the major peaks in the view!
Ruth at the summit of Little Wyvis, with the Fannaichs and Beinn Dearg Munros in the distance, and An Teallach hazily visible in the centre far distance
Our onward route traversed east over the rough bealach, following an old fence line, to gain the long south ridge of Ben Wyvis, which we climbed all the way to the summit, the ground gradually getting easier on ever shorter grass as we gained height. Ominous grey clouds had been gradually approaching from the south, so we were pleased that when they arrived, they didn’t actually bring any rain, and in fact brought significantly clearer air, giving better views of the peaks we’d only seen hazily from Little Wyvis. More easy grass walking took us down and back up to Ben Wyvis’ northeast Top, Glas Leathad Beag, which gave unexpectedly good views back to the parent peak over its impressive northeastern corries, a few that only a very small proportion of visitors to Ben Wyvis must see!
The ridge to the Glas Leathad Beag gives views of Ben Wyvis’s impressive northeastern corries
Having traversed back up along the ridge to Tom a’ Choinnich, we descended along the rough north banks of the Allt a’ Ghairbh Bhaid, eventually reaching the forest tracks that lead back to the car park. My sore ankle didn’t really appreciate the several kilometres of tussocky, pathless descent. Another 45 minutes or so of driving took us to the attractive campsite in Cannich, where I’ve enjoyed staying a few times before, where we settled in for the final two nights of our trip. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578508
Ruth’s objectives for Friday were the two Corbetts south of Glen Affric. My ankle was still quite sore from the previous day’s descent, so I opted instead for a slow and easy walk along the tracks south of Loch Affric, to the bridge at Athnamulloch and back. This gave good views over the loch and up towards Mam Sodhail, and later of Mullach Fraoch-choire. Thankfully, the ankle gradually loosened as I walked. Once back at the car I walked around the two very short signed loop trails, up to a memorial and down to the River Affric, then sat at a picnic table reading until Ruth got back an hour or so later. It was a shame not to be able to accompany Ruth, but I remembered these two peaks being quite rough, particularly on the ascent, and largely pathless, so I am sure it was the right decision. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578510
Looking over Affric Lodge to Sgurr na LapaichAn Tudair
On Saturday, we were again up early to break camp and make a long-ish drive to our walking destination: back to the Cairngorms, this time from Glen Feshie. My ankle felt stronger again, and I knew that the majority of the walk would be on paths, so I decided to give it a go, motivated of course by the lure of new Munro Tops. We parked in the Allt Ruadh car park, and made good progress up the footpath through the woods, and then a good unmapped path up the corrie to the bealach with Creag Mhigeachaidh. A short, pathless ascent over short heather and boulders led to the summit of Geal-charn, once a Munro in its own right, but now just a Munro Top. From there, we were back on tundra for the traverse over the next Top, Meall Buidhe, incidentally my last Munro Top in the Cairngorms, and on up to Sgoran Dubh Mor. This is a fine viewpoint over Gleann Einich to Braeriach and the northern corries of Cairn Gorm. Continuing south along the ridge to the Munro, Sgor Gaoith, gave closer views steeply down to Loch Einich, and also over the corrie towards Monadh Mor.
The summit of Sgoran Dubh Mor
We could see as we approached that the summit was busy with other walkers, as expected on a popular Cairngorm peak on a sunny Saturday. What we weren’t expecting at the summit was to find an Australian who’d ridden up on his electric bike, parked it right on the summit cairn, and cracked open a can of Tennants to celebrate. We found a peaceful spot a few hundred metres further south to eat our lunch away from the crowds, atop the crags. Our descent route by the path from Carn Ban Mor proved to be a very quick and easy one, with a well-made pitched path all the way and very easy gradients. We made good time back to the head of the road at Auchlean, and the final few kilometres back down the lane to our car park. Route map: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1578513
Cairn Gorm and BraeriachLooking over Loch Einich towards Monadh Mor
The drive back to Ruth’s house went smoothly, arriving around 8pm without delay. I stayed the night there before continuing to Derby on Sunday morning. Another excellent Spring Bank Holiday week in the Highlands, perhaps the snowiest we’ve had on the high peaks, and also the fewest midges in the valleys (just a few in Cannich). It was good to collect another 12 Munro Tops, leaving me with just 16 to go. Looking forward to those, as they’re scattered around a selection of very fine peaks in the west, including Liathach, the Black Cuillin, Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan, the Grey Corries, and Ben More (Crianlarich). Maybe next year will be the year I finally get that last Corbett too?!
