North Berwyn Way

Peaks: Pen Creigiau'r Barcud, Moel Fferna, Vivod Mountain
Area: Berwyn
An excellent point to point run over remote terrain from Corwen to Llangollen. We left early in the morning, to find the hills above Llangollen clagged in but the hills further west clear - the result of the perfect eastern airflow which is leading to great conditions in the western fringes of the UK. The route crosses the A5 then gives a nice flat warm-up along the banks of the Dee - very pretty on an early May morning - to Cynwyd. From here, the route climbs steadily but never too steeply through Cynwyd forest towards the most remote parts of the Berwyn (indeed, much of the route was new to me although I have been up the hills before). Jez and I kept a decent pace going throughout and detoured to the top of Pen Creigiau'r Barcud - an obscure spot indeed - before rejoining the main, very runnable path towards Bwlch Cynwyd. Atmospheric conditions here, as the moist, misty air from the east hit the clearer air to the west. We ran to the top of Fferna in shifting mists, then it was into damp clag for the rest of the trip - heading east above the Ceiriog forest to Vivod (last visited during the Ceiriog Canter race). From Vivod, it is all downhill in a direct line to Llangollen, finishing with the very steep bridleway from Ffynnon Las. Less than 2.5 hours car-to-car: this would make an excellent loop combined with the Dee Valley Way, ideal ultra training. Refuelled stylishly with dosas and Keralan curry.