of the moor.
Carry on circling the hill with the intake wall always on your right. The aim is to stay above the intake wall always following the moorland edge.
When the track reaches another pass in the ridge, turn left through this to quickly arrive at the tiny tarn of Llyn y Wrach. Pass this on its right-hand side and follow the path down a shallow valley to reach the power lines followed on the outward leg. Turn right and follow them back to the car.
WALK 2
Aber Falls and the Northern Carneddau
| Start/Finish | Bont Newydd, Abergwyngregyn SH 662 720 |
| Distance | 20km (12½ miles) |
| Total ascent | 1020m (3350ft) |
| Grade | Strenuous |
| Time | 7hr |
| Terrain | Mainly good paths with a couple of trackless and boggy sections |
| Map | OS OL17 Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa |
| Access | Abergwyngregyn is reached by the A55 from Bangor to Conwy: follow signs from the village to Aber Falls |
| Parking | Pay and display parking at Bont Newydd |
| Note | The Northern Carneddau are even less trodden than the southern summits in the group. This walk covers consistently high ground, much of it on largely featureless slopes which demand good navigation in mist. |
Aber Falls are deservedly popular with visitors to the North Wales coast. The combination of easy access and a spectacular waterfall where the Afon Goch plunges 37m (120ft) down the rock face proves an irresistible combination, but the broad smooth path to the falls should not fool walkers into thinking this is going to be a stroll. Once the falls are left behind the atmosphere changes dramatically and it becomes a taxing expedition.
From the bridge turn right opposite a little cottage into an overspill car park and picnic area, following signs to the falls. The path winds up through a pleasant wooded valley on a wide, firm track. There is a slightly rougher diversion through the woods, but with so much walking ahead it seems a little early to go looking for trouble.
The sleek white ribbon of Aber Falls
Either path eventually brings you the Aber Falls, a sleek white ribbon running down the face. It feels a little early for a stop but this is a sight to be savoured. When you have admired the falls enough take a footbridge across the stream and carry on up the path beyond as it contours round to reach Rhaeadr bach (‘the small falls’). It’s a shame to encounter these falls second, as without the presence of their larger companion just round the corner they would feel rather more impressive.
About 100 metres or so further down the path by a small tree on the left hand side take a narrow path through the bracken up to the fence line, which is followed rightwards to a small stile giving onto the open hillside. Follow the track diagonally rightwards to cross the stream and continue up the slope. There is no point pretending this next section is anything but toil as the path plays hide and seek in the bracken appearing and then vanishing only to re-emerge 30 metres higher up so wide that you cannot imagine how you lost it. Eventually the angle relents and the path becomes clearer as it delivers you onto the often-soggy col between Moel Wnion and Drosgl.
Carry on across it to reach a path between the two hills and turn left to begin the climb up Drosgl. As the ground begins to slope upwards a vehicle track, the best you have seen for well over an hour, appears. However, this is no walkers’ route and visits none of the summits. To do that you have to forsake the track and climb the open slopes.
The rounded, grassy summit of Drosgl holds a last minute surprise, a vast mound of stones which is said to be a Bronze Age burial cairn. Certainly it represents a huge effort on someone’s part.
From the summit, looking eastwards, the twin rocky tors of Bera Mawr and Bera Bach are visible across a shallow depression. The shapely cone of Bera Bach is our next objective: it is soon reached, and proves to be a shattered pyramid. From it carry on over the largely pathless jumble of boulders interspersed with broad stretches of grass where your only companions are likely to be sheep and the semi-wild mountain ponies which roam here. The next target is another rocky knoll, Yr Aryg, at the top of the next slope, which is passed on its right to press on to the next pile of stones on top of Carnedd Uchaf, which has recently undergone a double promotion, having been elevated by a re-survey to the Welsh 3000ft club and given a second name, Carnedd Gwenllian.
The new name Gwenllian commemorates the daughter of Llewelyn, the last Prince of Wales. Her mother, who is commemorated in the name of Yr Elen, died in childbirth and shortly afterwards her father was killed in battle and her uncle Dafydd captured and executed. King Edward I of England saw his chance to snuff out the Welsh royal line and imprisoned her in convents for the rest of her days. The elevation of the peak to a separate 3000ft summit (as shown on the latest maps) has caused controversy among long distance walkers and fell runners since it has added an extra top to the long-established classic round of the Welsh 3000s, playing havoc with the record books.
From here everything is about to change once more. As you leave the summit rocks you quickly reach the main north-south path which traverses the spine of the Carneddau. Here things become a little busier and the paths easier to follow although the day’s work is far from over as you press on along the rocky track to Foel-fras, at 942m (3089ft) the highest point of the day.
From here there is a long grassy descent and climb northwards to Drum, with its summit cairn safely tucked away behind the fence. Following the main track would eventually bring you back to Pont Newydd but instead, from the summit, cross the path and head off down the steep grass slope aiming for the access track of Llyn Anafon directly below. There is the faintest of green paths which I have sometimes stumbled across and sometimes not: it is so vague that I suspect it moves about over time and down the years I have learned to treat its occasional appearances as something of a bonus rather than anything to be expected.
Ponies on descent from Drum
At the end of a fairly long day this beautiful, lonely valley is a delight to walk with the going underfoot easy and all navigation problems at an end: admire the views of the heather-covered hillside and enjoy the company of the mountain ponies grazing beside the lively stream which emerges from the reservoir, until the track reaches the road which is followed back to the car park.
WALK 3
Cwm Eigiau Horseshoe
| Start/Finish | Parking area in Cwm Eigiau SH 733 664 |
| Distance | 16km (10 miles) |
| Total ascent | 1075m (3525ft) |
| Grade | Strenuous |
| Time | 6–7hr |
| Terrain | Untracked hillside, steep ridges and tracks; brief easy scramble |
| Map | OS OL17 Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa |
| Access | Take the B5106 to Tal-y-Bont in the Conwy Valley and turn left on an unmarked lane 100 metres south of the Y Bedol pub (note: this is not the road next to the pub signed to Llanbedr-y-Cennin). The single track road leads steeply uphill and at a junction carry straight on. The road, which has several gates, ends after a little over 5km (3 miles) at a small parking area by a locked gate. |
| Parking | By the locked gate |
| Note | Leaving Foel Grach involves crossing an untracked and featureless hillside aiming for a grass track. It would be very easy to go wrong here so the walk is best avoided in bad visibility or if there is a likelihood of low cloud. |
Although they contain a cluster of summits over
