A challenging hike on The Cambrian Way in Ceredigion over difficult but beautiful moorland.

Date walked: 25th January 2017

Distance: about 11 miles

Map used: OS Explorer  187- Llandovery

Guide book: Cambrian Way by AJ Drake (7th edition)

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We had stayed last night in this most remote but charming  Ty’n Cornel hostel. Paul had been banished to a room on his own on account of his self-declared snoring. Neil had no complaints about my nocturnal performance. Strangely, I don’t even remember getting up to go to the loo. Perhaps my subconscious did not fancy the cold trek downstairs in the middle of the night. Or perhaps it was my sedation from wine and whisky. But I woke with a clear head, matched by a bright and sunny, though chilly day.

Lovely day!

Whilst the boys tidied up I made us all a bacon butty and had enough bread left over for a cheese sarnie for lunch.  We were booted up by 9.30am and grateful that our packs were considerably lighter than the day before – one pays a price for carrying ones own food and drink (especially the drink).  A quick selfie outside the hostel….

Neil is always asking me to smile so, perversely, I tend to scowl – its not a good look, I know

 … and we were off.

We continued climbing slowly on the track, struck once again by the beauty of the Doethie  valley.

You can understand why this might be described as the most remote hostel in Wales

Below us the river had shrunk to a small stream, the tussocky  hillside ahead glowed in the early morning sun.

I bet they’ve got Superfast Broadband

We passed a small group of rams who seemed  content to sit around and warm up a bit before starting the days business.

Horny rams?

At the top of the valley, at a spot named on the map as Cerrig Ysgyfarnog (possibly the farm just up the hill) ,  Paul made a hopeless attempt to right a fallen finger post….

I don’t wish to appear rude but it had broken off at the base

… whilst Neil studied the map.

Our Guide shows our route following the side of a plantation and carries a note “often very boggy better on higher ground”.  There is nothing on the map to suggest a path. The ground was churned up before we reached the wood, forcing us to clamber rather awkwardly by the side of a steep bank.

The challenge of the boggy ground begins

Over to the left, it looked as through someone was intending to harness the stream in some way (but were clearly making quite a mess of the land in the process).

We scanned ahead in search of a path or failing that any evidence that anyone had gone before us but all we saw was a lot of very wet and rutted land.  We would have had nearly two miles or more of this to cross if we had kept to the dotted line shown on the Guide. None of us fancied that much and we thought that we might find better ground if we  entered the wood rather than seek “higher ground” as advised in the Guide.

The Cwm Berwyn Plantation was gloomy, but mostly dry underfoot.

The OS map does show tracks and we did find one after a while which made the going easier…….

Paul offering a pose for Neil’s pic

…., and after about half a mile and having forded a stream, we reached a wide, somewhat muddy forestry road.

We did feel a bit naughty but, hey, what could anyone do to us?

A truck laden with stone whizzed by, its driver unfazed by our presence…..

Making access tracks for the timber extraction

… so when we came to the digger that was loading the stone we gave the operator a cheerful wave.

This forestry road twisted and turned somewhat. We  passed several stacks of freshly cut trunks….

… and were certainly making better and easier progress than we would have achieved if we had kept to the “official” path.

We  forked right to make for a forestry car park with a fine view north.

We were legit now

We stopped for a cup of coffee and a couple of pics.

This is the closest to a smile I can normally achieve for Neil’s pics

Unfortunately and for no obvious reason I had began to get a pain in my left knee, so I took some painkillers and rubbed some Ibuprofen gel into the offending area.

Studying the map, we had the choice of a two mile walk due East along the road to pick up our “official” route or go off piste again and head north through the wood, where, according to the map we ought to be able to pick up a path that would join our intended route. All votes were for the forestry alternative.

This was quite straightforward until we reached a point where we knew from my GPS that we had to wade into the plantation and drop down the side of the hill to reach our path. It was steep and the ground littered with branches from felling work.

Thanks to Neil for this pic

It wasn’t as bad as it looked and lasted for only about a quarter of a mile until we were out of the woods and on the wrong side of Groes Fawr.

I know, I make it look easy

Having made our awkward crossing we paused to contemplate what a beautiful little valley we found ourselves in…

… and to have a little sit.

Neil may be talking to the reeds; Paul is clearly talking to God

And in my case another application of gel, though it wasn’t helping that much.

We were soon joined up again with our intended path and climbing slowly towards Garn Gron. This was a wonderfully empty and relatively featureless landscape but on such a lovely day its beauty was quite overwhelming.

The ground returned to being quite boggy and uneven, which my knee did not appreciate.

Our path took a double track op the side of the hill, the wind picking up as we climbed.

Even in the most isolated places there is usually a contrail in the sky

No footpath is shown on the map leading to the Trig point (1776 feet) of Garn Gron and we found none but Drake defines it as Check Point No 16, so reaching it was a necessity. The wind was cold and ferocious when we got there, so we stopped only for a pic…

… or two….

Nice snap from Neil on his phone

…and a brief appreciation of the fabulous views.

The moor remained boggy and finding and then keeping to a path was not easy. For most of the time we either followed something that the sheep had made for us or simply made our way as best we could…..

… aiming for the edge of a wood where we hoped to find a more distinct footpath.

We passed close by a ruined farmhouse…

… and from there more or less took its long abandoned track down to the Afon Fflur.

Too broken up even to guess

My knee was hurting quite badly now and Neil began to suggest possible ways that I might stop and they find way to come and get me but I re-dosed myself with painkillers and gel and we carried on along a decent track leading to a property called Bryneithinog.

Love these exposed tree roots

 They had a lot of very amusing objects in their garden.

We all thought this was very jolly

A little climb from here gave us an opportunity to watch some sheep racing…

We, like sheep… (racing)

…. before we descended again….

….to the edge of  what the map showed as a wood, but was now an ex-wood.

I often wonder why the occasional tree trunk gets left standing

Next to the ex-wood was a rather nice ruin that a tree was making its home in.

And had clearly been doing so for a good few years.

This wood was only partly ex, though.  A new one had been planted to take its place.

I think this may indicate that it is on a Strata Florida trail

These forestry plantations seldom delight but Coed Cnwch that we passed through next was, indeed, delightful.

All those twisted trunks and branches!

With the sun now getting low in the sky there were plenty of contre-jour pics to be had.

In a clearing Paul came across a rams skull complete with curly horns.

“Alas, poor Yorick!”

He was so taken with it I was surprised that he didn’t stuff it into his rucksack for further contemplation.

Do not feed the hand that bites you.

Coed Cnwch seems to have been embraced by the local community. There were some seats…

… and several installations….

… where local artists have a chance to display their creativity.

Ahhh!

Further signs of local amenity were evidenced by a static caravan park on the outskirts of Pontrhydfendigaid.

Memories of the Wales Coast Path come flooding back

Our path joined Abbey Road (we’ll visit the abbey at Strata Florida on the next days walk). We turned left onto it and made our way to the Black Lion Hotel where I had left my car, having stayed there the night before last. No time for a drink now though.

I went to see the doc about the knee. He prodded and pushed and suggested that I do some exercises. But that wasn’t the answer as you will later find out.