ROUTE 3 OCTOBER 2016 15km/9¼ miles 7 hours

Strenuousness lllll Navigation lllll Technicality lllll WelshROUTE 3000ers STATS 2

The view north-west from , from below the summit. KATE WORTHINGTON WORTHINGTON KATE Here’s a quiet round among bilberry and boulders on the back of the majestic , including two Welsh 3000ers, described by Kate Worthington.

cope out this adventure from the Crossing Afon Goch. identifiable paths you can make your very accessible Coedydd Aber going as direct or rambling as you like… SNational Nature Reserve, and you and take in as much of Bera Mawr’s fun won’t be disappointed. From a landscaped scrambling as time allows. Then turn your wooded trail to bilberry, heathers, attention to Carnedd Gwenllian’s and boulders and rough grass up high on the Foel-fras’ 3,000ft summits and you’ll be on remote plateau of the Carneddau, there is the familiar backbone of the Carneddau. variety and challenge in many guises! Once the trig point of Foel-fras has been You’ll do well not to be enticed into the touched, enjoy some very quiet time over wonderful native woodlands of Coedydd the summit of Llwytmor where you may Aber; but your eye will stray upwards, past see mountain ponies enjoying the breezy the impressive and on to the space amid the heathers, grasses, mosses steep slopes leading to Bera Mawr. This and lichens. There will always be bouldery walk delivers massively on clear-sky days. sections to keep you on your toes; and do Catch a rough path that wends it way save some energy for the steep, pathless through scree and up past Aber Falls descent back to Afon Goch and the familiar (NB: one vegetated, rocky diagonal step path back past Aber Falls. With some time requires attention) and break into a wilder and detective skills, you can also make valley with Bera Mawr’s jumbled heap of some detours to discover wreckage from a volcanic boulders above. Cross the Afon Blackburn Botha aircraft, which crashed Goch, and with a liberating lack of on Llwytmor in 1943. Go discover…

OCTOBER 2016 TRAIL 105 Thurso

ISLE OF LEWIS

HARRIS Lairg Ullapool

NORTH UIST ISLE OF SKYE Inverness

SOUTH UIST Portree Shiel Bridge CANNA Aviemore Aberdeen RUM Inverie EIGG Mallaig Invergarry Braemar Fort William COLL TIREE MULL Oban

JURA Glasgow Edinburgh

ISLAY Berwick-upon-Tweed

ISLE OF ARRAN Ayr Jedburgh

Ballantrae Dumfries Always take a ROUTE 3 Newcastle map out with Newton Stewart Londonderry -upon-Tyne Carlisle you on the hill OCTOBER 2016 StSnowdoniaranraer Donegal Belfast Keswick Penrith 15km/9¼ milesMidd l7esbro ughoursh Windermere Kendal Northallerton Ingleton Bentham SH662719York Parking SH680673 Follow Lancaster 1 Celebrating on Skipton at Bont Newydd, 5 easy ground to the Leeds Bera Mawr summit. follow well-marked tracks south-east to pick up a Dublin Liverpool Manchester Rhyl towards Aber Falls, taking few grassy sheep tracks Conway Bodelwyddan theSh ‘rough’effield path option at and an easy angle to Yr ROUTE INFO an obvious fork/wooden Aryg’s rocky summit – Betws-y-Coed Llangollen sign.Derby Go through forest worth a visit to take in the Barmouth then out onto open scree view back to both ‘Beras’. Dingle Tralee Peterborough Aberystwyth Birmingham Waterford to pick up a faint path This section is fairly easy Killarney and rocky step. walking in light winds, Cork Cardigan Hay-on-Wye Kenmare but in poor weather the Distance 15kmBrec on Gloucester (9¼ miles) SH673693 Follow a area can be very exposed, Oxford Pembroke 2 path alongside Afon Total ascent 1020m especially in a strong on Foel-fras – the SH689692 Now at Swansea Goch, past a settlement south-westerly gale! finishing point for ‘Welsh 8 Llwytmor’s summit, Time 7 hours Cardiff Bristol feature, and scope out a You’ll soon emerge onto 3000s’ challenges. make careful progress, Start/finish pay and Minehead suitable stream crossing Carnedd Gwenllian’s wide descending grass and display car park at Bont point Sohere.uthamp Fromton the summit top, with its SH696681 Again, boulders north-west from Newydd (SH662719) Brighton 7 Exeter Pstream,oole first head – a good viewpoint to check a bearing from the summit shelter (much Nearest town Bodmin north-west to avoid . Foel-fras for a north- welcomed on a windy Plymouth the steepest grass, to north-west descent day!). Head for the top of Terrain mixture of break out onto a wide, 6 SH687669 In poor to a grassy flattening a stream at 650m. From open, rough hillside, grassy shoulder. weather, take care between Foel-fras and here, if you’ve done your boulders to clamber to orientate correctly Llwytmor, and take care homework, you may be across, pathless terrain; 3 SH668691 From from Carnedd Gwenllian on the ankle-wrenching able to contour along to route-finding would the 570m contour and you’ll pick up a good boulders on the way SH683693 and hunt for need care in some and a distinct flattening track, running in a down. A very short and some aircraft wreckage. places in poor visibility on an otherwise north-east direction, sweet steeper climb up a You’ll find information Maps OS Explorer wide grassy towards Foel-fras grassy sheep track to the online if you’re keen to (1:25,000) OL17; ridgeline, – this section is pale rocks of Llwytmor do so: search ‘Llwytmor OS Landranger keep steady walking will leave you with a real wreckage’, for example. (1:50,000) 115; Harvey ascending and you’ll sense of achievement: Superwalker (1:25,000) the ridge, 1 make good four summit tops in one SH681696 From Snowdonia North generally progress day. Llwytmor marks a 9 the stream descend Accommodation south-east, towards striking ‘outpost’ on the grassy slopes/a few Aber Falls Lodge, and you’ll the trig northern Carneddau with boulders westerly , break into point a remote, quiet feeling. towards the sheepfolds (01248) 689182 Bera Mawr’s It’s lovely and airy on a marked at SH671695 rocky outcrops, Public transport clear day – and pretty alongside Afon Goch. which you Llanfairfechan is well- exposed and barren on a From the sheepfolds can avoid or served by Arriva poor-weather day! you’ll be able to pick up scramble over trains (03333) 211202 10 your original ascent path, at will. and the X5 Arriva bus via the rocky step by Aber service 0871 200 2233 Falls (it’s slightly easier SH674682 9 taking the lower band of Guidebooks Day Walks 4 In poor rock on descent). in Snowdonia by Tom visibility, as long Hutton, pb Vertebrate as you’re always 2 8 SH668703 Publishing ascending to the 3 10 Descend the Tourist info Coedydd higher rocks, you’ll soon familiar scree path Aber National Nature work your way to the but take a left turn Reserve 0300 065 3000 highest point marked as 4 7 here to descend a Best café Caffi Hen Bera Mawr’s summit at slightly different Felin, Abergwyngregyn 794m. Interestingly, path to the valley (01248) 689454 (Small Bera) is floor. From here you actually higher, at 807m! can quickly access a Some rocky outcrops on 5 viewpoint for Aber Bera Mawr’s summit have Falls, or return on a high drops beneath them, welcome flat and easy surprisingly – so take care 6 path towards your in wet weather. original start point. GET THIS ROUTE ON YOUR PHONE! GRADIENT In association with PROFILE Start Bera Mawr Carnedd Gwenllian Foel-fras Llwytmor Finish

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106 TRAIL OCTOBER 2016