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On an absolutely beautiful day under a blazing sun, mixed walking among apparently little-visited hills.
It feels a little unusual to start a Welsh mountain walk on a main road, parked opposite a Co-Op in the middle of a town, but it's only a few minutes before you're back in the wilderness, first through the deserted stepped landscape of the slate quarry and then on the broad moors leading to Moel Penamnen. The route here is a lot less confusing than you might fear from the map - a very clearly waymarked path leads through the best part of the quarry and then (after rudely ignoring the 'turn back now' sign!) it's a short climb over the crest of the hill into the marshy flat plain heading for Moel Penamnen in the distance. The hill itself is something of an oasis - a pleasingly steep and grassy rise with good views north, but in between a very wet tramp to and (especially - the route back to Manod Mawr is horribly boggy, even after a dry spell) from it...
- Track through Maen-offeren quarry
- Over Maen-offeren quarry to Blaenau Ffestiniog
- Moel Penamnen
- Moel Siabod from Moel Penamnen
- Manod Mawr from Moel Penamnen
- Moel Farlwyd over Llynau Barlwyd
- Snowdon from Moel Penamnen
Once on the slopes of Manod Mawr though, life perks up considerably. There's a good climb up to the north top with its stony, almost pavemented summit area, and then after a quick tramp down the quarry road, with views of the ravaged faces of the mountain, an especially pleasant climb over grassy rises and little boulders to the main peak and its rock furniture. Although almost no-one on this site seems to have been there, Manod Mawr (I guess because a short and easy climb from a town centre, on a glorious day) was much the busiest mountain I've seen for many months, and it's hard to recommend highly enough. As long as you don't mind the closeness of the quarry workings, the route up (or down, this day) from Blaenau is terrific and the top an interesting place with great views.
- Snowdon and Moel Penamnen (R) over Llyns Bowydd & Newydd
- Manod Mawr from north top
- Moel Penamnen & Moel Siabod from Manod Mawr North Top
- Manod Mawr North Top scarred south face
- Moelwyns from Manod Mawr
- Snowdon from Manod Mawr
- Moel Siabod behind Moel Penamnen & the north top from Manod Mawr
- Over Blaenau Ffestiniog from Manod Mawr
- Moelwyns from descent of Manod Mawr
Great stuff.
On the other hand, took in the short climb up Foel Cwm Sian Llwyd on the way back...
Heathery. Pretty wet too. Very tough. OK views (but nothing you won't see better from elsewhere). Really not much fun. Maybe there's a nice route to devise that takes it in, but it's hard to envisage. One for 'baggers' to do once and once only then (and to think twice about even that, there are limits...). The best that can be said is that - if you hurtle back down the direct route - it only takes 45 minutes. But you'll never get them back!
- Foel Cwm Sian Llwyd
- The evidence! Foel Cwm Sian Llwyd summit
- Berwyns from ruin north of Foel Cwm Sian Llwyd