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Hewitts: Elidir Fawr, Carnedd y Filiast.
Date: 27/08/2017.
Distance: 9km.
Ascent: 710m.
Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.
Weather: Sunny, breezy.
My first full day back in Wales, and I'd spent the morning catching up with a friend in Conwy. After a late lunch, he had to go and mow the grass or some other mundane task, and I suddenly had time on my hands (and my dad's car - can never be bothered to drive mine all the way down from Inverness). The weather was good, so after calling in at Bethesda for some last minute shopping, I drove up through Mynydd Llandegai and round to the road-head above Dinorwig.
There is actually a tarmac road all the way up to 630m here to access the top lake of the Elidir pumped-storage hydro electric scheme (a distant cousin of the one under Ben Cruachan), but it has a locked gate on it at about 365m. Still, a handy high starting point which allows easy access to some high summits. One of the closest hill starting points to Anglesey as well, so this circuit featured often when time was short or conditions were poor.
Elidir Fach from the reservoir road No such poor conditions today. After a speedy start up the tarmac road, I soon cut onto the grassy slopes of Elidir Fach. This was an easy dry ascent leading to the plateau-like area to the NW of the main Elidir Fawr summit ridge. Great views all around.
SW corner of Anglesey 
Towards Moel Wynion and NE tip of Anglesey 
Llyn Marchlyn Mawr from Elidir Fach 
Elidir Fawr from Elidir Fach 
Elidir Fawr summit cone Due to the pumped storage scheme and the sheer amount of slate quarrying on the Llanberis face of the mountain, Elidir Fawr isn't particularly highly regarded among the Welsh 3000ers. It still has a great summit ridge and some interesting crags though (as well as great views of the Cwm Glas face of Snowdon/Crib y Ddysgl), and this route takes in the best of it.
Crib Goch and Snowdon 
West to Moel Eilio and Nantlle hills 
Crib Goch and Crib y Ddysgl. Moel Hebog to the right The summit was a mere hour from the car, so I carried on further in search of somewhere to have a break. Passing a couple of fellrunners, I wandered along the grassy but narrow ridge behind Llyn Marchlyn Mawr, from where good views to Ogwen and Tryfan begin to appear.
Summit of Elidir Fawr 
West from the summit 
Llyn Marchlyn Bach 
Both lakes from Elidir 
Tryfan and Glyder Fach over Foel Goch 
Llyn Marchlyn Mawr and Mynydd Perfedd 
Carnedd Dafydd and Pen yr Ole Wen It's an easy grassy ascent onto Mynydd Perfedd, which is another grassy plateau. One of the best features of this (and the twin summit of Carnedd y Filiast) is Atlantic Slab, a perfectly angled cliff face dropping off into Nant Ffrancon.
Crib Goch from Mynydd Perfedd 
Tryfan and Llyn Ogwen 
Pen yr Ole Wen 
Atlantic Slab on Carnedd y Filiast 
West 
Atlantic Slab again 
Nant Ffrancon from Carnedd y Ffiliast After a short break on the summit of Carnedd y Filiast, I descended to the north, before picking up a good path which led SW back to the Dam road.
Elidir Fawr and the Marchlyn dam 
Llyn Marchlyn Bach A short and easy circuit, and after spending so much time in Scotland, unbelievably dry underfoot - I went round in trainers and didn't encounter a single bit of bog!
