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On an oppressively grey day, a peaceful stroll on generally easy paths through green valley countryside to the bleak high Berwyn moors.
From the pretty village of Llandrillo, a broad vehicle-track climbs gently for the best part of four quick miles up to the col by the Wayfarer memorial, first through farmland and then after bridging the Afon Llynor into wilder terrain. It’s a short and easy detour from there up the fence to the summit of Pen Bwlch Llandrillo top / Moel yr Henfaes. Hard to think that - had the Hewitt measurers missed it - anyone would have thought this little out-of-the-way rise a ‘mountain’ worth visiting, but it’s a pleasant enough spot with rocky crops on top, and the treads are clear enough to show that plenty do so now. Interesting, and quite cheering, to learn from a glance through the visitor book at the memorial that those climbing to this point are at least as often prone to teenage ‘exuberance’ as sober reflection...
- Dee valley ascending from Llandrillo
- Cadair Bronwen
- Track to Pen Bwlch Llandrillo
- Cadair Bronwen from Pen Bwlch Llandrillo top
- The Wayfarer Memorial stone
After a long stretch on the easy track, the climb up the ridge to Cadair Bronwen is, frankly, straight through a wide bog. The path tends to pick a pretty decent way through, but it is rather a full-concentration slog until the very top slopes firm up - not really the nicest mile or so, especially with stormy skies restricting the views. This is quite a steep peak for the area, but doesn’t really have the dramatic cliffs and mountainous demeanour of Cadair Berwyn just down the ridge – very much the little sister.
- View back down ascent path across Llynor valley
- Cadair Berwyn & Cadair Bronwen
- Cwm Llawenog
- Arans in the stormy distance from Cadair Bronwen
The going is easy again from Cadair Bronwen onwards, with a very gratifying duckboard ‘path’ bridging the wetter parts on the southern descent – this is clearly much more walked than the northern approach. From the bwlch a surprisingly clear and well-used track, on firm grass and stone throughout, heads across Moel Pearce and through the lower hills back to Llandrillo – easy if undramatic going through pleasant half-cultivated country.
- Path down to Moel Pearce
- Moel yr Henfaes
- Trum y Wern
- Pen Bwlch Llandrillo top
- Dee valley across Coed y Glyn
- Track down towards Llandrillo
Nothing spectacular about this route – and a bit of a challenge to find a way to illustrate it... – but a decent enough few hours of airy hill-walking.