We absolutely love canoeing, and try to get out whenever we can, so these posts are about some of the places we’ve canoed around here.

Let’s start off with the closest place to us to canoe, the river Dwyryd. It runs past where we live, and the river is tidal up to Maentwrog bridge (which is about a mile down the road from us) so you can legally canoe up to the bridge at Maentwrog if you want to. There are two places where you can park and access the river, one at the pottery at Tan Y Bwlch where there is a large layby, but you have to carry the canoes along a track for a few minutes to reach the river, and often when the river is low there isn’t enough water to canoe from here anyway. So we usually use the second access point which is  a bit further downstream, a small half layby opposite a large house called Bryn Mawr, here once getting your canoes over the fence , which is easy enough, it’s very close to river, so no need for carrying all the gear very far.

Once in the river, you have two choices, either paddle upstream towards Maentwrog, where the river gently winds its way up to the village, you will pass the tributary coming down from Felin Rhyd (no canoeing up past the bridge here due to water sometimes being released from the Hydro Power station) you will then see the imposing Plas Tan Y Bwlch house up on the hillside to your left, and you will catch glimpses of the lovely spire on the old St Twrog’s Church poking its head up through the trees, and if there’s enough water in the river (usually best when there’s a high tide) you can easily make it all the way up to the bridge at Maentwrog, making your way back down to your car once you’ve finished exploring.

If you would prefer a longer trip, you could try paddling downstream from Bryn Mawr. There are several lots of old slate keys on the river, the best of which is on your right as you go downstream, great place to get out for a picnic. As you carry on down the Dwyryd, you will see the Harlech toll bridge in the distance, as you pass under this you will be heading out into the estuary, you will see the island Yyns Gifftan ahead of you and slightly to the left, with the Italianate village of Portmeirion to your right. There is a small bay just before Portmeirion called Abergafren, where if you wish to end your trip here you can, there is a car park up the slip way (or you can walk up to the village of Minffordd to get a bus). If you wish to go further you can carry on past Portmeirion, and across the estuary running parallel with the Cob (you will see the Snowdon mountain range behind the Cob, and maybe see the steam from the Ffestiniog railway running along the cob) heading for Porthmadog. Once you get to the small island (Ballast island, so called because of all the ships returning home and dumping their ballast here so forming an island) by the entrance to the harbour of Porthmadog you can either carry on into the harbour where you can get out up the slipway, or you can carry on round the corner to the beautiful Borth Y Gest harbour.

The tide can really affect the state of this river and estuary, so make sure you know what the tide is doing before you set out, and because of a gorge effect upstream from the Harlech toll bridge there is a lag of one hour, so whatever time high tide is in Porthmadog, please be aware it will be an hour later up river.

To view the whole set of photos and a slideshow:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nseears/sets/72157627576479542/show/

Since then, thanks to the hard work of the project’s fantastic committee and generous support from government and local industry, the group has progressed the plans significantly to the point where the first of four phases is now ready to begin.

There are four phases planned, the first at Llechwedd due to start in 2010 and the others still in an earlier stage of planning:

• Llechwedd Project – aimed primarily at the “down-hill” mountain biking sector, plans are for an extensive set of high quality routes which could be used for both recreation and international competition, along with an opportunity for conversion of the mansion to an on-site centre of excellence or academy for the sport.  As I understand it, plans and funding are in place and construction due to start 2010.
• Tanygrisiau Lake Route – 8km and 5km options, suitable for families, stunning mountain surroundings.
• Moelwynion Circuit – 15km route for both walkers and cyclists with some challenging gradients, excellent views over the Ffestiniog area.
  [our walk posted here a few months back covers part of this route]
• Coed Cymerau Project – to extend from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Maentwrog and provide integration with the Ffestiniog Railway, this project will provide a number of routes in pretty woodland surroundings.  Site plan completed, awaiting stakeholder agreement and funding.

As you can see, the new facilities proposed are really exciting!  Both for tourists visiting the area, and opportunities for local residents and businesses, this project offers some outstanding things for us all to look forward to.

Antur ‘Stiniog seem to be extremely well organised and highly capable of completing the proposed developments.  Their stated mission is:

“…to develop the Ffestiniog and Snowdonia areas as a focus for outdoor activities, e.g. walking, climbing, fishing, biking, and canoeing;

to develop a mountain biking centre in the area of international standard;

and to provide new tourism, training and employment opportunities of the highest quality.”

