8-10.9.2020 - A three day jaunt to take in a solitary Marilyn and some more Nuttalls (seven) in the Arenigs.
8.9.2020 - Mynydd Nodol 539m, Bala, North Wales (Marilyn)
This is one of those hills I didn’t want to do as there was no real marked route and I was just going by the seat of my pants. You can park on the back lanes but with my Sprinter van I chose not to and parked instead at the large car park at Llyn Celyn dam on the A4212.
Suffice to say I would ignore the route (diagram 1) that appears to take you nearly to the summit. First you will see some GPX spikes at the South side of the dam head where my original path was blocked by private land and where I was trying to find my way through the small but irritating forest. Once clear of the forest the route route sucked with ferns and is very wet. I simply could not see any way through the ferns to the top so followed some form of tractor track back down and went up from the West.
On the West side you will hit a wall and then there is a fence with a rough track that takes you all the way to the summit cairn. It is quite steep but I think this is the only pathed way to the top. It was wet and breezy so I didn’t hang about on the top.
On the way back I decided to follow the very rocky shoreline. It was a bit of a pain but better than the way in though still very slow. If I was doing this route again I would either try and park on the back road South of the hill (see the blue route in diagram 2) but still take my up route along the fence on the Western side on the same diagram in black. I would also come back the same way. Either that or park where I did and go along the shore line of the dam…this will depend how much rain there has been and how high the water is.
Anyway…with a pretty rubbish route and like weather this was not the best of days!
Parking: Large car park at the dam head.
Route Summary: The rocky shoreline in and out is the best option in my view if my route is taken. Steep ascent for about 20mins.
Route Statistics: 7.5km and 410m in an all in time of 2hr 30min.
GPX files: For gpx files go to the Peakbagger website by following these links and go to the bottom right hand of the page and click ‘Download this GPS track as a GPX file.’
Ascent Entry on Peakbagger: Mynydd Nodol
Route overview using ViewRanger. Diagram 1 Left and Diagram 2 Right.
Photos showing the car park and views on the way up on the summit on the first part of the route which I suggest not to take.
9.9.2020 - Carnedd Y Filiast 669m, Waun Garnedd Y Filiast 650m and Llechwedd-Llyfn 643m, Arenigs, nr Bala, North Wales (3x Nuttalls).
Well suffice to say this was not the best day out on the hills. It started out misty and foggy in the morning and got breezy and drizzly later on and I saw nothing of worth all day.
Parking was in a lay-by at the start point on the A4212. If this is busy there are other nearby pull-ins that you can use that will add only a moderate distance to your day.
From the start point there is an obvious gate and wide rough track at the end of the lay-by. Basically you follow this track all the way up to the trig point of Carnedd Y Filiast. At 3kms there is an obvious left turn and shortly after there is one moderate decent into a valley where you have to cross a stream at 3.5kms but it is basically that simple. It is 6kms to the TP from the start.
From the TP there is an obvious fence, if you head West for 1.5kms that will bring you to the cairned top of Llechwedd-Llyfn. It is boggy with a few ups and downs but easy enough.
Back at the TP you then head NE along the other section of fence and that will take you on the undulating route to the indistinct summit post of Waun Carnedd. It is about 1.5kms out and back. After this head downhill on the track for the trek home.
Parking: Lay-by at start point on A4212.
Route Summary: Wide rough track for most of the route. Out to the two sub peaks it is boggy and undulating. Views, not a clue, did not see nothing with today’s weather.
Route Statistics: 16.2km, 750m height gain in an all in time of 4hrs 22mins.
GPX files: For gpx files go to the Peakbagger website by following these links and go to the bottom right hand of the page and click ‘Download this GPS track as a GPX file.’
Ascent Entry on Peakbagger: Carnedd Y Filiast
Route overview using ViewRanger.
A claggy muggy day. Photos showing the parking at the start, the summits in order of ascent, weather conditions and main ascent track.
10.9.2020 - Arenig Fawr 854m, Arenig South Top 830m, Arenig Fawr South Ridge Top 712m and Moel Llyfnant 751m, Llyn Celyn near Bala, North Wales.
This was the third day of a three day trip to the Llyn Celyn area near Bala and thankfully the weather had improved considerably. Having been up Arenig Fawr a few times in the past I decided to take a different route this time.
Parking was on the back road off the A4212 where parking places are limited but this is not a busy part of Snowdonia. I parked near the old Arenig quarry where there are a couple of small parking areas.
From here head West on the road for a kilometre before you head off left up an obvious rough wet farm track. Follow this track for another 1.5km and you will see a break in the track with a faint path going off to the right. On my maps there are points 1, 2 and 3, marked on it. Now I went off right on the said marked right of way/path to connect with point 3 but I suggest you don’t. I strongly suggest you carry straight on on the track and go via point 2 where there are some ruins at Amnodd-wen and then a good track through the forest to the ruins at Amnodd-bwll at point 3. If you go my way you will have a swamp fest, a forest fight and a river crossing with no path whatsoever to guide you. However this was the only negative part of a great day.
Once at Amnodd-bwll you carry on uphill on a wide grassy hill track for at least another kilometre. The track ends but you just carry on uphill over open grassy country to the cairned summit of Moel Llyfnant where you have great views of the route ahead and the rocky top of Arenig Fawr away to your left.
From the top of Moel Llyfnant carry on over the summit and follow the fence line downhill for around 500m until it turns off left steeply downhill into the valley. Once down in the valley the ground gets boggy again, you cross a stream and start to climb following another fence. After a kilometre I came across a quad track which took me away from the fence and I followed this up to Craig Y Bychau as it was easier.
Once here I went back to following another fence line North (boggy) and started to climb some rocky tops taking in Arenig Fawr South Ridge Top and South Top before climbing up to the summit of Arenig Fawr. This part of the hike along the ridge is about 2km with great views of the lower Snowdonia ranges and nearby Moel Llyfnant. The trig pointed summit of Arenig Fawr has a stone wind break that also houses a memorial to eight crew members of a Flying Fortress that crashed in 1943.
From the summit you simply continue downhill to Bwlch Blaen Y Nant on a well defined path (first of the day) before turning right along the rocky clifftops of Y Castell. The path then drops steeply downhill to the little bothy at Llyn Arenig reservoir. From here there is a well defined 2km track that heads North to join up with the road you parked up on. I digressed up Moel Y Garth towards the end of the track but you need not do this. Once back on the road you have a 1.5km road trek back to your parking spot. A good but hard day out!
Parking: Several small pull ins for one or two vehicles at the start point and several grassy verge parking places where the path to the reservoir meets the UC road.
Route Summary: If you do the detour (see description) you have mainly rough/grassy farm tracks, steep terrain, a boggy valley (between Moel Llyfnant and Arenig Fawr) and a boggy ridge line. Apart from that there are a few feint paths as well as the defined path coming off Arenig Fawr.
Route Statistics: 17.5kms with 920m of height gain done is 6 hours. Slow as it was very slow going in places.
GPX files: For gpx files go to the Peakbagger website by following these links and go to the bottom right hand of the page and click ‘Download this GPS track as a GPX file.’
Ascent Entry on Peakbagger: Arenig Fawr
Route overview using ViewRanger. Alternative suggested route outlined.
Car park at the start and the views up Moel Llyfnant and Arenig South Top/Ridge.
Views up Arenig Fawr, the WW2 memorial to a crashed US Flying Fortress at the top and the hut at Arenig Reservoir.