A Walk On The Wildside, Snowdonia 22-1-2012

This walk was organisied by members of the walking forum and took in the Summit's of Drum, Pen y Castell Foel Fras and Llwytmor. It was quite windy with the wind speed on Drum in excess of 60mph. With the cloud remaing high above the summits, apart from a brief spell on Foel Fras, it remained clear all the way and with no rain, it was another great day out in this wild part of the Carneddau.

We parked in the top Aber Falls car park at the end of the single track lane and got going about 10am steadily making our way along the well marked path.

A look back at the path that rounds the bottom of Yr Orsedd & Pen Bryn-du

We made the steady climb and Llyn Anofon came into view, flanked with our final two summits of Foel Fras Llwytmor

The summit of Drum proved to be very winy and I found it difficult to hold the camera so no summit photo. We decided to take in the outcrop of Pen y Castell where it was quite boggy in places

and a very different landscape to the high rocky mountains further west.

There were good views down to the Conwy valley from the summit

                                                                         

               

 As we made our way back towards Drum there was some dramatic looking landscapes over towards Cefn Tal-llyn Eigiau and beyond as the sun tried in vain to break out

Carnedd Llywelyn remaining in low cloud

Looking down on Llyn Anafon from the path between Drum & Foel Fras

The walk between Drum and Foel Fras was the hardest part, a right old slog with the wind blowing and quite boggy underfoot.

It wasn't much fun and the the mist came down on the appraoach to Foel Fras summit.

It wasn't thick mist and it cleared up enough so we could see where we were going and have a few decent views from the summit

even as far as sunny Llandudno

We took shelter from the wind to have a well deserved rest and a bite to eat

After a 20 minute break we made our way to the final summit of Llwytmor where a few months earlier, another walking forum meet, was getting blown all over the mountain by gusts of upto 80mph and driving rain!!! This time there was no rain and the wind was slightly less gusty. At least we could stand up! It was looking rather grey towards Anglesey as we made our way off Llwytmor

As we made our way down, the cloud started to roll in over Bera Bach and the high Carneddau

but remaing clear for our way down. We noticed a fire had started just a way down from the car park but thought nothing of it as it looked like a farmer was just doing a bit of clearing up!

 

We made our way straight down the grassy bank of Llwytmor towards Afon Anafon, which was a bit of a killer but provided a great view up stream into the valley

 

We soon learnt that the little fire wasn't so little any more and that with the help from the wind, the smoke soon filled the valley, and the flames were spreading close to the path and away from the car park

As we got to the car park, in the fading light, the fire services arrived to hopefully get it under control and put it out. There was no sign of any farmer or other person any where so not sure how it got started. Thankfully the wind was blowing it away from the cars otherwise it could of been a lot worse

So another great day out, in the company of good members of the walking forum, in a less poulated area of  the Carneddau, Snowdonia