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions, I hadn’t been down to Minehead to visit my parents since Christmas 2019! So the first weekend after the ‘Step 3′ easing of restrictions came into force allowing visits to others’ homes, I took the Friday off work and made a three-day trip. Bec decided to come with me to meet my parents and enjoy a few days at the seaside.
We set off early, around 7am, on Friday morning for the three-and-a-half-hour drive down, and made good time in light traffic and light rain, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we took advantage of a gap between showers to walk down to Minehead seafront, along to the harbour, and back over the hill by the church.
Bec, Dad and Mum on the promenadeMinehead harbour
Saturday brought the best weather of the weekend, so we headed west to Lynmouth for a full day’s walking. Our route was a favourite one that I’ve done once before, with a good mixture of deep valleys, woodland and coast. We started off up the East Lyn valley, and found the river very much in spate thanks to the previous day’s rainfall – an impressive sight!
Bec by the East Lyn in LynmouthLots of water running off Exmoor
At Watersmeet, we ascended out of the valley and turned back west along the rim of Myrtleberry Cleave to Lynbridge. After a short section through the edge of Lynton, we followed the high-level path above Lee Abbey, giving great views over the Valley of Rocks and across the Bristol Channel to Wales. The final section was back along the coast path to Lynton, before zigzagging down over the cliff railway to Lynmouth. A map of our route from Lymouth may be seen here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1562456
Bec on Myrtleberry Cleave, looking towards Kipscombe HillLooking over the Valley of Rocks and Duty PointCastle Rock
Apart from a couple of hours first thing, Sunday was wet. Bec and Dad went for a run onto North Hill, while Mum and I walked a similar route (as I didn’t want to exacerbate my recent ankle injury). We enjoyed a game of Scrabble in the afternoon, nut roast for dinner, and then made the long drive back to Derby, the rain not stopping at any point!
Minehead from North Hill
It was great to catch up with my parents face-to-face for the first time in 9 months, and to do so in Minehead for the first time in 17 months. Fingers crossed that the Coronavirus situation continues to improve so that such trips remain possible from now on.
Bec and I went up to the Dark Peak for the day, hoping to dodge the showers after a very wet Saturday spent indoors. We parked in Hope village and took the direct route from there up to the summit of Lose Hill, enjoying the views towards Mam Tor and Winnats Pass. We were surprised that the path was deserted until we were almost at the top.
Mam Tor
Once we’d taken in the views over Edale for a few minutes, we had cooled down in the breeze and continued along the ridge, over Back Tor and down to Hollins Cross. The section from Back Tor onwards has recently been improved with new stone pitching and gravelled sections, which should help manage the very heavy foot traffic that this ridge sees!
Edale and Grindsbrook from below Back Tor
From Hollins Cross, we followed the bridleway down to Edale village, then re-ascended the other side of the valley, taking the path towards Grindsbrook then branching right on the zigzags up to Ringing Roger, where we paused for lunch in a spot behind the rocks that was much less sheltered than we hoped! The sun did come out for some good spells though.
Edale from The NabBec on Ringing Roger
After lunch, we continued east along the edge of Kinder Scout, pausing briefly to admire some pretty cascades in Jaggers Clough, then descended the path east to Hope Cross. The gentle ridge back up to Win Hill made for easy progress, with just a few spots of rain falling on Hope Brink. This just left a final steep descent via Thornhill back to Hope.
Looking over Ladybower Reservoir to Derwent Edge
A good day in the local hills, pretty much entirely dry despite the forecast of showers. The air clarity was particularly good, making for excellent views of the Hope Valley, Edale, Woodlands Valley and Ladybower all day.
Bec and I took a weekend trip to Wales to enjoy some hillwalking and scrambling. We got a fairly early start for the drive across from Derby on the Saturday morning, enjoying clear and quiet roads, and arrived in Rhyd-Ddu at around 10:15am. As Bec had requested somewhere relatively quiet, I had picked the Nantlle Ridge as a very scenic option with its well defined rocky ridges and sea views.
The walk starts with a steep and unrelenting ascent of the grassy slopes of Y Garn, gaining 400m of height in around 1km. We paused now and then to enjoy the views back over Rhyd-Ddu to Snowdon and Yr Aran, and of Moel Hebog to the south.