We’re so excited and can’t wait for work to begin!  We’ll keep you posted of any further developments as they happen.

See the Antur ‘Stiniog web site for more information:
http://www.anturstiniog.com/english/index.html

See the 2008-09 plan for full details of project phases with maps of the planned routes:
http://www.anturstiniog.com/downloads/1/Antur-Stiniog-Development-Plan-2008-09.pdf

I’ve been learning with my new Panasonic DSLR so I thought they were pretty impressive. Snowdonia makes an excellent photograpic training ground any time of year, and I’ve got great shots all year round. Unfortunately nothing as good as these prize-winners yet, but once I get better results I’ll post some on here. If you’ve got any impressive North Wales shots add your link in the comments. Flickr is a great way to join the photo community, as well as looking for inspiration/new techniques to try out.

Click on the photos to see their Flickr page with the full-size version. They’re well worth a closer look! They’re all geotagged if you see somewhere you’d like to visit.

Our second walk is around the lakes and wooded hills of the old Plas Tan y Bwlch Estate. The main walk, without the extension to the viewpoint, takes about 1 ½ hours and is along easy tracks and paths (4 stiles to cross Ffestiniog Railway line and return) although you may want to allow time to picnic by one of the lakes.

If you want to take in the viewpoint, which involves some steep uphill and downhill sections, allow at least another 2 hours, or more if you want to enjoy the stunning views or picnic at the viewpoint.

History

Some of the route runs along old estate paths and tracks dating back to the 18th Century when the Maentwrog valley was landscaped by the Plas Tan y Bwlch Estate.  Some runs along new forestry tracks.

Oak was grown here in the 18th-19th Century, mainly for the ship building industry in Porthmadog and some for the slate quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog, which were the main source of income for the Oakley family of Plas Tan y Bwlch.

Driving directions from Maentwrog

Follow the A487 towards Porthmadog for less than ¼ mile and look for the B4410 on the right next to the Oakley Arms.  The bus stops here too, if you prefer to use public transport.

Follow the B4410 up a steep hill past Llyn Mair on the left, up another steep hill and under the railway bridge for the Ffestiniog Railway.

The car park is on your left.

The walk

Take the track out of the car park to Llyn Hafod y Llyn.  This lake and Llyn Mair were made in the late 1880s.

Follow the track around the right hand side of the lake.  There are water lilies here in the summer.

Go past the end of the lake to Post no. [30].

Viewpoint

If you want to take the route to the viewpoint, follow the track from Post [30] to Post [31] and turn right at [31] uphil to [18] .  Continue straight on uphill to [32].  The viewpoint lies a short distance off the path to the left.

CAUTION: Keep children and dogs under close control here as there is a nasty drop off the cliffs at the edge of the viewpoint area!

Laid out below you is a stunning vista of the Vale of Maentwrog all the way down to the mouth of the estuary and Cardigan Bay.

The River Dwyryd originally ran through a network of saltmarsh channels on the floor of this impressive glaciated valley.  The land was drained for agriculture in 1797 when the river was confined behind dykes.

Once you can tear yourself away from the view retrace your steps to [32].  Turn left here to the cairn and viewpoint at Y Gysgfa, the highest point here.  The view is restricted somewhat by overgrown trees, although some clearance work has taken place recently.

From Y Gysgfa follow the path down a steep slope, which may be slippery when wet.  This area has a very remote feel and other walkers are not often seen.  Continue down to [33] and keep left [19].

Carry on down to crossroads at [18] and go straight on down to [31].  Turn left on the track to [30] where we originally left the main loop for the viewpoint part of the walk.

Main walk continues

Turn right at [30] and follow the track down to cross over the Ffestiniog Railway line (there should be a stile and dog-gap).  At [28] take the footpath to the right that leads past a pretty hollow with a bench and stream and on to [8].  Go through gate and take the left fork at [9].

Turn left at bottom of hill at [10] (here you can also take a short diversion to the right first, to take a seat under a huge pine tree with lovely views over the lake).  Follow path along the side of the lake (more water lilies in summer).  Go past an ornamental pond and seat on left and through a gap in the stone wall.  Then cross the bridge over a little stream.

Turn left at [26] and right at [27] and back up to the stile over the Ffestiniog Railway.

