#160 – A Carneddau Traverse – Ogwen to Conwy

Posted on 06/10/2014 by Paul Shorrock
The highpoint (literally) of the Carneddau Traverse – Carnedd Llewelyn, 1064 metres (3490 ft)

The highpoint (literally) of the Carneddau Traverse – Carnedd Llewelyn, 1064 metres (3490 ft)

The mountains of the Carneddau make up the largest land mass higher than 750 metres (about 2500ft) south of the Scottish border, and a crossing of the plateau in one trip makes for a big day out! It’s also a route that deserves the tag ‘Classic’. I had been putting this walk off for a couple of years, but the recent prolonged spell of good weather had removed the last excuse. The first problem, however, was getting there ….

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#159 – Horses and Dragons – The Northeast Ridge of Yr Elen

Posted on 22/09/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Yr Elen

Yr Elen

The route (clockwise) with Yr Elen, the aircrash site (1) and the site of the wreckage (2)

The route (clockwise) with Yr Elen, the aircrash site (1) and the site of the wreckage (2)

One of the highlights of my trip out the previous week (see post #158) had been a great view of Yr Elen in the afternoon light. Yr Elen looks like a ‘proper’ mountain, but doesn’t get too many visitors as it lies at the end of a spur, isolated from the main plateau. The light had picked out the Northeast Ridge, known as the ‘Dragon’s Teeth Ridge’, and before I got back to the car I had decided that this would be my next trip out.

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#158 – Back in the Carneddau

Posted on 08/09/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Carnedd Dafydd seen from the north

Carnedd Dafydd seen from the north

The route, including the location of the air-crash site

The route, including the location of the air-crash site

The mountains of the Carneddau in North Wales are a fairly recent obsession for me – when I first walked here, I started by checking out the main summits (as you do) then began exploring odd corners where people tend not to go. But sometimes I feel the need to stride off across the heights, and this was one of those days.

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#157 – Cyrn y Brain on the Ruabon Moors

Posted on 25/08/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Cyrn y Brain looking towards Moel y Faen and Llantysilio Mountain

Cyrn y Brain looking towards Moel y Faen and Llantysilio Mountain

Having a Border Collie means plenty of walking!  ‘Mist’ is a real mountain dog, happy on the high hills of Snowdonia, but unfortunately we can’t fit in a high level walk every day, so we often look for new ground nearer home.  Which is how we came across Cyrn y Brain on the Ruabon Moors of North Wales.

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#156 – Y Garn and Foel Goch in the Glyderau

Posted on 11/08/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Foel Goch from the High Level path above Nant Ffrancon

Foel Goch from the High Level path above Nant Ffrancon

Map showing my route, and the site of the aircrash of February 1945

Map showing my route, and the site of the aircrash of February 1945

After my recent Carneddau trip (see post #155) I had checked the map and realised that I had passed close to several aircraft crash sites on the route – most of these date back to WW2, when training flights sometimes ended in tragedy in the mountains of Snowdonia. This time I’d decided on a day out in the Glyderau, mainly to check out a path I had read about running below the slopes of Y Garn and Foel Goch. Whilst checking the route I came across the story of a flying accident in 1945 – a bit of history with the walk seemed like a good idea.

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#155 – The Southern Peaks of the Carneddau, North Wales

Posted on 28/07/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Carnedd Dafydd from Pen yr Ole Wen

Carnedd Dafydd from Pen yr Ole Wen

The route, travelling clockwise

The route, travelling clockwise

Back to the hills of the Carneddau this week. I tend to bang on a bit about these wild, deserted hills, and a day there never disappoints. My last trip there had been just a few weeks back (see Post #151) but I fancied a return trip to the south side of the range – the traverse of Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn, Craig yr Ysfa and Pen yr Helgi Du makes a good day out in anyone’s book, and I’ve posted about these hills before (see Posts #26 and #108)

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#154 – Cwm Glas – Peace and quiet on the busiest mountain in the UK

Posted on 14/07/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Cwm Glas route (in blue) and the other popular routes up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)

Cwm Glas route (in blue) and the other popular routes up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)

My route up Cwm Glas

My route up Cwm Glas

Of the 6 million visitors each year to the Snowdonia National Park, quite a few decide to walk up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).  Being the highest peak in Wales and England at 1085 metres (3560 ft) is one good reason, but the variety of routes up to the summit is also a factor. There are 6 named paths to the top – The PYG Track, The Miners Track, The Watkin Path, The Rhyd Ddu Path, The Snowdon Ranger Path and the Llanberis Path, all of them great routes apart from the last which is an unremitting slog whichever way you look at it!

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#153 – “Foot Mountain” – on foot!

Posted on 30/06/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Descending Mynydd Troed to the southeast

Descending Mynydd Troed to the southeast

Mynydd Troed – Between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains

Mynydd Troed – Between the Brecon Beacons and the Black Mountains

Our Mynydd Troed route

Our Mynydd Troed route

Living on the edge of the Clwydian Hills in North East Wales, with the glories of Snowdonia just an hours drive away, you might wonder that we bother going to other mountain areas in Wales. The thing is, the country is so hilly that a trip anywhere involves new mountain scenery, so a visit to friends in Mid-Wales usually turns up some new delight.

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#152 – A walk up ‘Big Mountain’

Posted on 16/06/2014 by Paul Shorrock
Approaching Mynydd Mawr by Foel Rudd

Approaching Mynydd Mawr by Foel Rudd

Welsh is a poetic language, and a language of poets. Names of mountains, valleys and lakes have a magical sound to English ears, and learning a little of the language opens a door towards understanding. A mountain name like “Slippery Hill of the Witch” (yes, it does exist – see post #77) demands some kind of attention, but how about Mynydd Mawr? Not much poetry there I’m afraid – it just means ‘Big Mountain’!

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#151 – Carneddau air-crash, Craig yr Ysfa

Posted on 01/06/2014 by Paul Shorrock
The walk in to Cwm Eigiau and Craig yr Ysfa

The walk in to Cwm Eigiau and Craig yr Ysfa

It was a strange kind of winter in North Wales this year. We ‘hardy mountain types’  🙂 like to get out to play in the snow, but the snow was erratic, never hanging around for long – when it did hang around, it was usually ‘blowing a hoolie’, and on one trip out I could barely stand upright. Then, one April day, the wind dropped.

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Posted in 5. North Wales, Aircrash Sites | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments