23º in Wales in March!

by Steve Griffith

I was due to open up and warden Dolgoch YH the weekend before Easter. Considering the unusually cold weather I loaded up with winter clothes expecting the worst. Norman our editor forsook his blue pencil or whatever the electronic equivalent is to join me.

Saturday morning looked good as we he headed towards Tregaron. Despite being tarmac the Tregaron-Abergwesyn road is still very tough and we sweated up from the Towy. Swooping down to Nant-y-Maen we noticed that although the red phone box was still there the payphone had been disconnected due to low usage. Lets hope they leave the box, as it is a very important landmark.

On rough roads we headed north and through Nant-y-Maen farm. The plan was to follow the valley across the watershed and come out above Blaencaron YH. By now it was hot. A couple of hundred yards past the farm we turned due west through a gate. Despite the heat there were several boggy bits, which took time to get through. Essentially we were following the north bank of the Camddwr. Around Bryn Cosyn we picked up the source of the Groes Fawr.

Contrary to the map we found it far better at the cairns 744595 to head NW and cross the river further up heading for the remains of a stone building. That way we avoided the worst of the bog and rough grass. From here it was a pleasant drop down to the Blaencaron road, pausing for some RSJ photos at the ford the sunny day providing great views towards Cardigan Bay.

Sitting in the heat in Tregaron (23 degrees according to Norman's thermometer) we decided this track was best done the way described otherwise it is a very long slog up from Blaencaron. The afternoon was spent returning to the hostel via the road at a leisurely pace Assault on Drygarn Fawr.

Sunday dawned bright Norman was due to return home so I decided to tackle Drygarn Fawr at 641metres the highest hill in this part of Wales. Apart from the view the big attraction is the two 4-metre beehive shaped Cairns on the summit that are the landmarks on the somewhat featureless plateau.

Up the back of the Devils Staircase which has just had extensive resurfacing and 'improvements' down to Abergwesyn, then left past the former Grouse Inn. The route I was keen to try started on the edge of the village, turning left by a pillar-box and immediately right through a new wooden gate I was in the Gwesyn valley. Socks and shoes off for the short but awkward ford and they continuing on the excellent track up to the farmhouse at Trysgol. The valley had opened up and with numerous waterfalls it was a sheer delight in the sun. Turning directly north the path continued on the east side and was by now too narrow to ride. At 863562 there is a series of impressive waterfalls and a superb view south. It is also the point at which the track ends.

Some mild scrambling which would have been difficult without walking shoes brought me to Cefn Nant-y-ffrwdd. I was on a plateau, a trackless waste with the cairns of Drygarn some 2 miles directly north. The going was slow until at about 869570 I was able to pick up a sheep's track and contour around the flank of Bryn Mawr. It still took more than an hour do do those two miles as from time to time detours had to be made to avoid bog. The last section involves some more scrambling up to the rocky outcrop, which is the summit.

This is a magical place where extensive views can be had north to Cadir Idris, east to Radnor forest and south towards the Black Mountains. Nearer you can see the Elan valley. It is a region in many ways featureless with no sign of human habitation. It must be one of the most remote summits in Wales.

Just as I was relaxing and examining the recently re-built cairns - there are two, about 500 metres apart - the sky sudden darkened and I could see rain clouds blowing in from the east. Time to get moving this sudden change emphasised the sinister nature of the place. From the trig. point I headed southwest quickly picking up the obvious but boggy track to a ford on the upper reaches of the Gwesyn and over the Llethr from where the forestry came into view. I could see the forest road, which would take me back to the bottom of the Devils Staircase.

From experience I did not cross the Nant-y-Fedw as per the map but headed for the edge of the forest where a gate took me straight on to my first piece of riding for 2 hours!!

Back at the hostel over a cup of tea I reflected on the day. Despite conditions being exceptionally dry, parts of the route were very boggy and I would say in wetter conditions could be potentially very dangerous. The big problem is in the event of poor visibility the lack of any landmarks and the dangerous nature of some of the bog! However, suitably equipped, the rewards are huge and despite being Sunday, once off road I didn't see anyone else.

Map OS 147

Steve Griffith (Finchley, London)