Carole Engel Completes
the Welsh Humps
24.11.18 Pen y Boncyn Trefeilw (SH 962 283, previously
Trimbled), Stac Rhos (SH 969 279, previously Trimbled), Foel Cedig (SH 981 283,
previously Trimbled) and Y Groes Fagl (SH 988 289, previously Trimbled)
With the hill meet
organised by Alex Cameron at the old Workhouse on the outskirts of Llanfyllin
being so close to the Y Berwyn it gave an opportunity for a number of people to
visit Foel Cedig, whose qualifying summit for a number of lists, including the
Marilyns, Humps, Simms, Hewitts, Pellennig, Yr Uchafion and Nuttalls was
earlier this year relocated from Cyrniau Nod.
As a part of this Carole
Engel had decided to postpone her Welsh Hump completion for a week and
re-scheduled this to coincide with the hill meet. By doing so there was a prospect of being
joined on top of Foel Cedig by a number of other baggers, but with many
different agendas and with people approaching this hill from different directions
and starting their ascents at different times, it would be interesting to see
how many gathered at this summit when Carole was having her celebration.
Having attended the
Friday evening meal at the Workhouse I drove back home in wet conditions through
mist and thick fog and wondered if the weather gods were to put a dampener on
proceedings for the following day.
Thankfully although the weather was grey and murky, the rain resisted
temptation and the tops were clear of low clag.
I met Alan Caine at the
Workhouse just before 9.00am and we drove in two cars to the car park at the
north end of Llyn Efyrnwy (Lake Vyrnwy) where Carole, and Jeff and Enid Parr
were already waiting. It was good to see
all three, and this is one of the joys of occasionally dipping in to the
community of hill baggers as friends have been made and will be kept, and all
three; Carole, Jeff and Enid are people who I look forward to meeting up with
time and again.
Having donned my winter
wellies I then drove the five of us to the top of Cwm Hirnant and parked
opposite the gauged out track that leads toward the summit of Foel Cedig. This track eases passage to these heather
clad hills, and if not for it the task of bagging these hills would be a
daunting one.
On our way to Foel Cedig
we visited the summits of Pen y Boncyn Trefeilw and Stac Rhos, which were later
in the day surveyed by Alan Dawson with his Leica RX1250. To our east the grey morning clag was just
grasping on to the upper part of Foel Cedig, but this would lift as the morning
progressed.
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| Carole with Foel Cedig in the background |
During our journey on
the track beside the moorland Alan Caine zoomed off in to the heather and bog
to bag any summit going, with Bridges and one or two ‘Deleted Tops’ in the
Nuttalls book all being fair game.
Approaching Foel Cedig
Carole led the way through the heather as I tried to keep up with a
digi-camcorder in hand, she reached the top and completed the Welsh Humps and
immediately set about logging her ascent online, which made me smile. One quick wind-blown interview later and the
bottles were opened and cake passed round.
As we arrived at the
summit Denise and Richard McLellan were just about to leave, they turned back
and remained with us as more and more people started to appear from different
directions. Richard’s ascent of Foel
Cedig was also of significance as he was re-completing the Marilyns and him and
Carole sat centre stage on the little rocky knoll that makes up the high point as
everyone else gathered around for the customary summit photograph.
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| Richard's re-completion of the Marilyns on top of Foel Cedig |
The walk back on the
track was enjoyable and we reached my car 4½ hours after setting
off. It was good to see Carole, Jeff and
Enid again and many others who were on the summit of Foel Cedig and also at the
Workhouse, and thanks to Alex for organising the hill meet and Carole’s
invitation to join her on her special day of celebration in completing the
Welsh Humps.
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| Celebratory gathering at the summit of Foel Cedig |
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