Weather: Sunny intervals (and no hint of the fog that the Met Office told me would persist all day)
Gamallt (SH 665 067; 288m)
Start Point: Car park in Abergynolwyn
Distance and ascent: 3.4km, 260m
I'd considered doing this as a circuit with Foel Cae'rberllan next door, but opted for two out-and-backs. This was the right decision as it allowed me to join Mick in the local cafe at lunchtime, before heading back out, however, there certainly would be merit in doing the circuit.
The downside of the out-and-back was that I had to tackle some awfully steep terrain (where the map makers could only fit two intermediate contour lines) in both directions. Fortunately, it was easy, steep terrain, with relatively smooth and firm short grass, although in summer the bracken could be a bit troublesome.
I'd just had to duck under quite a few low tree branches as I squeezed between a fence and a small rift in the landscape, when I saw a track in the forest just the other side of the fence. So, over I hopped and the going became much easier - not just because of the track, but because the gradient had eased considerably.
The downside of now being in the trees was the sparse views. The best bits of this hill certainly weren't near the top.
It was by accident, rather than by design that I took a series of overgrown wheel-tracks on my way down, before finally joining the scraped tracks I'd used on the way up. I continued along the tracks until they veered away from the fence, whereupon I hopped back over and realised in descent quite how steep the hillside was.
Foel Cae'rberllan (SH 676 082; 380m)
Start Point: Where footpath meets minor road, to the S (no parking) End Point: Abergynolwyn
Distance and Ascent: 4.3km, 340m
I confess to being a bit lazy, by having Mick drive me up to where the footpath left the road saving me 1km of tarmac and a modest 30m or so of ascent. I'd examined aerial photos at some length for this hill, before deciding on this approach, following the public footpath until it crossed a field boundary, before cutting uphill to pick up an old track and getting onto the Access Land. On the outward leg, I followed the track until it switched back on itself, whereupon I continued straight on, initially on a trodden line.
From the top I had a clear view of the sea and an unclear view of Cadair Idris, the top of which was hiding under a cloud. The other lumps and bumps around me were also a pleasing sight, as indeed, was the hill I was on. It was a good place to be on a largely fine afternoon (there was a bit of moisture in the air at a couple of points on my way up this one, but there was also plenty of sunshine).
I opted to take a slightly more direct line back off the hill, rejoining the Right of Way just before I got back to the road. With no parking nearby, and not being lazy enough to have Mick come and pick me up when I was faced with 1km downhill on road, I trod the tarmac back down to Abergynolwyn, timing it nicely as the cafe had just closed and Mick, its only afternoon visitor, was thus ready to leave (I reckon he managed to spend around 3.5 of the 4 hours they were open today in there).
Top: summit selfie. It wasn't particularly cold, but the wind was drowning out the podcast I had on, hence the hood
Middle: Pleasing lumpiness. My earlier summit is just out of the left of the shot.
Bottom: Cadair Idris is hiding under that cloud
Foel Cocyn (SH 624 043; 313m)
Start Point: Layby on B4405, by entrance to holiday park, SW of summit
Distance and Ascent: 3.1km, 230m
I followed the public footpath from the road on my outward leg, but had forgotten to press 'start' on my watch, so I only started recording from the upper reaches of the woodland.
As you leave the road for the public footpath that runs through the caravan park, the first thing you walk through is their dumping ground. All sorts of tat and rubbish was lying around. Fortunately, I was soon past it and into the woodland. After a short stint on the road through the caravan park, I spied a narrow trail heading back off into the woods, onto which I happily trespassed. It clearly doesn't get a lot of traffic and there were lots of brambles encroaching on it. It got better further up, and I blindly followed it, which is how I came to go a less direct route than was strictly necessary. Once I realised I was heading away from my hill, I hopped the fence (relatively easy as it's very new and still nice and taught), and set out up the open hillside.
I had also pored over the map and examined aerial photos for this hill and had come up with a route that only involved one more boundary crossing once I was out of the woods. What I did on the ground bore little resemblance to what I'd planned.
Once out of the woodland, I'd intended to head over to the right hand boundary of the next field, thus being able to access the summit without any more walls or fences in my way. However, as I made my way in that general direction, I spotted an ATV track and whilst I couldn't see a gate through the field's top boundary, I also couldn't see a fence there. Sure enough, the fence just ended on the left side of the ATV track, so I took advantage of the easier ground and followed it.
I crossed the next boundary, which should have been a wall/fence combination, at a point where both were missing. Thus, it turned out to be a far easier hill than I'd expected - and it was another nice one.
Initially retracing my steps, I thought I would take a more direct line into the woods. That would have worked well, except that I gambled on following the easier ground on the outside edge of the fence (even though on the map it looks like I had re-entered the trees, I hadn't). That seemed to be working well, as there was a gap through the first fence and the going was easy; even better I got to a point where I could see a gate that would allow me access back into the woods without any need to tackle the fence. Alas, when I got there, I found such a tangle of brambles beyond it that there was no way I was going that way. My onward route around the edge of the trees was easy, but it rather conspicuously took me into a grazing field - immediately opposite the farm to which it likely belongs. I don't think anyone saw my trespass, and the resident sheep didn't make a fuss so as to draw any attention, as I made my way to the road.
2. A convenient absence of both wall and fence
3. Still not cold, but even breezier on this top than it was on the last.
4. Looking inland.
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