Wednesday 5 May 2021 - Nanmor and Aberglaslyn

We set off slightly earlier this morning, which meant that we copped the 10:30 shower of hailstones. Not to worry, the weather behaved itself after that.

We had parked by a bridge over the Afon Glaslyn River about 1 km south of Beddgelert, a 15 minute drive from home, with the objective being a 17 km clockwise circuit via the Nanmor valley and Aberglaslyn.

The Riverside scene in Beddgelert is pictured above.

A pleasant path took us to a lane and past the Sygun Copper Mine (closed at present), then happily up to a lake, Llyn Dinas.

Snowdon was seen clearly in the distance, the cloud having risen above the mountain's white cap.

Across the valley, the small summit of Dinas Emrys seemed an unlikely venue for the first appearance of Myrddyn, known in English as Merlin, in British myth. The story of a fight between two dragons is also the origin of the tale behind the red dragon's appearance on the Welsh flag. I won't go into the complicated story involving Saxons, Britons, wizards and a boy born to a virgin mother any further just now.

A lovely path took us alongside Llyn Dinas to an ideal elevenses stop, beyond which 3.5 km of quiet tarmac saw us well into the Nanmor valley. Beside the road we saw a heavily horned wild goat, a crested tit, a willow warbler, and a meadow pipit. Cuckoos were vocal, if not visible.

After leaving the road, a concessionary path took us towards a house called Buarthau, before which a warm slab of slate provided an excellent venue for lunch. 

Beyond this, we passed through some lovely sunlit woodland. 

The path continued, faint in places as it seems little used, to cross open land before entering the forest of Dolfriog and making its way to a lane that led us to the hamlet of Nantmor.

After crossing the narrow gauge railway, we made our way to the Pass of Aberglaslyn, through which the Glaslyn river passes as a torrent. We saw more people on this short section than for the rest of the day, and not many even then. An old mine working contained a discarded coffee cup, the only piece of litter I saw all day.

We soon passed a shelduck and arrived back at the bridges across the river from where we'd started, and here we assisted a couple who were engaged in a debate as to the location of the copper mines. (They had made a fundamental error in Beddgelert  - not to worry!)

The view from the bridge showed threatening rain clouds, so we had finished our walk at an opportune time (2:30).

Here's our route, another good one - 17 km with about 400 metres ascent, taking us 4.5 hours. An excellent outing, and then back home for tea and biscuits, a game of Boggle, and a delicious meal.

Click on any image for a better version.