The Llech Ddu Spur: Secret Snowdonia at Its Best

Home , Carneddau, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn, Drum (Wales), Foel Grach, Snowdon

ROUTE 3 JULY 2017 Snowdonia 18km/11 miles 8 hours

ROUTE STATS Strenuousness lllll Navigation lllll Technicality lllll Welsh 3000ers 3 Trail 100s 2

The Llech Ddu spur: secret Snowdonia at its best.

The Llech Ddu Spur BEN WINSTON A remote and challenging way into the Carneddau, followed by a grand high- level traverse and quiet descent off. This day will test a range of mountain skills, says Kate Worthington.

his is a fabulous second highest peak Snowdonia Along Cefn Ysgolion Duon, (defined by relative Carnedd Dafydd summit mountain day. It height) to Snowdon. T beyond. has a bit of everything we After stretching the love about this legendary legs on a longer than landscape: a feeling of average walk-in, the remote quietness, northern cwms of navigating through Carnedd Dafydd are mountainous terrain, enticing and complex rugged rock to scramble – needing some careful through, high mountain route finding to the spot plateau, notable summits where walkers can and descent routes that access the Llech Ddu will still pose route Spur. A concise but finding choices to hone enjoyable Grade 1 your skills! And it’s a good scramble route then long day – best for dry ascends onto the flanks conditions with some extended daylight. (born in 1172) and his son Dafydd of Carnedd Dafydd’s summit and beyond. Travel across two summits named after ap Llywelyn. What better journey to take in 2017 – a year ancient Welsh princes of Gwynedd, ‘Carnedd’ in Welsh means ‘Cairn’, with described by Visit Wales as the ‘Year of thought by many to be Llywelyn the Great Carnedd Llewelyn being Snowdonia’s Legends‘…

JULY 2017 TRAIL 107 Thurso

ISLE OF LEWIS

HARRIS Lairg Ullapool

ISLE OF SKYE Inverness

Portree Shiel Bridge Aviemore Inverie Aberdeen Mallaig Invergarry Braemar

Fort William

MULL Oban

JURA Glasgow Edinburgh

ISLAY Berwick-upon-Tweed

ISLE OF ARRAN Ayr Jedburgh

Ballantrae Dumfries Newcastle Newton Stewart Londonderry -upon-Tyne Always take a map ROUTE 3 Stranraer Carlisle out with you on the hill JULY 2017 Donegal Belfast SnowdoniaKeswick Penrith Middlesbrough 18km/11 miles 8 hours Windermere Kendal Northallerton Ingleton Bentham via the shapely and rocky summit area can provide SH626662York A good SH665635 Onwards Lancaster ROUTE STATS Skipt1on option is to start 4 is now a mix of ridgeline of Bwlch excellent shelter - a here Leedin Bethesdas – which classic Grade 1 Cyfryw - drum. reminder of how high and is accessible by bus or scrambling terrain, with exposed the Carneddau Dublin Liverpool Manchester Rhyl SH683643 The plateau is to the weather. Conway from numerous car blocky boulders to 6 Bodelwyddan parkingShe options,eld avoiding clamber around and up. broad, stony The descent from here is needing to park on (and There is evidence of traffic Carnedd Llewelyn summit generally west, following Betws-y-Coed Llangollen impede) narrow lanes on the rocks to help with feels lofty for sure, with a broad spur down higherDerby up in Gerlan. Take route-finding, but this excellent views back to (initially with some rocks, Barmouth 15 mins or so to walk route is not as popular as Snowdon and to the but mostly grassy Dingle Tralee Peterborough Aberystwyth Birmingham Waterford using lanes and paths east other scrambling classics continuing Carneddau thereafter). At SH678659 Killarney Distance 18km and south-east towards – take care of loose rocks. range to the north. head north-west towards Cork Cardigan Hay-on-Wye Keeping steep ground to a sheep fold marked on OS Kenmare (11 miles) ‘Gwernydd’ as marked on A slanting, flat slab can be Total ascentBr 1268mecon Glouceanst OSer 1:25k map and on bypassed to the left on your right, head north and 1:25k maps at SH674663. then north-north-east to Here, look for a suitable Time 8 hours towardsOxfor ‘Waterd Works’ at approach if needed. Enjoy Pembroke SH638656. some time on rock here, pick up a stony path, stream crossing point Start/finish Bethesda Swansea with some exposure at weaving through to access easier angled High Street (notCa rdi Bristol SH641656 At a gate times on a high ridgeline. boulders, that descends at terrain on its northern Gerlan village lanes) 2 marked ‘Access Above 950m you’ll find an easy angle towards side. (SH626662) Minehead Land’, the path leaves yourself on slightly easier Foel Grach. After the Nearest town Bethesda Southampton farmland onto more Brighton stony plateau The journey to Terrain Farmland,Exeter steep openPoole ground. 8 SH647666 takes you rocky terrain/Grade A very good on a mix of pathless grass Bodmin 1 scrambling,Plymouth high path and sections of visible mountain plateau, open now track, becoming more grassy slopes 8 Maps OS Explorer (1:25,000) OL17; OS Landranger (1:50,000) 115; Harvey Snowdonia 1 9 North (1:25,000) Accommodation Caban 7 Cysgu (Bunkhouse) – Gerlan (01248) 605573 takes Public transport you S6 – Snowdon Sherpa easily 2 Express Motors 01286 south-east, 881108 into the quiet cwms of Carnedd Guidebooks North Wales Dafydd and Cwmglas Scrambles by Garry Bach. This section is about Smith, pb Northern Edge 6 3km/up to an hour’s walk, terrain, Books so admire the solitude! a mix of Tourist info Ogwen Take a break before boulders, grass Cottage, Llyn Ogwen, ascending south west and some scree. LL57 3LZ (01248) 600954 again, now off path and Head more easily up Best café Caffi Seren, among increasingly in a south-west 3 4 High Street, Bethesda, bouldery terrain. direction once LL57 3AR you’ve reached a SH663635 Careful break of slope at 3 route-finding and 1000m. 5 keeping track of your location will be needed SH663630 There’s here, especially in low 5 a good wind shelter visibility. A scant path is cairn at the Carnedd defined below 450m, sometimes visible but you Dafydd summit. Now you of Carnedd as you pass a large ruin of are now looking for a have a good track heading Llewelyn, the grass walls/settlement at ramp in the steep grass/ east towards Carnedd underfoot will be pleasant SH658668. rocks around you that Llewelyn, keeping the en route as you reach the wide area between the ascends up towards the steep ground of Ysgolion SH630663 The route two peaks, Gwaun y spur, to the east of this Duon (the Black Ladders 9 takes you through Garnedd. location. On breaking onto area) to your left. Note the end of Open Access the spur itself, you should your direction at Land, back on to paths and SH688658 Foel come across some veins SH678632 and ensure lanes through Gerlan. 7 Grach summit. On a of quartz rock as an you’re heading in a Keep on to Bethesda High poor weather day, the Use your best route- identifying feature on the north-east direction Street for a well-earned small bothy located finding skills on this! ridge. Take care on steep towards Carnedd drink! grass when wet. Llewelyn’s summit slopes, north-east just under the

GET THIS ROUTE GRADIENT ON YOUR PHONE! PROFILE Start Carnedd Dafydd Carnedd Llewelyn Foel Grach Finish LFTO.COM/ 1400 1200 TRAILROUTES METRES 1000 In association with ABOVE 800 SEA 600 LEVEL 400 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 200

108 TRAIL JULY 2017