08.05.26 Wenallt (SO 036 712)
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| The summit of Wenallt (SO 036 712) |
Forested summits are not my favourites. This isn’t surprising as many prove formidable to reach their highest point, entailing pathless slogs through
enclosed conifers with skin ripping brambles and other unsavoury undergrowth
encountered. There are also some summits
that resemble an assault course due to felled wind blown trees when upward progress
seems impossible. However, on occasion
even these can give an unusual feeling of fulfillment if the summit is
eventually reached.
Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that I had left
Wenallt as my last Pedwar in this area of Wales, as although inviting tracks
are shown on the Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Explorer map, the hill looked a mass of
uninviting conifer trees.
With a planned morning visit to the Powys
archive at Llandod and knowing that this was my last Pedwar in the Hirddywel
group of hills, Aled was enthusiastic for us to visit the hill in the afternoon. The forecast wasn’t promising with heavy
localised showers breaking out after midday, and as we left the archive at its
12.30pm closing time the clouds were massing with the prospect of those showers
soon materialising.
It’s only a short drive from Llandod to Abaty
Cwm-hir and we were soon parked just off the narrow road at the start of a
forest rack. A metal gate barred further
vehicle access, and upon inspection we found this locked, so driving on the
forest track to gain height was now out of the question. Therefore, once walking boots were donned we
set off up the wide expanse of gravelled track that led first northward away
from the summit before swinging westward back toward it.
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| A convenient parking place for the ascent of Wenallt |
The early afternoon was slightly muggy and as my
younger companion seemed to manage the uphill with hardly a breath out of
place, I started to sweat and needed a few rests to try and compose my
heartbeat and steady its increased thudding.
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| The narrower track leading to the turning place |
It was a tranquil scene in the forest, with
rising mature conifers spreading toward the sky and occasional birdsong wafting
from their heights. The main forest
track soon bisected with the branch we wanted now narrowing and heading
south. This culminated in a grassed area
where forestry vehicles could turn. We
now had two options for further progress; one grassed track leading up to two
felled trees and a slightly lower path that was narrower and lost a little
height. We opted for the higher one and
soon clambered over the trees. On our
descent we headed through the mature forest to join the lower narrower path,
and therefore bi-passing the two obstacles.
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| The greens and blues of summer |
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| Approaching the grassed turning circle |
Having clambered over the two trees we were soon
on a delightful path that meandered through the wood, always claiming height on
a thankfully steady gradient. Such paths
are seldom found in conifer forests. The
path forever weaved its way up through the wood, with dappled sunlight
occasionally casting through the trees, adding a welcome highlight of colour to
the scene.
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| A direct approach toward the summit looked horrendous |
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| The green track beyond the turning circle with the two fallen trees ahead |
Thankfully the forecast showers never
materialised in this part of the country, with only a few spots of rain
appearing as our route through the trees reached the upper broad easterly ridge
of the hill. Here we swung rightward
with the path continuing its delightful meander through the trees.
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| On the path that meandered through the wood |
Close to the summit another large fallen tree
meant a slight diversion was needed, but such occurrences were rare and the ones
encountered never difficult to overcome.
Aled reached the summit before me; this comprises a small outcrop with
vegetation overflowing from its upper reaches.
The outcrop is easy to get up with only thin branches from enclosing
trees as hindrance.
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| On the broad easterly ridge leading toward the summit |
I followed and with Aled vacating the small area
of the high point I soon stood on the summit.
Making our way back down we examined the outcrop and pondered what a
lovely ridge walk this would have been prior to the influx of conifers, and
what a shame it was that those planting the forestry had no foresight to leave
the summit area free of trees.
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| Aled on the summit of Wenallt |
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| The outcrop that constitutes the summit of Wenallt |
Our route proved ideal, with the upper part of
an approach from the west looking horrendous as a jumble of trees barred any
passage through. All that remained was
to retrace our steps down the broad easterly ridge before swinging north on our
delightful inward path, with Aled leading the way through the mature trees to
gain the lower path close to the turning place so we could avoid the two fallen
trees clambered over on our ascent. We
were back at the car by 3.15pm, with the walk having taken 1hr 50min.
Another Pedwar visited taking my total to 364
hills, with 448 hills in all it would be tempting to concentrate on the
remainder, but my baggng mentality has changed over recent years and I gain almost
as much pleasure from repeat ascents as I do from visiting new hills, so for me
I doubt I’ll finish this list.
Survey Result:
Wenallt
Summit Height: 471.9m (LIDAR)
Summit Grid Reference: SO 03697 71231 (LIDAR)
Bwlch Height: 372.7m (LIDAR)
Bwlch Grid Reference: SO 03481 72058 (LIDAR)
Drop: 99.2m (LIDAR)
Dominance: 21.01% (LIDAR)
For further details please consult the Trimble Survey Spreadsheet
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