Geo-Trips :: A trip up Y Garn and the area to the north
Llyn Ogwen
A walk from Llyn Ogwen shoreside, Thu, 20 Apr 2023 by Richard Law
A decent day's walk of just over 8 miles, starting roadside by Llyn Ogwen, and taking in Y Garn by an alternative ascent through Cwm Clyd. It involves just over 3300ft of ascent as shown here, but the optional extension out onto Elidir Fawr would add a further 500ft to that. On this occasion the weather was bright and sunny all day, albeit with a cool easterly breeze, and the summit shelter on Mynydd Perfedd was much appreciated to get out of the wind and brew up a carton of soup on a light stove.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Southern shore of Llyn Ogwen
Looking along the roadside wall, with the hills on the western side of the Nant... more
Shingle beach at the northern end of Llyn Idwal
The beach was the find-spot in 2015 of a couple of prehistoric stone implements -... more
View towards Pen yr Ole Wen
View across the Nant Ffrancon to the significant hillside of Pen yr Ole Wen,... more
Pitched path on Y Garn
My recollection is that this path was a badly-worn scar some 25 or 30 years ago,... more
Path on the eastern spur of Y Garn
Looking down the path that climbs/descends the eastern spur of the mountain,... more
Path on the eastern spur of Y Garn
A path with a view. This route looks across the Nant Ffrancon valley, directly at... more
Cwm Clyd from the northeast
A view into the secretive Cwm Clyd below Y Garn; little visited as the paths don't... more
Llyn Clyd
The larger of the two lakes in Cwm Clyd. With an optimistic eye, there are a few... more
At the outflow of Llyn Clyd
The small tarn in this high corrie lies at about 2150ft, one of the highest bodies... more
Across Cwm Clyd towards Pen yr Ole Wen
A general view across the high cwm below Y Garn to the south & west faces of... more
Rock and scree high on the back wall of Cwm Clyd
There isn't really a logical or sensible ascent (or descent) route on that face,... more
Rock buttresses and scree below the summit of Y Garn
Looking down in Cwm Clyd
Taken from a point immediately to the west of Castell y Geifr; a very similar shot... more
Walkers' summit cairn & shelter on Y Garn
A jumble of boulders in the ground and piled up into a bit of a wall, loosely... more
Looking down the NW slopes of Y Garn
The significant hill in the background is Elidir Fawr
Cwm Cywion from the NW ridge of Y Garn
A view down roughly 800ft of vertical difference between the ridge that runs NW... more
Path contouring below Bwlch y Cywion
Path contouring below Foel Goch
Rather than ascend and redescend the summit of Foel Goch, this path allows walkers... more
View directly down Cwm Dudodyn
Something of a hanging valley above Nant Peris, Cwm Dudodyn has a stream which... more
Elidir Fawr's north face
Across the rocky outcrops of Craig Cwrwgl from Bwlch y Marchlyn. The sun is just... more
View down towards Bwlch y Marchlyn
A similar view to that in [[4277690]] but in rather more benign conditions (to be... more
Wind shelter and a standing stone on Mynydd Perfedd
The wind shelter looks to have been recently rebuilt, it's certainly tidier than... more
On the plateau edge, north of Mynydd Perfedd
Between Mynydd Perfedd and Carnedd y Filiast there's an extensive grassy plateau... more
The steep eastern face of Mynydd Perfedd
The 'headwall' of Cwm Perfedd is mainly comprised of steep(ish) scree and boulders... more
Grassy spur between two cwms
This grassy hillside separates Cwm Perfedd (off to the left) from Cwm Bual (down... more
Grassy spur between two cwms
Looking down the pleasant grassy ridge which separates Cwm Perfedd (off to the... more
View into Cwm Bual
Taken from the grassy spur that separates Cwm Perfedd from Cwm Bual
Uphill towards Foel Goch
Remains of an old boundary
Just about discernible in the foreground is the line of an old field boundary,... more
A view down the steep end of Y Galan
Assuming Y Galan is the name of the grassy spur that comes down from the hills to... more
The rocky spur of Y Galan
A view down the Nant Ffrancon from the steep ground on the slopes above Maes Caradoc farm
Looking downhill into the Nant Francon
The flat floor of this classic U-shaped glacial valley contrasts markedly with the... more
Uphill towards the crags of Y Galan
From above, this little crag is practically invisible [[7468604]], which is why I... more
Ponies grazing on the floor of the Nant Ffrancon valley
The scree and rocks of the steep eastern wall of the valley are clear on the far side.
Ruined building above the road in Nant Ffrancon
This ruinous structure is not recorded by Coflein, or the Gwynedd Archaeological... more
Pentre farmhouse
Built around 1850 (it isn't shown on the map of 1839) and Grade II listed... more
In the Nant Ffrancon
On the 'old' road which runs along the western side of the valley; the track on... more
Across the valley floor
A view across the flat lower floor of the Nant Francon valley, to the steep... more
Fields in the Nant Ffrancon
Fields, walls and the Afon Ogwen all in the floor of the valley; the area of rough... more
Blaen-y-Nant farm, Nant Ffrancon valley
View down the Nant Ffrancon
Taken from the roadside on the 'old' road down the west side of the valley, this... more
Spigot Mortar Emplacement
One of 5 or 6 similar concrete mortar-gun emplacements in the Pont Pen-y-benglog... more
Spigot Mortar Emplacement
Not the greatest photo, as it was heavily shadowed by the surrounding trees.... more
5 Anti-tank blocks near Pont Pen-y-benglog
One of 2 sets of similar concrete anti-tank blocks in the Pont Pen-y-benglog area.... more
3 Anti-tank blocks near Pont Pen-y-benglog
One of 2 sets of similar concrete anti-tank blocks in the Pont Pen-y-benglog area.... more
WWII roadblock hook
One of several hook and eye fittings in the rock cutting just north of Pont... more
Pont Pen-y-benglog from the west
A view of the splendid stone bridge over the outflow of Llyn Ogwen, which consists... more
All images © Richard Law and available under a
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