Ramblers Routes Ramblers Routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Wales Wales 05 Tywyn, Gwynedd 06 Craig-y-Nos, Brecon Beacons 13/11/2015 16:12 l Distance 13km/8 miles l Time 4hrs l Type Valley l Distance 7km/4¼ miles l Time 2½hrs l Type Wood and country NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAVIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine winter 2015 winter magazine walk walk magazine winter 2015 winter magazine walk Plan your walk Plan your walk Harlech l POWYS GWYNEDD TYWYN CRAIG-Y-NOS l l Aberystwyth Swansea Cardiff l Bridgwater l l Cardigan WHERE Circular walk from WHERE Circular walk from Tywyn along the Dysynni Craig-y-Nos. PHOTOGRAPHY: FIONA BARLTROP PHOTOGRAPHY: Valley to Bryncrug and back. START/END Craig-y-Nos car STEVE MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHY: START/END Tywyn seafront; park (SN839155). The seaside resort of Tywyn lies on for runners follows the route of For many ramblers, the peaks of lower-level counterpoint to the free parking alongside the TERRAIN Low-level tracks the Cardigan Bay coast just outside the railway as far as is practicable. the Brecon Beacons are the big peaks that overlook you. promenade (SH577005). and paths through woods the southern end of Snowdonia You’ll walk a stretch of it on the draw of the national park. But Incidentally, Craig-y-Nos is said to TERRAIN Virtually level walk and grasslands. National Park. It makes an return leg of this walk – enjoy it part of the Beacons also form be haunted, so look out for Patti’s along riverbank path, field MAPS OS Explorer OL12; excellent base for a variety of hill, at leisure! the Fforest Fawr Geopark, a ghost warbling in the grounds... paths and short stretches Landranger 160. coast and valley walks. Nearby designation that highlights the on roads. GETTING THERE For drivers, Cadair Idris and the lesser known 1. START The walk follows the landscape and human geography 1. START Leave the car park via MAPS OS Explorer OL23; the park is located near Tarren Hills provide a wealth of Wales Coast Path initially, heading of a region, and this walk gives the fish pond, bearing R to cross Landranger 135. Pen-y-cae on the A4067. Bus good hill walks, while the Wales northwards along the promenade. a close-up look at the striking the river bridge. Turn L to walk GETTING THERE Tywyn is on service 63 runs between Coast Path, which runs through After about 500m, turn R up some geology that underpins the park. upstream, past an electric mix of Arriva Trains Wales’ scenic Swansea and Brecon past the town, can be followed in steps and along a road. Cross the It begins in the lush grounds of woodland, where Scots pines rub Cambrian Coast line with the entrance (www.nat either direction. This walk, railway line and turn L along the Craig-y-Nos Country Park, a shoulders with alders and maples connections to Swansea, group.co.uk). however, explores the lovely road, following the route of the Victorian pleasure ground laid out (Patti would sniff the scents here Shrewsbury, Chester and EATING & DRINKING Dysynni Valley. The River Dysynni line. After another 500m or so, when the opera diva Adelina Patti Birmingham (www.arriva Changing Seasons Tearooms to clear her voice before a flows south-west from the turn R along a footpath (rough reigned supreme at the adjacent trainswales.co.uk). There are by the car park (✆ 01639 performance). Just before the next western end of Tal-y-llyn Lake, track), then L, also along a rough castle. Leaving the park behind, buses from Dolgellau and 731498). bridge, bear R uphill briefly, go then veers north-west to cut track, to reach a footbridge with the route explores the limestone Machynlleth to Tywyn (www. SLEEPING Craig-y-Nos through a gate and turn L. Follow through the hills, before resuming stiles on either end. Until the quarries, brickworks and remains traveline.cymru). The Talyllyn Castle (✆ 01639 730725, the bridleway up to Pwllcoediog its original direction down an construction of the footbridge of the village of Penwyllt. The Railway steam trains run up www.craigynoscastle.com) Farm. Sidle past the barking dogs ever-widening valley towards across the mouth of the Dysynni route criss-crosses the Beacons the valley from Tywyn to just has double rooms and (safely penned in) and turn R Cardigan Bay, reaching the sea just just south of Tonfanau, the Wales Way, and if you’re walking the beyond Abergynolwyn breakfast from £123. between the stonewashed barns. north of Tywyn. A parallel valley, Coast Path had to make a whole route from east to west, as (www.talyllyn.co.uk). VISITOR INFORMATION the Fathew, joins the Dysynni near considerable detour inland, convention dictates, you’ll pass EATING & DRINKING Choice www.breconbeacons.org; 2. Climb over two stiles in quick Bryncrug. The steam