Hike report - 2005

Having discovered Wales we just could not stay away.

This year our main goal was to climb the Aran Peaks and efforts were made to find a B&B within the vicinity. Unfortunately the closest we could get was Betws-y-Coed so on the Thursday evening seven of us assembled at The Ferns, our chosen accommodation for the weekend.

Friday

In the morning we discovered that John was not well. He was suffering from Labyrinthitis, an imbalance of the inner ear that makes the sufferer seasick without moving. Despite this he was keen to hike, so we all set of on the long journey south.

However, John continued to be sick on route and after a few stops we decided to travel no further. We stopped in Ganllwyd, at the picnic spot where the Afon Gamlon goes under the A470 as it passes through Coed y Brenin Forest.

Rather than drive anywhere else we quickly planned a rough route through the forest, which started by following the track north behind the buildings. It was not long though before we turned west and tried to follow the paths as they weaved through the trees. It was raining and, as usual, Malcolm had the added protection of his brolly.

As we got closer to the river we made our way towards the bridge, where we stopped for a damp lunch.  As we continued on the track in a south-westerly direction Graham decided to make a quick detour to see the waterfalls. It was not too long though before he had rejoined us and we continued until the path emerged at the edge of the trees.  From here we went north hugging the edge of the forest until we reached the river again.

Although we spent a little while looking for a suitable crossing point it was obvious that wherever we chose it was going to be a bit of a struggled. The crossing was in fact the highlight of the day – there were at least three channels to navigate that involved balancing on wet and slippery rocks. As each of us took it in turn the others provided a chorus of encouragement, catcalls and laughter. Once on the other side we were surprised to discover that the trees to the north and west had been newly felled.

We cut across country and picked up the track, which we followed east past our lunchtime stop and all the way back to the car park.

It was difficult to comprehend how wet and cold we were – the almost continuous rain had defeated our waterproofs and our boots were soaking from underfoot conditions. Back at the B&B the owner kindly took our boots, stuffed with newspaper, and our waterproofs to ensure that they dried properly overnight.

The evening was spent at the Glen Aber, a hotel down the road, where we played darts and had a drink in a back room before returning to the main bar for something to eat. Upon noticing that there was also a restaurant, and remembering the last time our hike clashed with the St Valentine’s weekend, we booked a table for the Saturday night.

Saturday

On Saturday morning John was very dehydrated and decided that he would stay at the B&B for the day.

The rest of us set off out of town on the A5 and parked at a campsite at Gwern Gof Isaf. We had planned an 11km (8 mile) hike that was to include a couple of stiff climbs.

Upon leaving the cars we walked back to the road and up to a track about half a mile away.

Here we turned north and started the steady climb, first along the track, then the path and finally across country towards the summit of Pen Llithrig y Wrach.

On the way we first encountered a leat (an artificial water channel) that takes water from the Afon Llugwy across to the main Llyn Cowlyd reservoir.

And secondly, a very strong wind that was blowing sleet into our faces.

At the top the wind was so strong that we had difficulty standing up to get a good view of the reservoir below us.

We moved on to the west and on the way down to the col stopped for lunch. Mainly because of the wind Geoff decided to try out his new mountaineer shelter – it certainly got warm inside and kept out the wind.

After lunch we climbed the 200 meters to the summit of Pen yr Helgi Du and, after a short respite, commenced our descent to the south. Malcolm who was well in front kept on going down to the road, whilst the rest of us followed the leat round to the track that came out almost opposite the car park.

We piled into the cars and drove up to the farm to pay in the honesty box before returning to the B&B. John was feeling much better and able to join us for our evening meal.

There was some kind of motorbike rally in Betws-y-Coed that weekend and the town was full of bikers. The restaurant wasn’t too busy, but a nearby table enlightened the evening meal with a party of mainly women from Conwy.

Sunday

We had originally planned to stop off and walk somewhere around Lantysilio Mountain but the weather was cold and we didn’t leave the B&B very early.

Instead we stopped at Berwyn and walked about 1km to Valle Crusis Abbey. The evocative ruins of this Abbey, founded in the 13th century lie in green fields beneath Llangollen’s steep sided mountains. It is an ideal location for the austere Cistercian monks who deliberately sought out wild and lonely places.

We walked about 1km up the footpath and had a look around. It then started to snow and we took the shortest route back to the cars.

We drove down the A5 looking, not only for a suitable place for lunch, but also a garage that sold LPG so Howard could fill his car. We thought we had found somewhere to eat when Graham spotted a pub sign on the outskirts of Chirk. Unfortunately it was being demolished. We continued into Chirk and ended up at the Staunton House, where we had a drink and a Sunday roast with some of the thinnest slices of beef we had ever seen.

After lunch we successfully found Howard’s fuel and then made our way home.

Note: Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is a mixture of propane and butane. When used as a vehicle fuel it is often referred to as autogas. The simple chemical make up of the gases ensures that they are clean burning.