Touching the Moel: 5, 6 April 2004

Day 1: the Moelwyns, above Ffestiniog

Another wonderful two days walking in Snowdonia, this time with my best mate Judith, and organised again by Del Davies of Wild Wales. 

Judith and I stayed at Ty Gwyn at Betws-y-Coed, and Del and Sally came over on Sunday evening to share a beer and plan the two days. The weather didn't look brilliant, so Del suggested that the next day we head to Blaenau Ffestiniog and the Moelwyns. 

Sure enough, on Monday morning there was a steady drizzle, so it was on with the waterproofs, with Judith in her voluminous royal blue overtrousers. Blaenau Ffestiniog has the sad feel of an industrial town now forgotten - full of slate quarrymen's cottages, it had a deserted air on a chilly April morning. Del's cunning plan was to park by the cafe so that post-walk refreshment was close at hand. He pointed out on the map the route we were starting off on, and we headed up the road then up past the waterfall just below Craig yr Wrysgan.

Lovely for a swim in the summer but not in April

Here we met the only other walker we saw until the end of the walk - a man out with his Border collie, who was hiding for his master behind a rock. Then we followed the course of the stream up until we turned left to follow under the ridge along the hill.

Del and Judith head up towards the course of the railway

The rain was coming down more heavily now, so Del found a sheltered spot under the ridge for us to regroup.

Then we forged upwards to hit the vertical track of the railway that took the slate down to the valley. The track headed through the rock and we slipped and scrambled through the tunnel.

Looking down from the mouth of the tunnel to Tanygrisiau reservoir, with the rail track running straight down to the road at the bottom of the valley

Del at the entrance to the railway tunnel

...and out the other end

We came out to a mass of abandoned cable and pulleys, and quarry buildings all missing their roofs, which would have been stripped of any useful slate. These places always make me think what an incredibly tough life it must have been. 

Looking down over the slate tips and deserted quarry buildings

Del said there were plans to reclaim a lot of the slate from the tips, so maybe this landscape will be changing again. We had a nose round the old buildings, and Del spotted the old wheel house. Then we headed upwards again, past Llyn y Wrygan - a little lake set high in the hill. 

The rain hadn't stopped, so Del took us into one of the quarry caverns. We walked through a short tunnel then into a great underground space lit by the original quarry shaft high above.

Looking up through the shaft dug to get at the slate below

Then on through another tunnel to another cavern, and another...I dug out my head torch to add a bit of extra light in the tunnels. In the caverns it was warm, and Del said that the ambient temperature stayed the same, year round. This was a wonderful bit of the walk - without Del's local knowledge, I would never have strayed this far into the hill. The tunnels go on and on, burrowing deep into the mountainside, and the same families would have worked one cavern for its slate for 20 or 30 years. In the walls, there were great metal hooks, driven deep to support the loads of slate on to the wagons. Ferns have now colonised some of the lighter caverns.

Judith and Del at the back of a cavern

By now, it was time for some refreshment, and Del whipped out the QT with a wonderful added extra: some whisky from his hip flask. This made the QT not only bearable but delicious...a very worrying state of affairs. We were ready to get back outside...

Moelwyn Mawr with its head in the cloud

Del and Judith on the old miner's track

For the next bit of the walk, we followed the old quarrymen's track round the hills - a lovely route, and easy to pick out. There is something about the colours of slate, the acid green of the grass and russet bracken that is better than almost anywhere else...but then I'm biased. Del pointed out the chirrup of the ring ouzel - otherwise know as the mountain blackbird.

Some way ahead was Moelwyn Bach, the first of our summits for today. 

Del with Moelwyn Bach looming

After a while we left the path and headed straight up towards the summit. This was a very tough walk, and had me gasping as we clambered up to the top. 

Someone got there before me...

The wind hit us at the summit, so I was down on my hands and knees to take this shot of the view looking north from the top...the wind may have been ferocious but the view was stunning.

A wonderful view over to the estuary

The wind was charging over the top of the summit, and there was a minute or so of tough walking til we dropped down a little on the right hand side of Moelwyn Bach, heading for its big brother.

Looking back at Moelwyn Bach from the side of Moelwyn Mawr

This side of the mountain was a bit more sheltered, and it was a lovely walk along the shoulder of the hill. Then up very steeply again, and back to the rain and wind to get to the summit of Moelwyn Mawr.

Judith and me on the ridge at the top

Del proves that mobile phones work at this height...

At the trig point, Del's phone rang, but he reported that reception was perfect...The top was in and out of the cloud, and we headed down (and up) along the ridge, back towards Moelwyn Bach to sneak downwards. It was looking brighter below us, and there were wonderful views down towards Ffestiniog.

Looking back along the ridge

Over the ridge, looking down to Llyn Stwlan reservoir

Del led us up along the ridge, and kept promising that it would soon be downhill...

Looking back to Moelwyn Bach

Then we came to a ridge face of quartz - Del had picked up some rose quartz crystals earlier in the walk which now sit on my study desk.

Del at the quartz face

The quartz was very white after the blue of the slate. From here, it really was downhill, with some little scrambles through the hillside.

Looking back up to the quartz ridge on the left hand side near the top

After the scramble down, we hit the path again, and the sun came out. 

Heading down - Moelwyn Bach is ahead of us

Looking down on the reservoir from an interesting rock outcrop on the ridge

Then it was an easy walk down past the reservoir, following beside the road. And we saw the only other group of walkers, very near the roadside. We joined the road, which meandered back down to the cafe. 

We climbed that! The view from the road

Del's plan paid off - we headed for the cafe and a welcome cup of tea. Del risked a rock hard scone, but munched through it with no problem.

A wonderful day, and even though the weather came and went, the wind was strong enough to keep the rainy spells short. Del reckoned the route was around 10 miles, and with climbs to 770 metres, we earned our supper.

Day 2: Moel Saibod