2 days in Wales?

[bigalxyz]

Hello forum,


A friend and I are hoping to go for a couple of days' hiking in the next couple of weeks. The plan at the moment is to meet somewhere in the northern half of Wales (I'm in London, he's in Manchester). Hoping to find a nice 2 day route - ideally not too high up (eg I climbed Snowdon last August but it's a bit chilly in Feb!), maybe a nice pub/B&B halfway along for a good feed and a couple of halves of shandy, etc. - maybe total 25-30 miles?


We're both reasonably fit & experienced, just don't know the area very well, hoping to get some recommendations of whereabouts to go. Any suggestions?


Thanks,
Alan.

[Dyffryn Ardudwy]

Ive just got back from spending a few days with friends, who live in Italy, and the weather there has been very unsettled, and quite cold as well, a bit like Dyffryn.
The walks that i will recommend, are all fairly easy in terrain, and will take you to a part of North Wales that i can almost guarantee you will never have considered.

Hopefully you will have your own personal transport, as this will make getting to and from your walking locations, that much easier.

Number one walk, is the assent of Cader Idris from Minffordd.
Minffordd is not that far from Dolgellau, and you leave Dolgellau as if you were driving towards Aberystwyth.

Make for Talyllyn, and Minfford and the parking area, is the far end of the lake.

Ascending Cader Idris via Cwm Cae, is one of the finest walks in southern Snowdonia, and is not technically difficult.

The only real problem would be navigation near the rock strewn summit in mist, other than that, its similar in certain respects to an ascent of Snowdon.

My second choice, and due to its doorstep location to my home, is an ascent of the Southern Rhinogs from Tal Y Bont.

Following the old Drovers Road, now used only by local farmers, you can venture anywhere, without really getting lost.

Following the magnificent Great Wall of Wales, all the way to Yr Llether and around to Diffwys, is one of the easiest and most neglected walks in the whole of Southern Snowdonia, very similar in feel to walking the Brecon Beacons, but oh so different, because of their very close proximity to the sea.

Its rare to see any fellow walkers traversing the Rhinogs, simply because they are off the main tourist highway, or a separate area of Snowdonia that few visitors to North Wales have heard about.

If you are able to time your visit with some good settled weather conditions, both Cader Idris and the Southern Rhinogs, near Barmouth, are very close together.

You can of course head towards the main routes further North, such as the Glyders, Carneddau, Snowdon area, but then your chosen walks or routes will be so extensive, that choosing them, will be more challenging.

Cader Idris and the Rhinogs are a separate area in Southern Snowdonia, and therefore are walks in themselves, and not part of a massive area, with so many routes, that choosing one will be a challenge.

Accommodation in Dolgellau, or even Barmouth, this time of year, will be easy, as the tourist industry has gone to sleep until Easter.

I hope my suggestions are of interest to you, and that you will be blessed with fine weather.

[bigalxyz]

Thank you very much! It's very good of you to take the time to write such a detailed reply. I'll read through everything in detail tonight and do some research.


Best wishes,
Alan.

[Dyffryn Ardudwy]

My suggestion is to read up about the Minffordd route up to Cader Idris.
This is a walk where you will safely park your car in the car parking area provided, and do an out and back walk, up the Minfford side of the mountain.

You will never be alone, traversing Cader Idris from this direction, because even in the depths of winter, its a very popular route, and a very  rewarding one as well.

The Rhinogs on the other hand, are for those of us who are antisocial, and hate the crowds further North.

Guaranteed, if your blessed with nice weather, a traverse of either yr lether or Diffwys, or even both, will last long in your memory.

The views and vistas from Diffwys summit, all the way down through the spine of Mid Wales and beyond, can be amongst the finest locations in the whole of Snowdonia.

Search the web for these two walking locations, and see if you like what you see.

[huwwuh]

Wales also has a South and West. Look up Brecon Beacons Way and just pick a section.

[bigalxyz]

You're quite right of course. It might just be that my friend can't travel quite that far from Manchester. Were I doing this alone, things would be quite different.


Alan.

[Penygadair]

Number one walk, is the assent of Cader Idris from Minffordd.
Minffordd is not that far from Dolgellau, and you leave Dolgellau as if you were driving towards Aberystwyth.