trains of the following the route of this walk to through here on day five. This, of places to eat in Tywyn, www.breconbeaconspark succession and walk diagonally famous Talyllyn Railway – which Bryncrug, so you may still see Coast though, is a worthwhile including Salt Marsh Kitchen society.org; www.fforest across the field, heading for a recently celebrated its 150th Path waymarks along the way. stand-alone route, and with a high bistro (✆ 01654 711949, www. fawrgeopark.org.uk. stile in the far R-hand corner anniversary – run up this valley. Although the official footpath point of just 380m/1,247ft, is for GUIDEBOOK The Land of ▲ saltmarshkitchen.co.uk) and ▲ (SN849161). Keep climbing steeply The annual Race the Train event bears R on the far side of the ▼ the most part an easier-going, ▼ and diagonally uphill in the next P45-46_WALK49_RR_.REV3 .indd 45 P45-4_WALK49_RR_.REV2 .indd4 Created withMemory-Map.©Crowncopyright2015OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/15 Created withMemory-Map.©Crowncopyright2015OrdnanceSurveyMedia048/15 Continued... Continued... the Beacons Way by Dilys Dolly’s café ( 01654 712448); Harlow (£7.95, South Wales Peniarth Arms at Bryncrug 3 Geologists’ Association, (01654 288096, www. ISBN 978 0903222020). facebook.com/Peniartharms). 2 LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUPS For more places to eat, visit Penarth (penarthramblers. www.visit-tywyn.co.uk/eating. wordpress.com); Merthyr SLEEPING There’s a good 2 Valley (www.merthyrramblers. choice of B&Bs in Tywyn, org.uk); Powys Ramblers including Preswylfa Guest (www.powysramblers.org.uk). House ( 01654 710005, 4 3 www.preswylfa.net). Self-catering accommodation field to another stile in the top 1 4 in the area includes Maes y R-hand corner (SN850158). The Wennol ( 01654 782674, views to the west and north START 6 FINISH www.caderidrisholiday.co.uk), are tremendous, with the an excellent base in the escarpments of Fan Hir and Fan 5 Dysynni Valley. For a full Brycheiniog and other outliers selection, see www.visit- slowly emerging. Follow a grassy tywyn.co.uk/places-to-stay. 1 path through a narrow aisle of VISITOR INFORMATION woodland onto open ground. START Barmouth Information FINISH Follow the path across a field to Centre, Station Road a stile and keep on the path as it ( 01341 280787); winds down to a road. Turn L www.visit-tywyn.co.uk; uphill past Maes y Crug house and To download this route and hundreds of others, www.visitwales.co.uk. To download this route and hundreds of others, a postbox, to reach the former visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes GUIDEBOOKS Local Walks visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes Penwyllt railway station, part of Around Tywyn by Des the old Neath to Brecon railway. Marshall (£4.95, Kittiwake, through the old silica brickworks, 6. Turn sharp R through the first ISBN 978 1902302645); long history. Over the centuries, 3. Turn R along the main road 3. Turn R and walk along the now aiming for a bridge. of two gates, and after 60m, bear Pathfinder Guides: it was owned by two families (pavement) and L along the B4405 grassy railway line. After 200m, L along a sometimes indistinct Snowdonia – Walks by Terry with almost identical names, (also pavement) and take the next fork L towards the quarry 5. At the bridge, cross above the track by a field wall, which drops Marsh (£11.99, Crimson, though unrelated: the Corbets R, then R again. Head south along workers’ cottages and cross a old railway and immediately turn down to Pen-y-Pant house and ISBN 978 1780590738). then the Corbetts. The former the quiet country lane to the minor paved road to the kissing R along the fence line to a kissing the road. Turn L down the road LOCAL RAMBLERS GROUP were responsible for draining Talyllyn Railway line at Cynfal Halt. gate. Go ahead to enter Ogof gate, then follow the path along and after 40m take the bridleway Meirionnydd Ramblers much of the morfa or salt marsh Ffynnon Ddu National Nature the railway line. After 80m, when R. This is a beautiful sunken path, ( 01766 540572, www. between the town and the 4. Turn R to follow the footpath Reserve. The name translates level with the trees and cottages, full of ferns and mixed woodland. meirionnyddramblers.org.uk). Dysynni River. Though the house alongside the railway line to enchantingly as ‘The Cave of the turn L down a narrow but clear Keep going all the way downhill no longer exists, a dovecote still Hendy Halt, where you leave the Black Spring’, in reference to the grassy path to cross a ditch. until you meet a bend in a road. stands in the grounds. During line, bearing R via Hendy Farm footbridge you can maintain 300m-deep caves that have been On the L is the old Pen-y-Foel Bear R along the road, go past the Second World War, to a road.