Yr Aran, and Moelwyn Mawr in the distance
Once past Y Garn, the first section of ridge proper, to Mynydd Drws-y-coed, gives the best scrambling of the day – easy rock to clamber over on a narrow arete. Just beyond the summit, we had lunch in a sheltered hollow on the west side of the ridge, where it was easy to forget about the cool easterly breeze!
Bec on the ridge to Mynydd Drws-y-coedHeather and crags on Mynydd Mawr
After lunch, we continued west along the ridge, over Trum y Ddysgl, then Mynydd Tal-y-mignedd, then Craig Cwm Silyn, which is less grassy and more rocky and heathery on its upper slopes. The views of the Lleyn Peninsula, with the sea both sides, were excellent in the unbroken sunshine, as were the mountain vistas of Mynydd Mawr to the north and Moel Hebog to the south. The Moelwynion and Rhinogydd were visible more hazily in the distance.
The ridge to Craig Cwm SilynBec near the summit of Craig Cwm Silyn
The next section of walk was the toughest, as we took a pathless route down the southeast ridge of Craig Cwm Silyn to the foot of Cwm Dwyfor. It was worth it for the very pretty plunge pools and clear waters of the Ceunant yr Nant, and a little later the stream down Cwm Dwyfor itself, where we paused to enjoy the solitude and sunshine by a small waterfall.
Cwm Dwyfor and Moel Lefn, with Bec photographing the water
Then we had a bit of an ascent back up Cwm Trwsgl to Bwlch-y-Ddwy-elor, passing various interesting mining remains, followed by an attractive descent through the northern reaches of Beddgelert Forest and a final traverse across the hillside back to Rhyd-Ddu. And so ended a very good day’s walking in perfect weather, passing only a handful of other people, and pausing in lots of beautiful spots to enjoy the surroundings.
It was only a few minutes’ drive to our accommodation, a ‘Shepherd’s Hut’ wagon in the corner of a campsite near Caernarfon. After checking in, we headed into Caernarfon to pick up supplies for breakfast and fish and chips to take back to the hut for dinner. The hut proved to be a cosy and comfortable base for the night. We had a bit of drama the next morning as the gas boiler for the hot water started to smoke as we washed up then for a couple of minutes had flames licking out of the top! We hastily switched off the Calor-gas supply and transferred all our belongings from the hut to the picnic table outside, but the fire had put itself out by the time the campsite warden turned up a minute or two later! He was surprisingly calm and it transpired that this is a repeat occurrence due to robins nesting in the boiler when it’s left unused for a few days! I feel they ought to bird-proof it rather better!
Bec cooking breakfast at the Shepherd’s Hut
Bec had said she fancied some more challenging scrambling, so we headed to Tryfan for our Sunday walk. Arriving late-morning after our leisurely start, I was surprised that there were only a few unclaimed parking spaces by the A5 at the foot of the mountain – far, far busier than it had been the other side of Snowdon the previous day!
We took our time as we made our way up the North Ridge, pausing frequently to enjoy the dramatic scenery and for Bec to compose herself after the more ‘interesting’ sections, and on the Cannon Rock for the classic photo opportunity. I was pleased that Bec got herself up the mountain without major difficulty or hesitation, and enjoyed the sustained, not-too-exposed scrambling.
Looking over Llyn Ogwen to Pen yr Ole WenBec above the Ogwen ValleyCannon Rock and the Ogwen ValleyBec near the summit of Tryfan, with Carnedd Llewelyn in the distance
We paused for lunch just beyond the summit, then descended the easier southern slopes down to Llyn Bochlwyd. From there, it was just an easy walk of a few kilometres down the path to Idwal Cottage and back along the road to the car.
Y Garn and Elidir FawrBec below Tryfan
The drive home went well, taking around 2h45 via Shrewsbury, and we enjoyed Domino’s pizza back home in Hilton to end the weekend. It was great to get away to some proper mountains again after a few months staying near home, and to be able to give Bec the opportunity to try some more strenuous and challenging hillwalking and scrambling, which I am sure she really enjoyed. We were very lucky to have perfect sunny weather throughout, and it was lovely to take our time enjoying the mountains and each other’s company.