Make for Talyllyn, and Minfford and the parking area, is the far end of the lake.

Ascending Cader Idris via Cwm Cae, is one of the finest walks in southern Snowdonia, and is not technically difficult.

I'm lost for words. You advise making for Talyllyn and parking at the far end of the lake which is 3km beyond the car park at Minffordd which is where you actually want to start from, To compound bad advice, there is no parking at the near (or eastern) end of Talyllyn Lake whilst at the far end of the lake there is only a small lay-by. All other parking is reserved for patrons of the Ty'n y Cornel hotel and the new restaurant which used to be a chip shop. And BTW it's Cwm Cau (the closed cwm) not Cwm Cae ( the cwm in a field)


You also refer to a drovers road from Talybont. Where in gawds name is it? The drove roads ran from north to south before turning east. Both bypassed  Dyffryn and Talybont. They split near Tyddyn y Llidiart one passing to the east of Cors y Gedol, over Pont Fadog  the Bwlch y Rhiwgyr  on to Bontddu. The second went to Pont Scethin and over the Llawllech ridge. You might be referring to Ffordd Gors from Llanddwywe church to Cors y Gedol but that was once a private road and the Vaughan family would never have countenanced cattle on their mile long front drive. So yet again the visitor is left bewildered by your information. And BTW he mountain in Y Llethr (the slope) not Yr Llether - although I can forgive this as you were obviously taught by Llandudnoboy who used the same gobbledy-gook name.


I would have thought that if you wished to pander to your own ego by suggesting routes for visitors you could at least refer to a map and post accurate information - especially as you live in the immediate area.

[Dyffryn Ardudwy]

Last time i remember climbing Cader Idris from Minfford, i drove past Talyllyn.
Maybe the distance to the carpark is 3k from the lake, that's not far, and one knows your car will be safe in the pay and display carpark

Regarding the walk from Tal Y Bont, i suggested bigalxyz did some research on the walk, as i knew from his message, he had never visited the area.

If you do not know where the route of the Drovers road from Dyffryn and Tal Y Bont went, buy a copy of Shirley Toulsons, Drovers Roads of Wales.

The main Drovers road, or Harlech coach road as it used to be known in the early 19C, was not given a name, it was just a route used by the London to Harlech stagecoach.

It passed through Harlech, and then followed the Cwm Nant Col valley, passing the ridge near Moelyblithcwm, and followed the lower slopes of Moelfre, just above Llanfair.

It turned left in Llanfair, and followed the outline of the lower slopes of Moelfre, on towards Dolgellau and beyond, it then continued towards Pont Scethin, and on towards Barmouth, and eventually Dolgellau.

Its a glorious walk, with amazing views, and all on easy terrain.

[Penygadair]

In your first post you have suggested parking at the far end of the lake which, if you are coming from Dolgellau as suggested, is 3km from where they should park. Looking at what you have just written it appears that you approached Minffordd from Tywyn yet you have given directions from the opposite.


As for Toulsons book, it contains so many inaccuracies as to make it worthless. It's a generalisation of routes throughout Wales poorly researched.  The Harlech to London stagecoach never went up the Nantcol. What would be the point of dragging the coach up the steep hill from Pentre Gwynfryn,  then over the Moelblithcwm from Cil Cwychwyn and downhill to Ty Newydd for the change of horses before tackling the climb to the Llawllech ridge, So much easier to simply keep to level ground past Tyddyn y Llidiart direct to Ty Newydd. Or perhaps Toulson imagined the coach would collect a load of passengers in the sparsely inhabited Nantcol?  


You also now state that the coach followed the lower slopes of Moelfre just above Llanfair. Well, as Llanfair is some 3 miles north of Moelfre and also north of where you say the coach turned up the Nantcol, you are simply contradicting yourself.


There is another book on the market which deals solely with the Meironnydd drove and coach roads in detail, the author having unlike Toulson actually walked the routes.


I'm actually beginning to wonder if you do live in Dyffryn

[sussamb]

I'm actually beginning to wonder if you do live in Dyffryn

Or even Llandudno