Walking

[Hugo]

I've heard that it is a nice walk but in the 30 years I have lived up there I've never done that walk.   I'm pleased that you enjoyed it and must give it a go sometime.

[Hugo]

The weather recently has been very wet but today's forecast was for a dry day with sunny intervals.   With that in mind Tellytubby and I had a walk today to Aber Falls.
We left our wet weather gear in the car and headed for the falls but when we were half way there the heavens opened and we got drenched.
We carried on to the falls and took some photos. before heading straight back to the car park and then drying out in the village cafe  and having a latte and delicious chocolate brownie
It was still a good walk which we enjoyed and the valley was crowded with others walkers all geared up in their wet weather clothes.

[Hugo]

As  my son said I would happily live in Cedryn in Cwm Eigiau!  I knew a lady from a farm near Llanbedr y cennin who told me she was brought up there and used to travel down to school by pony.
I've lived in flat Norfolk for 18 years now but  I can still recall every inch of the way!!

A friend of mine who has been following this topic sent me an e-mail which you may find interesting. I've copied part of it for you " I have been reading the Forum over the holiday about you walk in Cwm Eigiau  .have spent a lot of time fishing there and at Llyn Coedty , you mention Cedryn in your article it was owned by the CEGB many years ago and was used as a base for the inspection of the leats and what ever else needed inspecting ,you could also rent it for a base for fishing  , the fishing rights and permits were obtained from Dolgarrog  Fishing Club in those days , it was very well supported as the Aluminium Works was in full production . You also mention Llyn Dulyn  and the plane that crashed on the rock above the lake .it is not that long ago that a team from RAF Valley cut the tail section and the remaining fuselage into the lake below  ( this would need some research )as I am not certain of the  dates"

I was hoping to have another walk in Cwm Eigiau soon but with the recent wet weather I'll probably put it on hold for a while.  Those photos I took of the valley were taken in late April and it was pretty boggy there even then .

[squiggle]

As  my son said I would happily live in Cedryn in Cwm Eigiau!  I knew a lady from a farm near Llanbedr y cennin who told me she was brought up there and used to travel down to school by pony.
I've lived in flat Norfolk for 18 years now but  I can still recall every inch of the way!!

A friend of mine who has been following this topic sent me an e-mail which you may find interesting. I've copied part of it for you " I have been reading the Forum over the holiday about you walk in Cwm Eigiau  .have spent a lot of time fishing there and at Llyn Coedty , you mention Cedryn in your article it was owned by the CEGB many years ago and was used as a base for the inspection of the leats and what ever else needed inspecting ,you could also rent it for a base for fishing  , the fishing rights and permits were obtained from Dolgarrog  Fishing Club in those days , it was very well supported as the Aluminium Works was in full production . You also mention Llyn Dulyn  and the plane that crashed on the rock above the lake .it is not that long ago that a team from RAF Valley cut the tail section and the remaining fuselage into the lake below  ( this would need some research )as I am not certain of the  dates"

I've not checked back but I suspect the questions over the crashes were mine rather than my mother's?

Fish, I seem to remember as a kid somewhere in that area there being a pool where we at some age tried to and failed to tickle brown trout???

OT Beyond that, personally I'm not a fisherman although trying to catch mackerel off the gantry on the Little Orme and some memory of trying to coarse fish somewhere I think past Glan Conwy and turn left - and it's bugging me I can't remember the name of the pool - it was a popular spot for anglers .... and my parents these days are vegetarian who would not eat fish - with me an occasional picky carnivore/omnivore.

Hopefully my mother will be able to contribute more on topic tomorrow.

[Hugo]

Are you thinking of Llyn Syberi?   You can also get to it from Tal Y Cafn by turning left at the Tal Y Cafn pub if you travel from Glan Conwy

[squiggle]

Are you thinking of Llyn Syberi?   You can also get to it from Tal Y Cafn by turning left at the Tal Y Cafn pub if you travel from Glan Conwy

Thanks Hugo.  You've solved that one for me!

[hiraeth]

Thanks Hugo for the information on Cedryn, very interesting. I have a photo somewhere of me there with my hand on the door as if it was my home!
Below Cedryn there was a bridge over the stream and you could watch the trout swimming there in a deep pool. Keeping going on that path you reach the old ruins of miners cottages, and from there I had a piece of slate carved with the name of our house when we spent a short time in Kent.

