06.05.18 Carn Pen y Clogau (SN 717 185), Banc y Foel (SN
725 186), Garreg Lwyd (SN 740 179), Foel Fraith (SN 756 182) and Cefn y Cylchau
(SN 757 197)
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| Banc y Foel (SN 725 186) |
With one remaining Dewey
to visit in Section 32B (the only one!), Mark suggested a visit to the western
hills of Mynydd Du and we decided on a circular walk taking in five hills and starting
from the convenience of a lay-by close to a sharp bend on the A 4069 road as it
heads south from Llangadog to Glanaman.
The weather was idyllic
on our drive south with warm May sunshine and hardly a cloud in the sky. We left the car parked in the lay-by and set
off walking at 12.25pm up the continuation of the A road, until it bisected a
minor road which contours the northern slopes of our first hill of the day;
Carn Pen y Clogau.
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| Looking back to our inward route with Cefn y Cylchau in the background |
The whole land shimmered
in the warmth of the day adding heat haze to any prospective distant view. We left the minor road and headed up over
parched grassland to the large ancient cairn atop the hill. This is just one of a multitude of Bronze Age
round barrow’s that has been mutilated to incorporate a wind shelter, it is
reported on Coflein to measure 18m in
diameter and be up to 3.4m in height, and today it was Trimbled.
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| The ancient cairn of Carn Pen y Clogau |
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| Gathering data at the summit of Carn Pen y Clogau |
The connecting bwlch to
the next hill proved to be in expansive dried grassland that merged in to an
expansive bog, once the customary data were gathered I circumvented the wettest
parts and joined Mark on the summit of Banc y Foel.
Whilst the Trimble perched
atop what was judged to be the highest embedded rock, I chatted with Mark, who
sat in the sun and lunched on what looked like morsels of juicy nit-bits. To our north-east the ancient cairn of Carn
Pen Rhiw Ddu nestled on the edge of this hill’s summit plateaux and looked of
similar height and therefore worth surveying, once these two points had been
surveyed we followed a narrow path leading down toward the high point of the A
4069.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Banc y Foel |
The critical bwlch of
Banc y Foel lay near this road, but before surveying it we had a call of
destiny with an ice cream van that was parked in one of the large lay-by’s, and
on a warm day when ice cream is served by a south Wales accented attractive
young woman whose lilting voice sounded like bird song and the smoothness,
texture and altogether yumminess of the ice cream was all too much and was to
be savoured, it was proof enough that the world is a good place.
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| The ice cream van awaits |
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| Yummy! |
Once the bwlch was
surveyed I slowly plodded up the steepening westerly slopes of Garreg Lwyd and
joined Mark as we headed for its summit, a number of people descended the hill
back toward the road as we approached the high point, and while on top we had
the hill to ourselves.
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| Approaching the summit of Garreg Lwyd |
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| Mark at the summit of Garreg Lwyd |
All points east led in
to the expansive grasslands of Mynydd Du, which is a vast open land with few fences. A path headed down in to this land toward the
connecting bwlch with Foel Fraith, this was Trimbled before we slowly made our
way up toward the next summit.
I’d visited Foel Fraith
on a number of occasions but not for many years, it is positioned between two
2,000fts and because of this probably has fewer ascents when compared to its
higher neighbours, but it is a good rounded and grassed hill overlooking the
open wild surrounds of the hill range.
Whilst two points were surveyed for summit position Mark lay on the
ground and soaked up the sun, during the second data set I stood with my face
toward the sun, closed my eyes and let my mind wander almost to a meditative
state, where coloured hues played on my inner eye and bird song tranquilly
pierced the freshness of air.
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| Gathering data at the summit of Foel Fraith |
Just one hill remained
to visit; Cefn y Cylchau, which is an outlier of Foel Fraith and not positioned
on the direct traverse of the main Mynydd Du ridge, it is a great bulk of a
hill, predominated in the grasslands that make up the hill range.
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| Heading toward Cefn y Cylchau |
Its bwlch was Trimbled
before a narrow sheep path led toward its high point, I positioned the Trimble
on ground a few metres from a cairn and waited for the allotted five minutes of
data to be gathered, and then joined Mark on an attractive rock outcrop to the
west of the summit and on our descent route back to the car.
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| Gathering data at the bwlch of Cefn y Cylchau |
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| Foel Fraith |
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| Gathering data at the summit of Cefn y Cylchau |
The descent proved
steep, but the day had been good, the weather blissful, and although warm it
was not overly so. Ahead lay Banc y Foel
and the ancient cairn of Pen Rhiw Ddu perched on the hillside commanding
extensive views. These hills are to be
savoured in their openness and grassed surrounds, a wilderness area to be
respected and enjoyed.
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| Banc y Foel (SN 725 186) |
Survey Result:
Carn Pen y Clogau
Summit Height: 521.6m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 71707 18595
Bwlch Height: 505.1m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 71954 18567
Drop: 16.5m (Uchaf status confirmed)
Dominance: 3.17%
Banc y Foel (significant name change)
Summit Height: 531.6m (converted to OSGM15) (significant height revision)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 72536 18670
Bwlch Height: 492.7m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 73064 18397
Drop: 38.9m
Dominance: 7.32%
Garreg Lwyd
Summit Height: 617.4m (converted to OSGM15, Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 74042 17921 (Trimble GeoXH 6000)
Bwlch Height: 512m (spot height)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 76627 18502 (spot height)
Drop: 105m (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and spot height bwlch)
Dominance: 17.07% (Trimble GeoXH 6000 summit and spot height bwlch)
Foel Fraith
Summit Height: 603.5m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 75642 18295
Bwlch Height: 526.7m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 74953 17944
Drop: 76.9m
Dominance: 12.74%
Cefn y Cylchau
Summit Height: 555.5m (converted to OSGM15)
Summit Grid Reference: SN 75728 19716
Bwlch Height: 518.4m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SN 75755 19034
Drop: 37.1m
Dominance: 6.67%
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