Bec invited me to meet her two sisters and their partners on a walk from Rushup Edge. We got an early start and met just after 8am in a layby above Rushup Hall. From there, we took the ‘Chapel Gate’ bridleway up onto Rushup Edge then down to Barber Booth.
Descending Chapel Gate
Then we followed the Pennine Way up Jacob’s Ladder to Edale Cross, and back down the other side into the Sett valley – a route that brought back memories of many visits on CUHWC trips to Edale.
Looking back to Edale from Jacob’s LadderThe Sett valley
The final section of the route took us back up onto the ridge north of Mount Famine, then followed the traversing track south of the peak then north of South Head. We returned to our start point via the deep gully of Roych Clough – a path I’d only followed once before, and that way back in 2010!
Re-ascending towards Mount FamineRoych Clough
A good walk in warm and sunny weather, and also lovely to meet some of the people Bec has talked about a lot.
I squeezed a lot into this long weekend and perhaps it doesn’t fit neatly into this single blog post! I thought it would be fun to do something with Bec other different from the walks and runs we’ve enjoyed so far, and we settled on a day trip to York, which it turns out is less than 90 minutes’ drive from Mansfield. I think I was still at primary school the last time I visited the city, so my memories were very faint! I picked Bec up mid-morning, and we had a good clear drive up the A1 to a surprisingly quiet car park just outside the city walls.
We didn’t have any particular itinerary for the day, and of course all the indoor attractions were not open, but we found there was plenty to explore in the fresh air for a few hours. We started by taking a stroll into the city centre and around the Minster, then got excellent take-away burritos for lunch from a stall in the Shambles market, followed by cakes from a nearby bakery. We spent the afternoon walking the full circuit of the city walls, which were open with a clockwise one-way system. These gave lovely views over the cathedral and castle, and in many areas had pretty daffodil-covered embankments below.
York Minster from the City WallsYork MinsterLooking along the City WallsDaffodils and blossom trees below the walls
The next morning, Bec plucked up the courage to meet a few of my local friends for an unofficial Long Eaton parkrun. I had agreed to pace Dave in a PB attempt following his recent spell of structured training. He was targeting between 21:30 and 22:00, and we finished right at the bottom end of that range. Jeff also knocked around a minute off his 5k PB.
After coffee and cakes by the play area (for Jess), Bec and I headed off to the Peak District for an afternoon walk. I had selected the Roaches as a good destination in response to Bec’s request for a more strenuous walk. Sadly the sunshine of Long Eaton gradually gave way to cloud and sleety showers as we drove west. We sat in the car for a few minutes, hoping it would pass, then gave up, wrapped up in our waterproofs and set out on the walk regardless. We made a rapid ascent of Hen Cloud, followed by the descent and mildly-scrambly reascent to The Roaches. The sleet generally got more persistent over time, then turned to snow – which was more pleasant! We had a quick lunch under the shelter of an overhanging boulder, continued as far as where the lane crosses the ridge, then opted for the short route back to the car along the lane, with a decent white covering on the ground. A more adventurous little outing than I’d expected!
Looking back to Hen Cloud from The Roaches
On Sunday, I had arranged to meet up with Ruth for another walk. This time our chosen destination was a bit closer to Ruth’s than mine, so I had a 1h40 drive up, mostly on the A50 and motorways. We parked in Belmont, a few miles north of Bolton, and found it had also been snowing significantly there the previous afternoon and evening, with a good covering down to valley level. We started with an ascent of Winter Hill – not my first visit, but still unfamiliar ground as I’d ascended from the west side last time. After the steep descent to Hordern Stoops, we were surprised to find a pitched stone path, and plenty of others using it, all the way north along the ridge to Great Hill.
Winter Hill, from Spitlers Edge
From there, we descended east then climbed back up onto Cartridge Hill, a new Hump for me, for lunch. We took a scenic detour north to the Jubilee Tower on Darwen Hill, where we were surprised to find the spiral staircase open and available for ascent to the top of the tower, a good viewpoint over Blackburn and Darwen, with the Forest of Bowland, Yorkshire Dales and Pendle Hill beyond. We then made our way south, following footpaths over Darwen Moor then past Belmont Reservoir, where there were sailing races going on, and back to Belmont village. I wonder if this will be my last English snow of this spring!
Looking over Blackburn from Jubilee TowerWinter Hill over Belmont Reservoir
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