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I had previously decided to divide the Berwyn range into four sections, reserving the three peaks on the main ridge for a fine day. A few days earlier I had climbed Mynydd Tarw and Foel Wen from Tyn-y-ffridd to the south. On this cold and blustery day I had chosen to park in Cynwyd (in the layby as you enter the village from the east) and tackle Moel Fferna and Moel yr Henfaes. I will say now, the ridge walk was wet, very wet and not the most fun I have ever had!
However, the good news is that the route up is good, and the route down is excellent. I headed east out of the village centre on the minor road bearing left after 2km on a signposted path known, I believe, as the Berwyn Way. This continues to rise gradually through an open section before heading into a second forest. It is probably not a good idea to go in there due to significant fallen tree debris. I had a quick look at the chaos confronting me 50 meters in, turned around and did what most people do and headed up the open side of the hill and followed what became a decent tread skirting the forest.
Now, it’s very important at this point to make sure that you pick up the main path again and follow the Berwyn Way to the ridge. Do not be tempted to follow a minor track which appears to be heading for the summit. Basically, you will end up doing what I did and encounter knee high heather with wet sections. The main path is a bit over to the right and heads towards the west of the summit. Once you reach the 560 contour which is the ridge, turn left along a good path heading up to the top of Moel Fferna which is well marked with low stone shelters.
Although this was a very windy and occasionally wet April afternoon, the route westwards following the fence across to Moel yr Henfaes was very clear and involved crossing two lesser tops, so there is some up and down on a very minor wet path to be coped with at this point. It was so wet that I made the basic error of attempting to hop on to a board strategically placed across a particularly boggy section, only to find it was floating in two feet of water. I spent the next two minutes rolling around in heather attempting to wash the mud off my tracksters and waterproof. I really did not enjoy this section; it didn’t help that the 25mph winds were now blowing in hailstorms. It took me more than an hour to navigate the 2.7 miles from the first summit to the second and it was a relief to finally cross the fence to a small cairn marking the 621-metre top of Henfaes.
On a good day I may have been tempted by the high Berwyn ridge looming impressively to the southwest. Indeed, I had originally considered the full ridge crossing using the T3 bus service to reduce the return mileage. However, the nature of the terrain and the fact that Fferna is a bit of an outlier meant that a two summit walk and a return direct to Cynwyd was now proving an excellent plan. So, I retraced my steps back to the fence and followed it down to pick up an excellent stone track at the memorial stone. I actually set off the wrong way down the path for 200 metres before a proper sense of direction kicked-in. But once I had regained my senses, the four miles down to the village became rather pleasant. Indeed, the sun broke through, the temperature rose, and the views to the west were superb.
I chose to continue bearing right until the track becomes metalled just 300 metres before the B road which then leaves a half mile back through the village to the car.
I finally got my muddy self back after five hours of quite hard work, that was about an hour longer than I was expecting. It was a sort of entertaining trip due to the diversity of the three sections and don’t be put off by the rather unattractive route between the two tops. The up and down are both good experiences as long as you stick to the paths but probably best not risk the top forest on the way up Fferna.
