Wind, Myths, and Missteps: A Cwm Eigiau Escapade
Exploring the whims and whimsy of North Wales’ hidden tracks—where every turn is a story and every hill a legend.
Date: 13/04/2024
Start: 9:15
Finish: 18:30
Duration: 9 hrs
Distance: 25.00km
Elevation Gain: 1,800m
Route Type: Circular
Weather: Cold, Windy, Rainy, around 7 degrees C.
Companions: Solo Hike, CMC folks left at the hut: Del, Ray, Harry and Ann.
I wake up at 7:30, but my CMC companions are still sleepy. After a short wait, I prepare breakfast and sandwiches for the day and leave around 9:15, full of enthusiasm. The trail is easy at the beginning, but it becomes more complicated as I leave the main path. I'm feeling fresh and strong and proceed without problems, despite some off-trail navigation hiccups. The first peak is reached without any particular difficulty, Pen Llithrig y Wrach (799m). From there on, a wind starts blowing so strongly, like I've never seen before, and it literally carries me away. I descend 160 meters along the trail before climbing up to Pen yr Helgi Du (833m) for the second peak of the day. Here I decide (wisely in hindsight) not to continue along the exposed ridge towards Carnedd Llewelyn, but instead head towards an escape route downhill, from which I can clearly see Tryfan on the other side. It seems done, the wind lessens once I lose altitude and I follow a path along the reservoir, up to the dam and then back up. The reservoir seems endless and around 5:00 PM I stop to eat a Lion bar near a fort by the dam, I go back up the road and should find the same path from this morning. I make a couple of mistakes, probably due to fatigue, and the path that seemed clear just a few hours earlier becomes a continuous challenge.
Finally, I arrive at the isolated house in Wales, Hardd y Rhiw, and realize I’ve made it; in less than half an hour I'm at the bivouac eating a hot meal.
Date: 14/04/2024
Start: 12:00
Finish: 16:00
Duration: 3h30’ hrs
Distance: 10.00km
Elevation Gain: 700m
Route Type: Out-and-Back
Weather: Cold.
Companions: Solo Hike, CMC folks left at the fork; Del, Ray, Harry and Ann.
Today, I'm taking a somewhat quieter day, waking up just after 9; Ray explains that they'll start late to wait for the rocks to dry, and in the meantime, we relax by sipping tea after tea (strictly with added milk). It feels a bit counterintuitive for someone who grew up in the shadow of the Alps, where leaving the refuge at 8 is considered lazy, but one adapts :)
At 11:30, we all leave together from the Rugby MC Hut, and around noon, we split up as I head northwest along the trail leading to Foel Grach, while Ray, along with Del (trip leader), Ann, and Harry, will climb Carnedd Llewelyn.
The trail is quite visible, and I follow it well next to a small stream. It becomes more difficult as I ascend, but compared to yesterday, this is nothing.
I arrive at Foel Grach around 2 pm and, given the time, decide to add Carnedd Gwenllian (formerly Uchaf) to my list. Reaching the top, the weather is good and the wind has died down, so I stop to eat and rest a bit. I set off again around 2:45 pm and by 4 pm, I'm back at the trailhead.
Another beautiful day of quality mountain time, where I add a few "bricks" to my navigation skills and discover this so unknown (to me) part of Wales.