A BEDDGELERT ROUND 22-11-14

Well it's that time of year again when we have what is becoming our annual weekend cottage break in the heart of Snowdonia. This year though, we tried a different cottage than the one we usually stay in, in the Croesor valley and opted for the neighbouring valley of NANTMOR and the fantastic BUARTHAU. A truly great place to spend a relaxing few days away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. The main walk we did was a well known 10 mile circular that takes in the villages of BEDDGELERT, Aberglaslyn and Nantmor, as well as passing Llyn Dinas and passing through woodland and farmland around the area. The weather was quite kind although we did have about 20 minutes of drizzly rain soon after we left the cottage. This walk is fairly low level with no high mountains to climb but there is a fair bit of up and down but nothing too strenuous, just a bit muddy in places after the overnight rainfall.
The walk started from the front door of the cottage, out onto the single track lane before heading up past an old quarry before heading off into the wilder part of the area at the path sign next to a renovated cottage. The track here led us to the highest point of the day, about 200mtrs above sea level. The views though were pretty good despite the damp conditions at this point. From here it was following the track by the wall to a small patch of trees, Coed Llewelyn, where it started to rain so we took shelter for a bit while it blowed over before making our way to a very remote cottage by the name of Hafod Owen

Our Route For The Day

Best way to start the day :-)

On the lane by the Afon Nanmor and old quarry

On the way up

Following the wall to Coed Llewelyn

Here comes the rain

On the way to Hafod Owen

View over to a cloud covered Snowdon Range

Hafod Owen

Hafod Owen

Although the rain had stopped and the sun was trying it's best to burn away the clouds, all the high tops remained in cloud making it quite atmospheric as we made our way down towards Llyn Dinas and Llyndy Isaf. We did take a bit of a detour as we missed the path that should of took us to the woods above Llyn Dinas but we followed a track that came out at the farm before getting back on the main path. No problem, just a bit more boggy ground to cover :-) In the woods we came across a derelict cottage where we had a pit stop.

Panoramic view showing Llyn Dinas. The woods on the left is where we should of gone but we went down to the farm on the right

The track through the farm

 

Llyn Dinas with Glan Llyn opposite

Looking back on our route

Derelict cottage

Good place for a pit stop

 We followed the track through the woods to the shore of Llyn Dinas where we headed down to the village of Beddgelert where the rivers Conwy & Glaslyn meet before tumbling down the ABERGLASLYN PASS. A great place that is very popular, especially in the warmer months. The Welsh Highland Railway also runs down the pass and were lucky enough to see it coming out of one long tunnel on its way to Beddgelert from Porthmadog. We were heading for the small hamlet of Nantmor which lies at the end of the pass.

Track through the woods

Blue sky appearing above the trees

Coming onto the shore of Llyn Dinas

Llyn Dinas

Afon Glaslyn

Coming into Beddgelert along the Afon Glaslyn

Beddgelert

Going down the Aberglaslyn Pass

Steam hang around the tunnel entrance from the steam train

Aberglaslyn Pass

 

The woods at the end of the pass

Nantmor

We made our way up the lane and along another lane that led to a farm. Through the gates and through fields and into the woods where there is a choice of routes to follow. As dusk was drawing in, I felt it was better to cross the Afon Nanmor and get back on the lane that would take us back to Buarthau, rather than carry on through the woods with all the mud, slippery rocks and roots to navigate. As it worked out it was the right choice as darkness comes quickly in the valleys!

Track leading out of the village

Sun going down

Sun going down as we go through the farm

Yr Arddu

This way :-)

Nantmor Valley

Heading towards the bridge over Afon Nanmor with Yr Arddu as the backdrop

Afon Nanmor

Back on the lane

Homeward bound

The great thing about staying in this cottage is that it is right on this walk, straight out of the front door and you away and when you get back after 6 hours just as darkness falls, you have the welcome of a bubbling hot-tub to relief the aching muscles and just unwind before you settle down to a meal in front of a warming fire, heaven :-)

Ohhhhhhhh, nice :-)

Lovely

Well another great walk exploring this quiet part of Snowdonia :-)