Drygarn Fawr
Turn right on to the road and walk towards the bridge, just before which a stony track heads up left. Take this and after 100yds (91m) turn right, through a gate. Follow the track across fields and down to the Afon Gwesyn, which you ford. Continue to a gate and up towards a wood where the track splits. Choose the top option and then, as this bends around to the left and heads downhill 20yds (18m) later, fork right, to traverse the clearing to a gap in the wood.
Follow the path down to a ford. Climb on to open ground and bear right to climb to a farm track by some buildings. Turn left on to this and follow it through a gate, where you fork left to walk beneath some crags. Ignore another fork to the left and continue to open ground. Follow the east side of the valley for over 1.5 miles (2.4km) to a waterfall.
Pass this on the right, then continue until the path almost disappears. Follow the line of the stream until you reach a distinctive small ridge coming in from the right. Take this uphill for 150yds (135m) and then bear left on to a narrow path, which leads you around a number of boggy patches until the cairned summit of Drygarn Fawr becomes visible. The path is often very indistinct. If you become unsure, aim for the crags and use a compass.
Climb the grassy slope to the trig point, then follow the ridge east past both cairns. A close scan of the hillsides to the east-southeast should reveal two grassy tops, 1.5 miles (2.4km) away, one with a large cairn on top – this is Carnau, your next objective. A clear grassy track descends east from the cairn. Follow this until it levels completely and rounds a left-hand bend, where you’ll make out a faint path forking right. This is the start of the careful navigation and if you’re in any doubt about visibility, or your ability to navigate, you’ll be better off turning around and retracing your tracks.
Follow the track, which passes to the left of a solitary boundary marker. Turn sharp right here (south), away from the path, and cross wet ground to climb slightly on to a very broad rounded ridge. You’ll make out the head of a small valley ahead and, as you drop into this, bear slightly left to follow the high ground with the valley to your right. Continue on sheep tracks to cross a couple of hollows, until you reach a grassy hilltop on your left. From here, you should be able to see the cairn ahead. Take the clear path that leads to it. Alternatively, keep as straight a line as you can from the cairn, with your eyes fixed on Carnau and your compass to the fore.
From Carnau, you’ll see the start of a clear gorge away to the southwest. Walk towards this, on a visible path, and you’ll pick up a good track as you cross the river. Continue downstream on the far bank and then stay with the path as it bears away right and crosses open hillsides. Take a right when the path forks in order to drop into the bottom of the valley, where you need to ford the stream to go through a gate.
Climb on a good track that eventually drops to cross another stream via a footbridge and then continue up to a five-way junction. Turn sharp right here, go through a gate and then another on the left. Drop down through the field past a sheepfold and through three gates and on to an enclosed track and follow this to a junction above some houses on your left. Keep right, going onto a grassy path, cross a stream and then take the track across a field to a path junction. By a cluster of gates, go through three to keep straight ahead and descend through the yard of Glangwesyn to the road. Turn right on to the road to return to your car.
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Nearby places to stay
View all (8)
- Rooms 9
- Free TV
- Wifi
- Lounge with TV
- Launderette
- Ice pack facility
- BBQ
- Wifi available
- Rooms 13
- Free TV
- Wifi
- Open parking