Another favorite walk with the children was to park the Dormobile at Bwlch Gaer , visit the top of Pen y gaer to see the view and look at the remains of the Bronze Age fortress. Then follow a leat to end where a tunnel took the water through to Eigiau, there was a tall bridge and a pool where the children had fun, they used to shout into the tunnel.  On the way back there was often a group of cattle including a bull!!    Jon was sometimes the first back and put the kettle on in the Dormobile for a well earned cup of tea.
Happy memories!

[squiggle]

On the way back there was often a group of cattle including a bull!!    Jon was sometimes the first back and put the kettle on in the Dormobile for a well earned cup of tea.

I'm sorry to say it as I wish I had appreciated the scenery more when I was younger but the opportunity to go off ahead was often my favourite part of a walk. As well as often being (quite stupidly, on reflection) bored, I think by the time I reached my teens, I found the family walking pace (perhaps governed by my mother being a sort of tortoise in the tortoise vs hare stakes and having younger brothers) difficult so it suited me well to be able to up my own pace for the last little bit.  The good thing was the arrangement suited everyone - cups of tea in exchange for being allowed to get back early was a good deal all round.

While we referred to it as the Dormobile, I'm not convinced it was one. It was a Commer van and I think some other conversion. It did quite a few miles and I think it's longest journey was for a holiday in Scotland when we lived in Kent.  We did go other places but much of the time was spent camped in Glenbrittle on Skye.  There were walks in the Cullins on that holiday.

[Hugo]

I've walked up to Pen Y Gaer a few times and the views from the top on a clear day are breathtaking.  You can see most of the Conwy Valley to the east and the Carneddau and Cwm Eigiau to the west.  I haven't done the walk you have described but it does sound very interesting.
Happy memories indeed.
One walk I like in the Carneddau is the walk around the medieval village of Ardda and to be honest I have lived in the area all my life but until recent years I had never heard of the place.   It was once a sizeable but widespread village above Trefriw but now consisting of only a few inhabited houses with dozens of ruins spread out amongst the hillsides. There is a  little chapel there which was built in 1845. but today it is a ruin surrounded by a small graveyard.   We follow the leet above the Chapel and it goes to Cwm Eigiau and in April to May there are masses of bluebells all around.    The leet passes an abandoned cottage which is in an idyllic location and I'm surprised that no one has bought it as a second home.

[Hugo]

Ardda walk

[hiraeth]

How interesting, I have heard of Arrdda and a ruined chapel but have never seen it or know anything about it. . Are any of the gravestones legible?
Lovely photos, a nice abandoned cottage and especially the bluebells. Thank you.

[Hugo]

There are some headstones that are still legible but the extreme weather up there has taken it's toll on them.   The Conwy Archives in Llandudno has a list of the graves with headstones and has recorded the names and inscriptions on each headstone.   I did have a walking book that described the Chapel and the people buried there but unfortunately I must have lost it near the waterfalls when I took the footpath to Tal Y Bont

[Hugo]

After reading Hiraeth and Squiggle's tales of Cwm Eigiau,  it made us want to revisit this remote but beautiful valley.  Tellytubby thought that it was a good idea too and arranged to pick me up at 9.30 am today.     When my alarm clock went off at 8.00 am and it was pouring down I wasn't sure about it being a good idea but I knew that Tellytubby would be on his way soon.    We drove up the steep and winding lane to the  car park at Cwm Eigiau but had to sit in the car for a while until the driving icy rain subsided.  It eased off so we put on our wet weather gear and headed down the lane straight into another downpour of icy rain but luckily for us it didn't last too long and we were able to admire the rugged beauty of the valley which was surrounded by snow capped mountains.
We passed the dam and headed uphill passing Hafod Y Rhiw which appears to be the only inhabited cottage in the valley.  Water was flowing quickly down the hillside and the tracks became rivers so walking quickly along them was impossible.  We came up to Cedryn cottage and made a short detour to see it and tried to avoid scaring the Carneddau mare and her foel who were taking refuge from the biting Winter winds.
We continued along the track to the other side of the valley and had our refreshments sitting on the steps of Cwm Eigiau Cottage  which is roughly opposite Cedryn.    The last time we were here was in an April following a very severe Winter and at the back of this cottage was the skeleton of a Carneddau Pony that had died in the atrocious conditions that existed throughout the Winter months.    Thankfully everything seemed ok this time.
After finishing our food and drink the weather had turned again and we decided to return back to the car park and were able to get back there before the Winter weather returned again.   Despite the difficult walking conditions we thoroughly enjoyed the walk and drove off to the nearest cafe for a nice hot latte.

[Hugo]

Cwm Eigiau

[hollins]

You were very hardy setting off in that weather this morning Hugo. Lovely pics with the white hills in the background.