Gentian Nant Peris Trip (24th-26th June 2022)

Following on from the ‘Welsh Winter’ meet in January (at which we organised our own accommodation independently due to Covid restrictions), I joined the Gentian Mountaineering and Hillwalking Club again for a more typical weekend trip, staying at the Ceunant Mountaineering Club hut, Ty’n Lon, in Nant Peris. I got an early dinner at home then drove across to Wales, not encountering much traffic and arriving at the bunkhouse in around 2h45. Having settled in and been introduced to the group, we spent the rest of the evening chatting over tea and wine before getting to bed by 11pm-ish.

The next morning we shared a communal breakfast at 7:30am and then made walking plans for the day. Noting that the MWIS forecast said the worst weather would be in the west, I proposed a short drive east to Bethesda for a horseshoe route on the Carneddau. Sheena decided to join me, two others chose a lower-level option near Capel Curig, and the remaining five walked from the bunkhouse up Y Garn and Elidir Fawr (very similar to the route I’d done with Mike and Stuart on the January trip).

We parked on the main street and, after a couple of kilometres making our way up to the top of the village, emerged onto the open hillside. After a slightly boggy and tussocky start, the going soon got easier and, as the ridge to Yr Elen became better defined, turned into a fairly clear path. We made good progress uphill, past the craggy crest of Foel Ganol, then more steeply up the final rocky slopes to emerge very near the summit. We had watched a couple of showers pass over Y Garn and down the Ogwen Valley, and were pleased that they had missed us (but suspected the other group had not been so lucky!). The summit of Yr Elen was a great viewpoint, east to Foel Grach, southeast over Ffynnon Caseg to Carnedd Llewelyn, southwest towards the cliffs of Carnedd Dafydd with Elidir Fawr beyond.

Soon after we set off towards Carnedd Llewelyn, a short but heavy shower passed over, lasting about 15 minutes. Once we reached the top, the rain had stopped, so we paused for lunch in the summit shelter, where we were joined by one other walker who had come up from the south. We were surprised not to see more people up there on a summer Saturday!

From there, our route turned north along the ridge to Foel Grach (in another sleety shower) and then Carnedd Gwenllian (dry again), mostly on a good path, with good views back towards Yr Elen and Carnedd Llewelyn as the weather became sunnier.

Then we descended west, taking in the attractive rocky tors of Yr Aryg and Bera Bach, then the more rounded (but still rocky) summit of Drosgl. As the afternoon was brightening, we opted for the longer of our two possible descent routes, via Gyrn and Moel Faban, which gave us more excellent views towards the Ogwen Valley and Anglesey.

We were back in Bethesda by 4pm and back at the bunkhouse soon after 4:30pm having failed to obtain the updated MWIS forecast (but seen that the regular weather forecast for the Sunday was terrible!). I refreshed with a few cups of tea and a shower, then we all headed next door to the Vaynol Arms for an hour or so, before returning to the bunkhouse to cook dinner and eat. Martin did a tasty chorizo pasta dish for the meat-eaters, and Howard had brought strawberries for dessert.

True to the forecast, it was an increasingly windy night and Sunday dawned very wet. Five of the group had seen enough out of the window by the end of breakfast, and decided to head straight home. The remaining four of us agreed to drive east for an hour or so and reconvene in Llangollen, where it sounded like the weather should be better.

We were in luck, with the rain gradually getting lighter away from the coast. Sheena, Martin and I set off on a longer walk on an improvised route without paper maps, while Ted went for a more leisurely outing. We started by ascending fairly steeply up to Castell Dinas Bran, impressive castle ruins on a hilltop, with good views over the Vale of Llangollen and the hills to the north.

We dropped down the other side of the hill to pick up the Offa’s Dyke Path along the foot of Creigiau Eglwyseg, impressive limestone cliffs more reminiscent of the Yorkshire Dales than North Wales! We continued as far north as World’s End, with a pause for lunch, then made our way back southwest via lanes and footpaths to Valle Crucis Abbey, from where we could pick up the canal towpath back to Llangollen.

We enjoyed ice creams as we walked back through town – not how I expected the day to end after the miserable weather at the start – then parted ways. An hour and three quarters of quiet driving brought me back home to Hilton.

Maps of my walks are available at the following links:
Saturday on Carnedd Llewelyn: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1951671
Sunday from Llangollen: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/1951674

My full photo album is available on Google Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ravh3h4Ha4jAEqft6

A great weekend in the hills with scenic walks, good company and good food, very similar in many ways to the CUHWC trips of student days. Looking forward to a couple more weekend trips in the autumn!