More Dinas Mawddwy – Cwm Cywarch Skyline

Another hot day – I set off early for the short drive into Cwm Cywarch for a bit more Hewitt bagging.

First of all, I was stunned by the sheer beauty of Cwm Cywarch. Not only does it have a car park at the head of the dale, but its got an honesty box with donations going to the local air ambulance. I have no problem at all with making a reasonably hefty donation to this. In fact, I feel much better about it than adding to the fat coffers of United Utilities at Thirlmere with their stupid seven quid (SEVEN QUID!) parking charge. And, of course, with all this making me feel much better about stuff, the actual landscape is beautiful beyond words – all green and craggy and quiet and just scintillatingly superb in every kind of way. I don’t feel jealous of the people who live around here and have this stuff handily to..er…..hand. Oh no.

 

I set off to find the track to Gesail farm and, having passed this, entered into bracken and horsefly land. This is because I stupidly tried to follow the right of way marked on the map instead of the more obvious forestry-style road which zig-zags it’s way quite cleverly up the steep hillside. Eventually, after sweating much sweat and swearing many rude swears, I joined the road thingy at a bit higher than 300 metres. After that, it all went swimmingly and I soon found myself on the ridge with a quick and easy bag of Y Gribin – a 600 metre Dewey with cracking views (everything had cracking views today by the way, so I might not mention this again)

The path up to Glasgwm starts off steeply but soon slackens off to a reasonable plod and not too long later, after being mugged by ever increasing numbers of clegs, I discovered Llyn y Fign – a beautiful and deep tarn at something above 760 metres and a superb spot for a high-summer camp with a bit of wild swimming thrown-in. (I use the term thrown-in figuratively, although it does appear to be fairly deep) And so, I bagged Glasgwm and it’s little outlying and unclassified top just over there ---> with the fine view of  Maesglase and Cadair Idris and other  stuff. The RAF, meanwhile , did their stuff….

The descent from Glasgwm is fairly steep and it was here that I met a couple fighting their way uphill and thanking  my good judgement in resisting the extremely strong urge that I’d had by the summit cairn to throw off my clothes for a dip in Llyn y Fign – an action which would have put me some distance from my kecks at round about the time of this couple’s arrival. (It was very very hot today). My wearing of large amounts of Ultrathon deet could well have had a poor effect on whatever life there was in the little tarn as well, which is another good reason not to do this kind of thing….   But Llyn y Fign IS a very nice place to camp (I I would have thought). Maybe I should be a bit braver about this sort of thing….

There followed much bog. This went on over the next summit – Waun Camddur and for a significant way up tick #3 – Gwaun y Llwyni – a top with a drop – a big one, down the other side, and which comes as a bit of a surprise after the last hour or so of moorland walking. A good place for lunch, though.

I dripped and swore my way up the big slope up on to Drws Bach – a very fine mountain spot, sporting a large cairn in memorial to Michael Aspain, a  mountain rescuer who was killed by lightening close to this spot in 1960. The cairn is on the edge of a huge and steep drop down into the main Corrie – an impressive place for a sit and a bit of a contemplate. You wouldn’t want to be here in a thunderstorm by the way….

I descended over Drysgol and bagged a little boggy Nuttal Gwaun Lydan (hardly worth the effort after all this mountain stuff) and sidled off sweatily to the final top – Pen yr Allt Uchaf – a fine and narrow(ish) ridge with a stupidly steep descent to the Aran Fawddwy ridge path where I discovered that it was even hotter down here than “up top”

And so, another three Hewitts and some Nuttals were bagged. The walk is 10 miles and 3700 feet and you could include Aran Fawddwy for an extra thrill on not-such-a-hot-day or for those with excess energy. It was far enough for me anyway.

Down in Cwm Cywarch it was 28 degrees and two lasses were sitting in the beck. This, it would appear, was a really good idea. I returned to a frazzled campsite.

Here’s a map. Use the car park!