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A Round of Marchlyn Mawr |
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17th August 2024 |
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Overview |
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Ascent: |
2,149 Feet - 655 Metres |
Summits: |
4, Elidir Fach - Elidir Fawr - Mynydd Peredd - Carnedd y Filiast |
Weather: |
Intermittent Sunshine & High Level Cloud, Highs of 19°C Lows of 12°C Feels Like 8°C |
Parking: |
Roadside Parking, Access Road Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir, Deiniolen |
Area: |
Eryri National Park (Snowdonia) |
Miles: |
6 |
Walking With: |
On My Own |
Ordnance Survey: |
OL17 |
Time Taken: |
3 Hours 40 Minutes |
Route: |
Access Road Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir - Marchlyn Bach Reservoir - Elidir Fach - Elidir Fawr - Bwlch y Marchlyn - Mynydd Perfedd - Carnedd y Filiast - Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir - Access Road Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir |
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Parking Details and Map |
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Nearest Post Code: |
LL55 3NA |
Grid Reference: |
SH 596 630 |
Notes: |
The access road to Dinorwig Power Station also hosts a number of off road parking spaces with room for up to fifteen cars. The locals refer to the parking here as a 'hidden gem' because not that many people know about it and if I'm honest, there's a feeling of guilt dawning down on me as I write this. Please respect the area and the locals, arrive early to avoid disappointment. Parking is free. |
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Map and Photo Gallery |
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Sunrise over Y Fronllwyd and Carnedd y Filiast from Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir access road 7:30am 12°C |
Up until 9:00pm last night I was walking the Coniston Ridge north to south from Seathwaite, a walk that deserved a better forecast than I'd been given when my alarm went off at 4:00am. Before I went to bed, it had been supposed to be a bright day, and after checking again this morning any brightness had been replaced by a grey cloud. I checked the forecast for Lakeland, and all were forecasting pretty much the same: a dull start before brightening up by lunchtime. I checked the forecast for Snowdonia, which fared much better at forecasting intermitent sunshine from sunrise to sunset; that'll do for me. Even though I have plans to climb Glyder Fawr via the Y Gribbin ridge again, I'd put no research into present conditions. For example, if it had rained over the last few days, it would have been foolish of me to traverse the ridge; that would be asking for trouble, so I headed to the outskirts of Deiniolen for a classic circuit of Marchlyn Mawr.
There were only a couple of other cars in the parking area, so I swung my car around so it was facing the right way on my return. Parked up, I was facing the west coast, where I spotted a number of ships anchored off Caernarfon Bay about eight miles away. The sky was just as clear towards the coast as it was inland, but the summits of nearby peaks were all below the cloud, including Elidir Fawr. The Reservoir access road is as exposed as you can get, and I never known it not to be windy and this morning was no different; in fact, the wind had brought the temperature down so I slid on my Mountain Equipment soft-shell to take the edge off. With the car locked I passed through the gate and followed the access road towards Marchlyn Bach Reservoir. |
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Elidir Fawr with the slabs of Elidir Fach seen foreground. |
I continued up the access road, only the noise from distant cars breaking the silence as they drove through Deiniolen below before silence resumed. It occurred to me to walk the route in reverse, something that I hadn't done before, but I was too drawn in by the cloud drama over Elidir Fawr. With the reservoir reached, I cloud-watched for a few moments before spotting two walkers at the southern end of Marchlyn Mawr reservoir who were about to ascend Elidir Fawr by its north ridge (seen left) followed by a solo walker I'd spotted crossing the summit from west to east. Despite my early start, I'm obviously not the first walker here this morning. |
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Elidir Fawr from Elidir Fach. |
It's a pretty steep ascent onto Elidir Fach where in places my walking poles were at shoulder height but the cloud dramatics more than made up for it with cloud passing then clearing before more cloud piled in. I was in heaven, |
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Elidir Fawr from Elidir Fach. |
From out of no-where a young girl and her dog appeared who appeared about thirty yards away and hi's were passed across the distance and I wondered had she come up for the sunrise or just enjoyed getting out early. Normally I'd ascend via the wire fence seen right but today, I head between the two sheep for a more central path that I haven't used before. |
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Here we go. |
It was probably the chilliest I'd felt in months as I crossed the col towards the summit path, the temperature had that real autumnal feel to it that nearly caused me to stop and add my hat and gloves but I resisted knowing the wind would ease once I got 'into' the crags. |
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Ascending Elidir Fawr. |
I left the grass behind for stone underfoot and began comparing the two paths, whereas the path alongside the fence starts off straight then cuts into zigzags this path pretty much takes in the gradient of mountain side all the way to the summit, no false summits or shoulders, it's as direct and steep as it gets. |
