Conquering the Welsh Matterhorn
Post categories: Places to go,ÌýWeatherman walking
| 09:20 UK time, Monday, 14 June 2010
Last week, I was away filming for a new series of Weatherman Walking.
We did two fantastic walks - the first on the Llyn Peninsula and the other up the Welsh Matterhorn - Cnicht.
The walk on the Llyn Peninsula took in the summits of Tre'r Ceiri meaning 'town of giants' and Yr Eifl.
Remains of the Iron Age huts:
Along the way, we visited one of the most spectacular Iron Age hill forts in North Wales - which still has large ramparts (up to 3m high) in places as well as remnants of old stone buildings inside.
As the mist lifted the views across to Snowdonia, Anglesey and around the coast were absolutely stunning.
We then headed down to , an old mining village, which has been transformed into the Welsh National Language and Heritage Centre.
Coming here brought back memories of my last visit back in 2005 when I came to study Welsh for the Big Welsh Challenge.
If you're in the area, pop into Caffi Meinir for a bite to eat or an ice-cream. After filming, we went to Porth Dinllaen near Nefyn and had a drink in the which is right on the beach - a great place to relax and have a paddle in the sea.
Rowing boats on the beach at Porth Dinllaen:
The next walk was up Cnicht, a mountain which, when viewed from the south-west, looks like The Matterhorn in Switzerland but is not particularly high at 689 metres or 2,260 feet.
We started from the village of Croesor which has its own outdoor swimming pool. The climb is fairly steady and soon there were wonderful views down to Porthmadog and Tremadog Bay.
Towards the peak, the walk became a bit tougher as we had to scramble over rocks but it was well worth the effort.
On the trail up towards the Cnicht Mountain:
We all felt a real sense of achievement when we reached the top but by then, the weather had closed in with fog and heavy rain.
Thankfully my guide had a map and compass which you definitely need on this walk, just in case the weather takes a turn for the worse.
The route down took us past Llyn y Adar and the eerie remains of Rhosydd and Croesor slate quarries.
Old slate fencing at Cwm Croesor:
We then walked down Cwm Croesor and back to our starting point at the car park where we popped into Caffi Croesor for a well deserved cuppa and a muffin.
Cnicht and the Moelwyn mountains are much quieter than other popular parts of Snowdonia, but are just as rugged and beautiful in their own way.
Derek
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