free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Today was yet another one of those days where I picked up some of those stragglers on the mission to complete all of the Hewitts that Wales had to offer.
Reading up on the reports, I decided that a massive cheat would be required to avoid the 3 mile walk back along a very busy and narrow A470 so I make no apologies for cheating!
The walk involves me parking just outside of Dinas Mawddwy and getting a local taxi up to the top of the pass saving the potential for being run over with the advantage of shaving 500 feet off the total ascent for the day. In the words of the DoE instructor met later in the day - initiative is not cheating!
So on to the walk itself, below is the GPX route that was 'broadly' followed. Mainly the routes gleaned off WH with a few tweaks.
The ascent of Cribin Fawr is fairly obvious from the car park, with the track tending to the right of the fence, zig-zagging up to the main flattish traverse to the top. Views of the main Aran ridge, Arenigs, Rhinogs and Cadair Idris improve with every step and then the main Northern Snowdonia peaks were visible.
The flattish top of Cribin Fawr was a surprisingly dry place to traverse and a joy in the sunshine. Ignoring the later stile for the Maesglase ridge route, it was on to Waun Oer. Despite a cursory look at the contours of the map denoting it was a quick down, up and down again, this pass was far steeper than expected and the pull up to the summit of Waun Oer was a short but energetic few minutes!
Back down to the pass and 90% back up Cribin Fawr there is a stile that takes you to a path which for a half mile is a magical mystery tour of peat hags. Thankfully semi frozen today, the route goes up and over some semi-exposed cliff edges on the undulating ridge to Maesglase. This route was the best part of the day which sadly came to an anti-climax at the broad dull top of Maesglese.
From the top there's a path shown on the map that descends carefully from the top. Ignoring this completely I decided to descend on vertical moss for best part of 1000 foot. One of them comedy descents that you look back at the bottom and see an expertly graded path going back and forth - oh well
From the decent of this cliff/path it was all sensible farm paths back to Dinas with some nice views back to the more interesting parts of Maesglae (ie not the top!)
Overall, a far superior day than expected, no doubt helped by the super conditions. Well recommend a (very expensive) taxi to travel up the road.