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Tryfan, The Glyders and Y Garn from Elidir Fawr. |
Before arriving at the summit I spotted the same solo walker who I'd seen from below who was by now making his way towards the top of the path that ascends/descends the wire fence. He was togged up in hat and gloves and no wonder, with the summit winds I suspected the temperature was well into single figures when at times I could see my own breath. |
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Descending Elidir Fawr towards Bwlch y Marchlyn ridge below. |
As it turns out the two walkers I'd seen ascending the north ridge had just arrived at the summit and we're sat down eating snacks and after a brief chat I Ieft so they could have the shelter to themselves. That's Foal-goch over on the right with Tryfan beyond while over on the left is Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd and Carnedd Llewelyn. |
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View down the Afon (river) Dudodyn |
Towards the Snowdon range. |
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Mynydd Perfedd seen beyond the Bwlch y Marchlyn ridge. |
The sound or rocks tumbling brought my attention to a fell runner who had just left Elidir Fawr summit who was covering some distance, within minutes she had passed me like I was stood still, her walking poles doubling up as extra hips crossing the ridge as if she was floating above it. |
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Distant views towards Foel-goch, Pen yr Old Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewlyn and Yr Elen from the Bwlch y Marchlyn ridge. |
In recent times I'd have headed east crossing Bwlch y Brecan to Foel-goch and even Y Garn but somedays it's just about going where the heart takes you and today, I'm listening. |
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Marchlyn Mawr Reservoir. |
It's got to be the lowest I've seen it in all the time I've been coming here. |
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Looking back on the Bwlch y Marchlyn ridge. |
Towards Elidir Fawr and the Pillar of Elidir seen right. |
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Elidir Fawr from the ascent of Mynydd Perfedd. |
With the Bwlch y Marchlyn ridge behind me I began the easy ascent on Mynydd Perfodd passing this spanking new ladder stile in the process. |
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The view over Bwlch y Brecan towards Foel-goch, Tryfan and The Glyders. |
With Llyn Ogwen glistening below. |
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Carnedd y Filiast from Mynydd Perfedd. |
Instead of heading straight towards the summit I veered right, found a comfy rock out of the wind and took the previous two photos. In terms of mountainscape I find the views from Mynydd Perfodd some of the best in the country. |
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Elidir Fawr and Elidir Fach. |
Its time to head to todays final summit whilst glancing over at my first and second summits of the morning. Elidir Fawr really looks like a beast of a mountain from here I can't wait to return when snow is on the ground. |
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The Atlantic Slab. |
Whenever I visit Carnedd y Filiast I always wander over to view the incredible Atlantic slab which was on the seabed of the Atlantic ocean over 430 million years ago. Now it's a Grade 3 scramble up close, you can actually see how the rock has been shaped into waves every meter just like you would find in the shallows on the beach. |
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Elidir Fawr and Elidir Fach from Carnedd y Filiast summit. |
The sun had gone in by the time I arrived at Carnedd y Filiast, and with it came another drop in temperature. Cloud arrived and soon I was plunged back into Autumn billowing warm air into cupped fists to stop my fingers from freezing. I could see a large group descending the Bwlch y Marchlyn ridge, and the two guys I'd seen back at Elidir Fawr's summit shelter were shouldering Mynydd Perfedd in the distance. It was still early, and the explorer in me wanted to burst out, but my hands and ears were telling me to descend and get some warmth back, so I scrambled down from the summit and located the descent path north of the summit shelter. Back when I first came here, it took me some time to locate this path which reminds me of the alternative path to the Bad Step on Crinkle Crags in that you kind of walk away in the opposite direction you think you should be going before you locate it. This path is usually busy with all ages including D.O.E. during the summer months, but this morning I had it all to myself. Views of a distant Conwy Bay filled my horizon, and the blue skies above it looked twenty degrees warmer than my chilled mountain air.
The more I descended the warmer it became and soon I was beginning to sweat again. I reached the col and swerved left leaving rock behind for grass and churned peety mud. A quick glance at my watch told me it was 10:30am blimey I thow't I'll be back at the car by 11:00am. I passed a fell runner, then two more runners, walking, not running up the access road. I didn't blame them as I knew that ascent had a slight kick to it. Two dog walkers later, the sun came back out, and it started to feel like August again. As I took in the view east towards Caernarfon Bay, it too glistening through a slight haze. The row of cars came into view with just half a dozen more than I left; you would hardly call it busy with heaps of empty spaces. I started to feel like the locals knew something that I didn't; it was Saturday, where was everyone? It'll be a couple more miles of driving in the car before I was brought back to reality. With no major road for miles, the only creatures stirring this morning were the four-legged kind enjoying the midday sunshine. |
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