28.01.23 Craig Eigiau
(SH 712 646)
As the dawn became
morning, a succession of steep hairpin bends gradually brought me to the farm
of Rowlyn. Having duly opened and closed
a gate, I motored onwards along the narrow road to Cwm Eigiau with the high
Carneddau ridge soon becoming visible, mottled with broken snow patches and
enveloped with wisps of mist. My
progress then came to a sudden halt. In
front of me was an abandoned vehicle blocking the road with its offside front-wheel
having broken off! I jumped out of the
car to inspect the grass beside the road and concluded that it was driveable to
bypass the wreck. The short offroad was
tackled steadily and quickly and within a few minutes I had arrived at the car
park in front of Llyn Eigiau.
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| Breakdown (Photo: Aled Williams) |
The plan for the morning
was a north-south traverse of Craig Eigiau, with the objective being to survey
a potential new P10 Sub-Top for The Welsh Highlands list. Despite my early start, the car park was
surprisingly almost full, with many having wild-camped on the hill the previous
night. Quick progress was made along the
track that services the Melynllyn and Dulyn reservoirs and I soon found myself atop
the first peak of the day, the Sub-Top of Clogwyn yr Eryr.
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| Clogwyn yr Eryr (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Dulyn (Photo: Aled Williams) |
The views from this
minor top were stunning, rewarding my earlier efforts in vacating the warmth of
my bed in the dark depths of January! To
the south stretched Llyn Eigiau, perfectly reflecting the image of Pen Llithrig
y Wrach that towered behind the lake. To
the west was the dark well of Dulyn, its cold waters gently coaxing mist
downwards from the high Carneddau, with an alpine-like Carnedd Llywelyn sitting
high above the cloudy scene.
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| Carnedd Llywelyn (Photo: Aled Williams) |
A series of chiselled outcrops appeared on the
horizon, signalling my imminent arrival at the high point of the day, the 735.0m
summit of Craig Eigiau. Having crossed a
bank of hard snow, a slippery scramble took me to the highest pinnacle of rock. I stood at the summit for a few minutes
admiring the rock architecture and the surrounding country, contemplating
whether I had previously underrated the merits of this fine hill.
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| The high point of the day (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Craig Eigiau summit (Photo: Aled Williams) |
With great expectation I
headed southwards to survey the 688m summit of Craig Eigiau. As I walked across the sodden expanse of
montane grassland a frozen drizzle blew in from Carnedd Llywelyn. Over my shoulder an arch of colour commanded
my attention, transpiring as a rainbow straddling the Gletffordd plateau.
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| Rainbow (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Craig Eigiau rainbow (Photo: Aled Williams) |
I was now face-to-face with my quarry, the
Sub-Top of Craig Eigiau, resembling very much its higher neighbour albeit with
muted grandeur. A further belt of icy
drizzle and mist blew in as I surveyed the critical bwlch of the hill, with
data eventually gathered at two positions.
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| The Sub-Top of Craig Eigiau (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Summit of the Sub-Top (Photo: Aled Williams) |
The high point proved relatively easy to
identify, with an Abney level being used to verify the placement before data
was collected with the Trimble. As I
headed down from the summit, a good number of alpine clubmoss (Diphasiastrum
alpinum) plants were observed, being perfectly adept to the harsh winter
environment on these mountains. Also in
their element were the mountain ponies of which the Carneddau claim their own
unique breed of.
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| Alpine clubmoss (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Carneddau mountain ponies (Photo: Aled Williams) |
A steep descent towards the old farm of Cwm
Eigiau brought me onto the track that would lead me back to the awaiting car. As I walked out of the valley, I thought
about the people who once inhabited its upper regions, living their lives
within its confines and thereby bringing a constant human presence. In stark contrast, the Cwm Eigiau of today is
a transient place.
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| Cwm Eigiau (Photo: Aled Williams) |
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| Craig Eigiau (Photo: Aled Williams) |
Aled Williams (January
2023)
Survey Result:
Craig
Eigiau
Summit Height: 688.4m (converted to OSGM15) (significant height revision)
Summit Grid Reference: SH 71280 64670
Bwlch Height: 678.2m (converted to OSGM15)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SH 71218 64674
Drop: 10.2m (Welsh Highland Sub addition)
Dominance: 1.48%
For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet
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