Borders Thinking

The Berwyns

The last weekend before the clocks change seemed a good time to do a long walk and before we came to the end of a spell of fine autumn weather. The target was the 11 peaks that surround Cadair Berwyn, a 10 mile walk based on the Nuttall route with the addition of Cadair Bronwen. This is a fine ridge walk particularly the highest section from Cadair Bronwen over Cadair Berwyn and on to Moel Sych. Much of the rest of the walk is across moors and rolling hills covered in heather and bracken (dying away now). It’s boggy in places but there is only one section that involves a real heather-hopping bog trot.

I grabbed the last tiny parking space at the bridge (SJ 118306) on the minor road above Llandrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. After walking through the farmyard at Maes (greeted by a couple of enthusiastic but friendly enough farm dogs), the stiff climb began alongside a wood to the top of Mynydd Tarw. This was a pretty hard slog up the steep grassy slope but it got the toughest climbing of the walk out of the way. From the cairn at the summit of Mynydd Tarw there are good view east over Cheshire and Shropshire. It was a straightforward walk from here across the twin peaks of Foel Wen and on to Tomle. I should have had fine views of Cadair Berwyn ahead of me, but disappointingly a thick mist hung over the high tops.

From Tomle, there is a clear path up to main ridge but I took the alternative track about half way to the inviting peak of Cadair Bronwen. At the top there were clear skies to the north and east, but the mist was growing heavier over Cadair Berwyn and spreading towards me. It looked like the rest of the walk would be in thick cloud. Things hadn’t improved as I reached the trig point on Cadair Berwyn. The rocky outcrop to the north, now recognised as the highest point in the range, was barely visible but by the time I’d reached it the mist had begun to clear. This is a more dramatic peak than the trig point, with a dramatic fall away to the valley below and good views across the Berwyns and the hills of Snowdonia.

I then had a gentle stroll over boggy moorland to Moel Sych. The weather continued to improve and I had at least a hazy view around the hills of mid-Wales, the Arans, the Rhinogs and the Arenigs. On a completely clear day the view would be magnificent.

From Moel Sych the descent is via a narrow path beneath Cadair Berwyn and across Moel yr Ewig. This was easy walking along moorland paths except for a section after Moel yr Ewig, which involved some strenuous heather-hopping, never fun on tired legs. It got easier though as I reached the non-descript north-west top of Godor. A little further on is the main summit of Godor, which gave a good view of the complete horseshoe. From there it was a straightforward walk down the ridge and through fields to the track that took me back to the road.