About the Author
Peter Hermon was brought up in Nottingham and was a frequent trekker on Kinder Scout in his school days. He remembers youth hostelling over the Hard Knott and Wrynose passes in the Lake District when they were still rough farm tracks.
For most of his working life he was an executive with BOAC and British Airways but, despite travelling the world – and a particular affection for the Grand Canyon – the lure of the British hills never paled and he has scaled the peaks of Lakeland, Wales and the Pennines many times.
HILLWALKING IN WALES :VOLUME 2
FFESTINIOG – TARRENS
by
Peter Hermon
2 POLICE SQUARE, MILNTHORPE, CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
© Peter Hermon 1991, 2006
Second edition 2006
ISBN-10: 1 85284 467 1
ISBN-13: 978 1 85284 468 4
Reprinted 2011
Printed by KHL Printing, Singapore.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
To David – my first companion on the hills
The hills are beautiful. They are beautiful in line and form and colour; they are beautiful in purity, in their simplicity and in their freedom; they bring repose, contentment and good health.
FS Smythe,
1930s Everest pioneer
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Pam Boswell for preparing some early drafts before I had learned to use a word processor; Juliet Ryde for checking the whole draft; and Don Sargeant for drawing the original maps. Most of the photographs are my own, but I am also indebted to the following for permission to use some of their pictures: Steve Lewis (www.landscapesofwales.co.uk), Kevin Richardson and Marion Teal.
Advice to Readers
Readers are advised that, while every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Please check Updates on this book’s page on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk) before planning your trip. We would also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Front cover: Approaching Crib y Ddysgl on the Snowdon horseshoe (SN H1)
CONTENTS
Mynydd Du (The Black Mountain)
Appendix A: Index of Peaks
Appendix C: Index of Peaks over 2000ft in Descending Order: Volumes 1 and 2
Near the top of the Watkin Path (photo Marion Teal) (SN 10)
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
A full introduction to Hillwalking in Wales appears at the beginning of Vol 1, but a summary of the way the chapters are arranged will be useful. Each chapter is arranged as follows:
List of peaks and lakes in each mountain group
Diagrammatic map
General overview
Main ways up each of the peaks
High-level walks
Lower-level walks/easier days
All routes are numbered. Each number begins with a two-letter prefix to identify the mountain group concerned (eg RG stands for the Rhinogs). The main routes are then numbered sequentially (eg RG1, RG2, etc). Localised variations within routes are distinguished by numeric suffixes (eg RG2,1). High-level and lower-level/easy day walks are given H and L designators respectively after the mountain group code (eg in the case of the Rhinogs high-level walks are numbered RG H1, RG H2 etc).
The maps are diagrammatic only and should not be regarded as a substitute for the proper OS map. Their purpose is to show the relationships between the various routes in the simplest and most uncluttered way. Details of towns, roads, streams and so on are therefore only shown where needed to give a general sense of location, and are not necessarily consistent between one map and another. To avoid congestion only the main ways up each peak are shown. The other walks are not marked, nor are the local variations indicated by numeric suffixes to their route numbers.
Each peak is considered in turn (the order in which they are treated has been chosen to minimise cross-referencing and is neither alphabetic nor according to height). Brief introductory notes on the peak itself come first, followed by descriptions of the routes on that peak. It is advisable to gain at least a general impression of each group as a whole before concentrating on any particular