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  8km/5 miles Distance miles 8km/5  p and The Capital Walkand The Capital by www.visitwales.com). ( Pontypridd Museum & TIC php?Pub=Cayo). www.cardiffpubs.co.uk/Pub. Cardiff ( ✆ 029 2039 1910, Inn (see above); Cayo Arms, www.gwaelodinn.co.uk). ( Gwaelod-y-Garth Inn Landranger 171. steep or boggy sections. waymarked and some stiles with paths, and unsurfaced (ST124832).station and overGarth Hill. Garth the village of Gwaelod-y- Taffs Well station, throughrail co.uk). www.arrivatrainswales. minutes ( ✆ trains from Cardiff take 20 Gui Visitor Visitor s Maps: t s Where: e Getti NG Bridgend ✆ ✆ lan your walk leepi NG tart/ ati 2 errai N 01443 490748, 01443 029 2081 0408, D l level 2 N NG ebooks: A magazine Aberdare OS Explorer 151; v GLAMORGAN

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and the River Taff over a bridge. (ST124832) and cross the A4050 1. Ancient Monuments. which arecairns, all Scheduled feet are Bronze Age burial the Brecon At Beacons. your are the Taff Ely wind farm and other landmarks; and northwards Millennium Stadium and Cardiff’s makecan Coch, the out Castell day. Across the Taff Gorge, you Channel to Devon on a clear reach right across the Bristol there are 360-degree views that Hill, land at the summit of Garth Mountain . From the open access Went Up a Hill But Came Down novel inspired Christopher Monger’s dwellers, the peak that and visits excursionperfect for fleeing city- hill-walkthis short makes a fromtransport central Cardiff, byEasily accessible public

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route be quite can boggy and the hedge. This nextof section you to the footpath on the L side of yard directing is a wooden post, 4. reach Lan Farm (ST112846). through the woodland, until you Continue following this route uphill waymarked and metal gate. stile track behind a house. Ahead is hairpin bend, then turn R up a mud Follow the road until you get to the Gwaelod-y-Garth Inn (ST115939). village and turnbefore L just the 3. the Garth’ in Welsh). (whoseGarth name means ‘foot of towards the village of Gwaelod-y- Follow the pavement then turn R turn R when you reach Main Road. 2. Hill if youGarth look to your R. You enjoy can excellent views of Go straight ahead through the Continue along the footpath and At the far edge of the farm’s

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  15½km/9½ miles miles Distance 15½km/9½  p 422409/07876 084523). there’s Derek’s Taxis ( ✆ 01341 respectively,the estuary or of and south sides north X94 and 28 serve the Buses Reduced Sunday service. www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk). 6061Station ( ✆ 0845 660, trains arrive at Barmouth (SH612158). station Welsh ale at the George III in reward yourself with a pint of mawddach.com). For drink, ( Mawddach in Llanelltyd Bwyty www.dylanwad.co.uk) or 422870, ( ✆ 01341 in Dolgellau arein the vicinity Dylanwad Da Arguably restaurants the best Landranger 124. raining. been woodland if it’s paths slippery become on boggy and stones can surfaced road. parts Some woodland and the occasional Barmouth to Taicynhaeaf. e Getti NG Maps: t start/ Where: 01341 424020,✆ 01341 www. 2/3 lan your walk ati errai N Aberystwyth Harlech MAWDDACH NG magazine level 2/3 N EST OS Explorer 18 & 23; A e &

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▲ Time 5-6hrs level 2 F ITNESS PhotograPhy: aLaMy of wealthy are industrialists visible trekking to church. The mansions wagons and the feet of the faithful, smooth by of mine the passage underfoot havestones been worn deposits; and quartz manganese spent off gold mines, veins of along the way:points fenced- in the veryat many landscape is inscribed An industrial history and Harlech. Dolgellau Barmouth, ‘carriage roads’ that once linked to the valley floor, along the follows a gentle sloping descent Bwlch y Llan (Church Pass), then at of the start, 4km/2½ miles of the walk is reached within beyond point The highest it. Idris (2,930ft/893m)Cadair rising Mawddach to the south, with and the river of Barmouth, resort above the Victorian seaside estuary, side of its northern rich Rhinogydd hills on the walk are formed by the ore- of this varied The boundaries l

Type Coastal, mountain and valleyCoastal, Street Take and turn R. the (SH612158) head for the High From Barmouth Railway station whose steep streets the walk starts. cottages of the old town, among commune for the poor in stone to create an experimental socialist stayed here – the latter attempted Shelley, and Ruskin Darwin all the RomanticWordsworth, poets. something of a tourist mecca for as a fishing village but became Welsh Abermawddach life – started English version of the original S 1. of ruralWales. North walls, drystone so integral a part is spelled out in the matrix of other short-lived industries and agriculture’s over victory still graze however, the hills, and cattle Sheep quarries. and mossed-overlines slate looking down on disused railway in the woods on the south estuary,

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1 5 START START FINISH 2 Follow the route until you reach reach until you the route Follow For your descent, follow the the descent, your follow For 4 (ST103835) and enjoy the views. and enjoy (ST103835) 7. taking footpath, Walk Ridgeway on the steep sections. care The bend and the has a hairpin route is below the gorge over view particularly good (ST112836). 8. L and then turn road, a tarmaced back downwards the road follow the village, past into the Gwaelod- steps your retrace Inn, to y-Garth station. the rail back to Parry Claire by devised Route 3 Total distance of walk (km) of walk distance Total 3 2 4 1 8 0 7

