Saturday 27 September 2008 Carneddau circuit from Cwm Eigau
The weekend provided an extension of a run of fine weather experienced for much of September. Very promising conditions for a walk over some of the highest ridges in North Wales. It was a fine and scenic motorcycle ride up to Dolgellau, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Betws y Coed, travelling on the back road towards Conwy before taking the high road from Tal y Bont to the parking area at the end of the road to the redundant hydro-electric dam of Llyn Eigau.

Cwm Eigiau  

View towards Pen yr Helgi Du 

The initial walk was easy along the track to the breached concrete containment walls of the reservoir, over the bridge and onwards along the trackway to the quarries above Hafod y rhiw, remarkably still inhabited. The old mine buildings and patterns of old enclosures added a sense of dereliction to the Cwm nestled below the crags of Carnedd Llewelyn and its satellites. At the quarry, struck directly uphill over heathland and blanket bog to gain the ridge below Pen Llithrig y wrâch and the steep but straightforward push to the summit. Flushed six red grouse in the heathland section.
The descent to Bwlch Trimarchog was straightforward, descending dry, mat grass until the ridge narrowed to a craggy, eroded narrowing. This would take on an reasonable alpine character under decent winter conditions but today presented only a series of slightly airy steps. The ridge to Pen yr Helgi Du offered some sport by scrambling up the craggy crest of the ridge, giving some excellent short rock steps to negotiate. Similar mixed obstacles lay beyond but the ridge to Carnedd Llewelyn soon rounded off for a general pull to the summit. I broke this section by opting for a break on the rocky edge overlooking Cwm Eigiau, spotting a Peregrine falcon cut across the cwm and over the ridge below me as I enjoyed some food but mainly juice, having built up a thirst in the sun and heat. Scanning the cwm I also noticed the tell tale reflection of water gauging equipment on the stream below the small lake, most likely operated by colleagues at Environment Centre Wales, Bangor.

West to Tryfan, Glyders ridge and Snowdon from Carnedd Llewelyn

Yr Elen

 Soon reached the busy summit of Carnedd Llywellyn after the break and moved on quickly across the plateau to overlook the ridge to Yr Elen, deciding to walk out and back along this spur off the main ridge. The rewards were fine views of the crag fringed cwm of Ffynnon Caseg. Reaching Yr Elen there were fine silhouettes back towards the Glyders to Elidir Fawr ridge. There were several parties negotiating this route but merit goes to the lady who had just arrived direct from Bathesda following a relentless ascent, including the lower level expanse of mire! Retracing steps and halting for some photographs I moved onto the broad shoulder of the ridge to Foel Grach and the rock pile of Garnedd Uchaf before heading down to the trio of tops, Bera Bach, Drosgl and Bera Mawr. Ravens flew up and around the crags and several pipits and wheatears were active over this section of high ground, making the most of the late spell of finer weather. There were also several groups of ponies grazing high up on the hills alongside the more familiar sheep. Just short of these craggy tops, a hill fog blew in and this shrouded the hills for most of the rest of the higher level route. Dropped out of the fog by opting for a direct line to Llwytmor descending some way before crossing Afon Goch and pulling back the height to the summit of this indistinct top.

Ponies on slopes of Foel Grach

Ridge approaching Bera Bach
Began to feel the effects of dehydration and the accumulated ascents in my legs on the walk to the top of Foel fras and having run out of time, now 5 pm, decided to turn off the main ridge to descend the slopes east of Craig y Dulyn. Aimed to intercept the track running from the bothy at Melyllyn where it turned to cross the ridge over to the start of the walk. This was a fine area of half abandoned farmland and enclosures with much wetland, heath and shrub encroaching on the former heavily grazed land.

Ffridd on southern flank of Pen y Castell
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 Photo credits: P. Dennis