Two Marilyns on the way home, Gyrn Ddu 522m near Trevor and Moel Y Gest in Porthmadog.
4.8.2020 - Gyrn Ddu 522m (Marilyn), Trevor, Lleyn Peninsula, N.Wales.
The weather had turned in for the worse these last few days so I was desperate to do something even on a claggy day. With this in mind I decided to go and do Gyrn Ddu on the outskirts of Trevor.
I parked in a cutting that is part of a bicycle path that runs alongside the A499 near Trevor. There was enough room to get my MWB Sprinter in there so plenty of room for two normal size cars really.
So in a light drizzle I headed North along the cycle path for about half a km before turning off right on to a marked footpath through a metal gate. You go through a field or two and by pass a house but it is all marked pretty well on your OS map. You soon come onto the hill and from here follow the footpath up through the ferns until you level out and come to some ruined buildings at Pen Y Bwlch. From here you have to head left or NE through a gate in the wall. If you follow my gpx trail literally all the way to the summit you will hit any gates in the walls and it is pretty much the best way up.
The last hundred meters however is a big rocky mound and actually a good scramble with no clearly defined up or down. It would have been an easy scramble on a dry day but today it was slippery and it took me quite a while as I was being careful on my own. There is a stone cairn on the top and more than likely great views on a decent weather day but that was not today!
After the summit simply retrace your steps back to your start point.
Parking: Small cutting by cycle path. Room for two cars or van.
Route Summary: Bit of tarmac, good footpaths, bit of off trail/sheep trail stuff and a bouldering session up a rocky mound.
Route Statistics: 6.7km with 465m height gain in an all in time of 2hrs 20mins.
4.8.2020 - Moel Y Gest, Porthmadog, N.Wales (Marilyn).
I had already done Gyrn Ddu near Trevor in the morning so I decided to do a second Marilyn, namely Moel Y Gest in Porthmadog in the afternoon on the way home to Mid Wales.
Coming in from the Criccieth side on the A497 you will see a Lidl on your left hand side. There is plenty of parking there and this is your start point. If you cross the road there is a small lay-by and a footpath leaving it at the far end into the woods. Now the footpath is well trodden but there are a few others that merge onto it. Basically keep heading up on the main one until you come to a cross roads of paths where you turn left. This takes you up again where you come out on the hill proper.
Once on the hill the footpath is again well trodden but now it gets a bit rocky and steeper. You hike/scramble up the mound in front of you and as you crest it you can then see Moel Y Gest summit in the distance. Stretching out in front of you though is a wide rocky undulating ridge that goes on for nearly a whole kilometre. This next phase is fun, it’s rocky, a bit of a scramble and the views are great. They would be even better on a blue sky day.
After about fifteen minutes of going up and down over this rocky ridge you get to the trig pointed summit where again there are fine views. You then simply turn round the way you came.
Parking: Lidl car park. Plenty of it.
Route Summary: Well trodden uphill footpath through woods. Defined, steep and rocky footpath for at least a kilometre. You will need to scramble on occasions unless you are a goat. All easy stuff however. Great views all around.
Route Statistics: 3.75km, 311m height gain in 1hr 10mins.
Ascent Entry on Peakbagger: Gyrn Ddu and Moel Y Gest
Route overview of Gyrn Ddu using ViewRanger.
Parking in a small cutting alongside the A499.
A very damp day so little by way of photographs. Cairned summit.