100 6 300 200 Steepness of walk Elevation (m) Elevation at gate the waymarked Beyond 5 an open field, aiming slightly uphill an open field, aiming slightly uphill field stile. In the next the next for of the hill then the brow aim for the R side of stone wall follow stile see a waymarked till you L up the grassy Turn (ST104844). a rusty along a gate, through road, on small bank and a line of trees a field which R, your and through in it. grazing livestock have may 6. the end of this field is open access on the ground a track land. Follow a mound with trig point to R on your (307m/1,007ft) /

029 2062 2062 029

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al 029 2075 2464, www. 2464, 2075 029 ✆ At a wooded field, follow the the field, follow a wooded At lo C group ( Tiger cardifframblers.org.uk); ( ✆ Ramblers Bay www.tigerbay 8892, ramblers.org.uk). Cardiff Ramblers, detailing Ramblers, Cardiff detailing around countryside walks to download free are Cardiff, www.cardifframblers.org.uk; from Walks Leisure Cardiff: Around Crimson (£6.99, Ages All for Publishing, ISBN 9780711730052). Continued... is not clearly visible on the ground, is not clearly visible on the ground, stiles point the but waymarked direction. – all in a westerly way 5. stile on the L into waymarked next 15 15.5 FINISH 14 5 13

12 11 4 10 OS Landranger Map not to scale.Map not to 9 Representation of Representation MAP 124, 1:50,000 MAP 124, 8 An incline leads through fields An incline leads through www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk and past fenced-off mineshafts.At and past fenced-off a stilethe L and to cross the top, the pass. A sign for over continue the start marks of a farm Gell Fawr Mynach Cwm climb to downward dogs on a Keep Valley). (Monks’ path lead as this is a permissive of the RSPB’s until the oak woods Coed Garthunderfoot Gell reserve; used in gold lies another track going until the mining. Keep at junction with the main road (SH689191). Taicynhaeaf and Jacky by devised Route O’Hanlon Graham footpath sign on the R; skirt farm sign on the R; skirt farm footpath a buildings, L then R across turning a gate uphill toward Strike stream. and down in the field corner, of the the workings through goldmine. Cross Vigra former the river the bridge, keeping over L, hit a your until you to and walk 250m, then it for following road, and L at a footpath, L onto turn the first fork. 5. 7 6 5 Total distance of walk (km) of walk distance Total 3 4 3 2 1 2

1 0

100 300 200 Steepness of walk START START Elevation (m) Elevation milestone A weathered Follow the path L down the the path L down Follow and onto the headland looking and onto Harlech and Penrhyn over down a small stream R, cross Keep Llyˆn. Bwlch over R off the track and turn y Llan (SH621175). 3. Age hillside, passing Bronze standing stonesArthur Cerrig your Overcoming (SH631188). small they disappointment at how track. a well-made L on to fork are, or so a kilometre the crossroads At further L at the start along, glance that road’ ‘carriage of the winter to take used to of yore travellers with wishing well Harlech, complete R through but turn (SH637201), passing floor, the valley fields to the R, to and carrywoods on up the other side of the valley. 4. the junction marks with (SH655202) Harlech, to the summer route the L. the hills to winding up into a surfaced reach on until you Walk as a as far it down following road, Ordnance Survey mapping © Crown copyright. AM34/08 /

01341 280787); 01341 280787); ✆ The Mawddach : The Mawddach There is a range is a range There nformation: nformation: i rambler S area Meirionnydd Ramblers Ramblers : Meirionnydd

is available as a printed as a printed is available al itor S uidebook At a sign commemorating Dinas a sign commemorating At Sleeping: Vi S group g lo C Penmaenpool ( ✆ 01341 422525,Penmaenpool at www.georgethethird.co.uk), bridgethe other end of toll Taicynhaeaf. from of accommodation available available of accommodation in Barmouth and Dolgellau, the for but ideally placed Coed Cae are Way Mawddach ( ✆ 01341 B&B in Taicynhaeaf 996983, 430628/07909 and Graig www.coedcae.co.uk) in Arthog near Dolgellau Wen ( ✆ 01341 250482, www.graigwen.co.uk). Barmouth TIC ( 01341 247693, www.ramblers. ( ✆ 01341 247693, org.uk/areas_groups.htm). Dolgellau TIC ( ✆ 01341 422888, www.discoverdolgellau.com). Way booklet or e-book from www.mawddachway.co.uk/ mawddach-way-guide.html Barmouth & Walk (£9.99/£4.99); Estuary David by the Mawddach Press, Kittiwake Berry (£4.95, ISBN13 9781902302218). Continued... passage opposite St David’s Church, Church, St David’s passage opposite the R into the steps up to following climbing Keep proper. the old town the ‘mountain signs for R and follow with open ground, out into walk’ the town. over views panoramic 2. the first land Oleu (SH615157), bear the National Trust, to donated drystonethrough walls R, following and past gate the a wooden Grave the Frenchman’s to entrance Auguste reformer (SH616157), who cameBarmouth to Guyard, persecution. from seeking refuge twice forks the footpath Where bear L each time, striking uphill past the Barmouth Slabs, the onto leading through minor road what was and onto Farm Gellfawr a manganese to the road once the clearly marked mine. Follow the R, to up the hill around footpath