The Mountains of England and Wales: Volume 1 Wales

Guidebook to walking 188 mountain summits in Wales. Summits split into: Carneddau, Glyders, Snowdon, Moel Hebog, Moelwyns, Arenigs, Berwyns, Arans, Rhinogs, Cadair Idris, central Wales, Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons. The first of two guidebooks that give definitive lists with detailed route descriptions, maps and drawings of some England and Wales' highest peaks.

Walk 7.2 Cadair Berwyn

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Summits:
Mynydd Tarw 2234ft (681m)
Foel Wen South Top 2254ft 687m)
Foel Wen 2267ft (691m)
Tomle 2434ft (742m)
Cadair Berwyn 2713ft (827m)
Cadair Berwyn New Top 2723ft (830m)
Moel Sych 2713ft (827m)
Moel yr Ewig 2280ft (695m)
Godor North Top 2215ft (675m)
Godor 2228ft (679m)

Distance: 9 ½ miles
Ascent: 2400 feet
Maps: OS Landranger sheet 125, Explorer 255
Starting Point: (125-118308) Cwm Maen Gwynedd, 3 miles north of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. Parking is very restricted. A car or two can be parked by the phone box and by the bridge over the stream.

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This is by far the best walk in the Berwyns. The usually ubiquitous Berwyn heather is largely absent on these hills and not only are these the highest mountains, but also the shaley eastern cliffs of Moel Sych and Craig Berwyn are a very dramatic contrast to the rolling moorland elsewhere in the range. In all a total of ten summits are visited.

Althought Cadair Berwyn looks much the grander mountain, it was given on first series maps as 2712ft and has always had to play second fiddle to Moel Sych which had the distinction of overtopping it by 1ft. Metrification and the Landranger series apparently levelled the score with both recorded at 827m, but Berwyn mountains don’t give up that easily. Careful examination of the 1:10,000 maps of the latest survey and subsequent confirmation from the OS, has established a completely new top. The new top is given a height of 830m, outclassing both previous contenders by at least 10ft. It is only quarter of a mile south of Cadair Berwyn and the fine rocky summit, much the best in the Berwyns, looks down on Llyn Lluncaws nearly 700ft below. Many thousands must have looked at this top remarking that it appeared higher, but it is only now that it emereges from obscurity to take the crown as the highest summit in the whole of the Berwyns.

Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog to the east is a lovely little village with a church, school, post office and two pubs. Considering the facilities provided, there are surprisingly few houses. Llanrhaeadr-yr-Mochnant further south is a small attractive town famed as the home of William Morgan, who was responsible for the first translation of the Bible into Welsh. He was rector here for 23 years from 1572, afterwards being made Bishop of Llandaf and then Bishop of St Asaph. The Bible was published in 1588, only 50 years after Henry VIII had banned the official use of Welsh. In April 1988 the town celebrated the 400th anniversary of the first publication.

ROUTE

Mynydd Tarw (Bull Mountain)
Walk up the lane by the telephone box and then through Maes farmyard to the bend. The fields, which have huge piles of stones heaped up on them from the cleared land, are crossed by a public right of way which leads up to the corner of the wood. Keep by the edge of the wood, where a steady climb over short grass leads directly to the summit. The trees diminish in stature as height is gained until they fail altogether on the exposed top with sorry stunted growths. The summit, at the corner of the wood, is marked by a large stone windshelter fashioned from an ancient cairn.

Foel Wen South Top
Follow the fence north-west towards the Berwyn ridge of which there is an excellent view from here. Descend over the a sharp little rock crest to the col, and then climb up gradually to the highest point, which is an unmarked spot to the left of the fence on otherwise featureless moorland....