Walking

[Tellytubby]

  if i remember Hugo i do recall that you where the leader. It was a good walk.

[Hugo]

if i remember Hugo i do recall that you where the leader. It was a good walk.

Yes, but only as far as Llyn Elsi and then Tonto took over but I enjoyed it as I'd never been down that way before.     

[Hugo]

Yesterday, we headed to the little remote village of Croesor for the start of our walk up the Cnicht.  We met Wayne in the car park there and the four of us sat in the car park contemplating what to do.   It was raining quite steadily and the summit of Cnicht was covered in cloud but after 15 minutes or so we decided to go for it as we had travelled some way to get there.
Croesor is a lovely compact village that once was an area humming with activity, the slate quarries have long since closed and the valley has returned to a quieter life, the Chapel and School have both now closed but at least they still have a great cafe there, sadly the Oriel Caffi was closed yesterday!      Everything seemed to be against us but it was great to get out walking again as it has been a while since the four of us had walked together.
The first part was a steep pull up the lane until we came to the Cnicht path and we followed it uphill.  The wind had picked up and it was quite cold, our Winter gear would have been welcome but that had been left in the car.  After about half an hour we sought shelter behind a wall and had our refreshments while enjoying the sound of a Cuckoo that seemed to be following us up the valley.   From the south west the mountain has a distinctive shape, pointed with sheer faces on either flank - and nicknamed the "Welsh Matterhorn".
It also has false summits but as we couldn't see anything it didn't really make any difference to us.  The final rocky scramble to the summit was taken very carefully as the wet weather had  made the slate rocks very slippery indeed.  We didn't stay long at the summit as we couldn't see anything anyway and the wind had picked up again.   Descending from the summit was slow and careful but apart from teletubby slipping and landing on his bottom there were no other mishaps. Our caps all blew off at some stage but we were able to retrieve them before they flew over the cliff edge.  Safely arriving back in the village we arranged our next walk together and then drove home, just stopping at the Siabod Cafe in Capel Curig for a nice warm drink.

[Hugo]

Cnicht

[DaveR]

Another great walk, Hugo. 

[Hugo]

Yesterday, with good weather forecast I took a couple of friends on a walk that I had been on once before.  It was to see the medieval village of Ardda set high in the hills above Trefriw and Dolgarrog only this time I was going to take the easier option which was leaving a car in Dolgarrog and taking the other car up the steep and winding single track road to Ardda.    This cut out a very strenuous section of the walk but would allow us more time to spend on the rest of the walk.
Parking our car safely on the side of this narrow grass verge we walked towards Tyddyn Gwilym and straight away we were rewarded with spectacular views of the Conwy Valley.   We went through Tyddyn Gwilym and came to the Chapel Ardda.    This little chapel was built in 1845 and today is a ruin surrounded by a small graveyard.  Ardda was  once a sizeable village above Trefriw, but now consists of only a few inhabited houses.   The hillside is surrounded by the ruins of dozens of homes that once house the inhabitants of this upland area.
 Just as we got to the Chapel it started to rain so we took shelter for about 15 minutes until the rain stopped and then carried on walking up the ancient track that goes to Llyn Cowlyd until we crossed over the leat and followed it around the contours of the valley.  Just before we crossed over the leat again to take the path leading upwards we saw a Brown Hare jump into the leat and then run uphill through the bracken until it was a safe distance away.   The path then took us to a track which led around the side of the hill and the Bluebells were amazing, acres and acres of them turning the hillside into a shade of Hyacinth blue.  We crossed under the hydro electricity pipes and stopped to have our food and drink and just watched breathtaking scenery below us.  Soon it was time to move on and have a look at a cottage that was remarkably well preserved, but when we looked through the open window, the strange thing was that there was only one room in the building.   From the cottage we went to Coedty Reservoir but didn't stay long as the whole area is now like a construction site so it was nice to leave the work site and travel downhill following the river and a number of small but very beautiful waterfalls.   At the bottom we came to a place where they made pottery and we struck up a conversation with the owner who had rebuilt the cottage himself and we enjoyed an interesting conversation with him about the place..   Down at the bottom in Dolgarrog we picked up the other car and Wayne drove us back up to Ardda to the first car.  Believe me it's a lot easier going up to Ardda by car than by the route I took last time.  I still remember that experience very well.

[Hugo]

Ardda

[hollins]

What amazing doors and windows in that cottage. The owner must have been a talented carpenter as well as a potter.
How lovely to see open fields of bluebells like that. The ones around here are mostly in woods or verges.

[Hugo]

Here is a photo of a door he made and also his garage which he built in a "Dutch barn style"     We did see a lot of Bluebells on our drive up to Croesor the other week but those yesterday were fantastic.

[mull]

Thanks for the commentry Hugo. Wish I could have done the walk myself.
Can you tell me what the construction site is all about.

[Merddin Emrys]

What an amazing house! Love those windows and doors!

[Hugo]

Thanks for the commentry Hugo. Wish I could have done the walk myself.
Can you tell me what the construction site is all about.

I don't know what the construction site is but suspect that it has something to do with the Coedty Reservoir.   The site covered a very large area and the 1st photo was taken from the top of Coedty Reservoir looking eastwards.  The second was taken from another area as we were due to take the footpath alongside the river.

[Jack]

One of my favourite walks that Hugo! I usually park by the old Lord Newborough and walk up the concrete water board road up to Ardda and then up to Llyn Cowlyd, across to Eigiau, down to Coedty and back to Dolgarrog.  Lovely this time of the year with the bluebells and usually a cuckoo or two calling!

I believe the construction is to replace the pipeline from the reservoir to the hydro electric plant.

[Hugo]

You must be quite fit to do that Jack because Tellytubby and I walked up that road once when we went to Ardda and we both  said that we wouldn't do that walk again in a hurry.   It's really steep on the concrete section before it levels off at Ty Isaf Ardda.
Once you are by the leat though it is a very comfortable walk and I forgot to mention that we did hear the Cuckoo's up there too.  That path to Coedty must have been a railway track at one time because you can see how the rock has been cut away for the rail track and I believe that there are railway sleepers and some rail tracks still there although I have never seen them.
Getting the locomotives up there must have been pretty difficult as you can see from the photo.

[Hugo]

Can you tell me what the construction site is all about.

Here's a link about the site.
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/business-news/coedty-pipeline-temporarily-switched-15m-3312433#.U3fnmz1s23g.email