Area: Cwm Penmachno, Eryri
Another idea I have had in the back of my mind for some time, and as I was tired after recent mileage, and with a vicious wind likely, today seemed a good opportunity to head across to the ancestral home for an attempt to link the surrounding hills into a logical round. It was a brilliant outing, hard in places, but it definitely needs a little refinement as sections of it could be made even better and more challenging/logical. I parked in Penmachno itself, and took the Ty Mawr road which forks off to the north after a mile or so. A steep tarmac climb leads to the unmarked turn on to a boggy bridleway which leads via Bwlch y Groes to Dolwyddelan. I assume this is an ancient crossing point but now much of it is in conifer forest with multiple deep bogs slowing progress. At the bwlch, great views to a snowy Siabod, with the side peak of Drosgol nearby. I cut through the conifers to gain surprisingly comfortable terrain which I assumed lead towards Y Ro Wen. It did, and in fact I picked up a comfortable track towards the top which led to the summit. This has a surprisingly commodious wind shelter for such an obscure peak. Sadly, it did little to mitigate a vicious north-westerly which cut into me continually throughout this section. In response, I ducked down to the Machno side but was then surprised to find a path which led round the conifers of Cwm Penanmen to gain open ground below Foel Fras. Cwm Penanmen, above Dolwyddelan, is well-known for Carreg Alltrem and its little collection of excellent rock climbs. The weather was closing in a little, with sleet and low cloud. I ploughed up the front of Foel Fras to its unmarked summit, then came the worst part of the day - tussocks and bog along the plateau towards Llyn Bowydd and Cwt y Bugail. The latter is the sight of the most remote slate quarry of all, where taid worked in (I assume) the 1930s. It is at least 500m up, exposed to the full force of the westerly wind. It was an essential part of the 'round', as was Manod Mawr, which dominates the head of the valley. So I trudged dutifully up its steep slopes to the summit. Mist, snow, wind: no place to linger. The terrain down to Rhiw Bach quarry (another of taid's workplaces - visited with dad a few years ago) is complex, so I took a weaving line down to the winding house. I then had the opportunity to join the marked slate trail down to Cwm, but rejected this for a contouring line up to Moel Marchyria, fixated on the skyline. This was predictably pathless - very arduous until a track is gained. Very steep ground then leads to the lonely road up to Migneint. Down this to Carrog and Beniarth, before a 5k road jog back to Penmachno - 24k, 1300m. This needs refining to include Moel Penanmen, Llyn Conwy and Pen y Bedw: then it will be the full tour, industrial heritage and landscape combined.
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