The Ffestiniog Railway

The railway originally carried slates from Blaenau Ffestiniog to the harbour at Porthmadog from 1836 onwards.  Today it is a tourist railway using mostly steam engines.  It’s stations at Penrhyndeudraeth, Plas Halt and Tan y Bwlch also provide access for this network of footpaths.

Turn right at [29] and right at [30] to return along the other side of Llyn Hafod y Llyn.  There is a nice view back up to the head of the lake here and two picnic tables.

It is a favourite spot for some people with dogs who enjoy a swim.  The path winds along until it rejoins the track to the car park.  Turn right to return to your car.

Plas Tan y Bwlch House and Gardens

If you have time, these are well worth a visit.  Plas Tan y Bwlch was built at the beginning of the 17th Century and stands above the River Dwyryd with great views over the Vale of Maentwrog.  It is now home to the Snowdonia National Park Authority’s Environmental Studies Centre.  Visitors can find an introduction to the history of the Plas, the families who lived here and the history of the slate industry (their main source of wealth) in the conservatory on the terrace.

There is also access to some of the rooms in the Plas.  The historical gardens have audio guide boxes and were one of the first gardens in Wales to be managed in a wildlife-friendly manner on such a wide scale.

Entrance to the Plas and Gardens is free, but donations are welcomed in the boxes provided in the gardens and conservatory.

Look out for the abundant wildlife, particularly birds, in the grounds of Plas Tan y Bwlch and on the woodland walks.  You might see the Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Blackcap, Spotted Flycatcher, Jay, Cuckoo, Great Spotted Woodpecker and many others.  Holly blue and Purple Hairstreak butterflies are also to be seen in the gardens.

The car park for Plas Tan y Bwlch Gardens is accessed by turning right off the A487 to Porthmadog less than ½ mile past the Oakley Arms.  You could also walk in via one of the footpaths.

For information on train and bus times you can call Traveline on 0870 608 2608.

Photos

Slideshow and more photos on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36736321@N04/sets/72157620957501339/show/

Links

http://www.plastanybwlch.com – Plas Tan Y Bwlch
http://www.eryri-npa.co.uk – Snowdonia National Park
http://www.festrail.co.uk – Ffestiniog Railway

In the first of our new guided walks series, I’ll be telling you about the secluded valley of Cwmorthin, complete with instructions on how to get there and a guided route to follow to get the best out of the stunning scenery.  You’ll also find photos and map links at the end of the article.  Over this series of “Walker’s Guide” posts we’ll be building up a library of free scenic walks for you to follow in the Snowdonia area to help you enjoy your visit.

Cwmorthin is worth the visit, both for its magnificent scenery and the intriguing ruins left over from its history of quarrying.  The route takes you along rough tracks and paths which can be wet in places, but is easy to follow.  It’s about 4 miles to walk up and return by the same route so we’re starting off easy!

Driving directions to start from Tanygrisau

Pick up the A496 from Maentwrog heading East, and take the left turn just past the stone bridge over the River Cynfal towards Blaenau Ffestiniog.  Continue uphill and about 1.5 km before Blaenau Ffestiniog take the left turn signposted Ffestiniog Power Station.

Pass the Lakeside Diner (meals, drinks & snacks if you need a stop-off) and the visitor centre, and turn right over the Ffestiniog Railway level crossing.

Keep right over the bridge and then take the left at the next T-junction for the parking area.

The Walk

From the parking area, a rough track leads quite steeply uphill beside a waterfall on the left.  At a level area turn left through a gate into a ‘garden’.

Go through another gate and follow the path alongside a pool.  The path climbs gently to the ruins at Llyn Cwmorthin.

The valley was filled by a huge glacier during the last ice age that left behind a rock barrier, forming a dam for the lake.  Ancient erosion gullies can be clearly seen flanking the Eastern side of the lake in the satellite images.  There are water lillies on the lake in summer.

The nearby ruins are the remains of quarrymens’ barracks dating as far back as the early 1800s, while further to the left are the ruins of Rhosydd Chapel.  Beyond that more ruins can be found including Plas Cwmorthin.  This was the house for the manager of Rhosydd Quarry and is hidden amongst the trees to your right.

Plas Cwmorthin was built around 1860 with four rooms on each floor.  Near the track is the Rhosydd Stable and further down lies Rhosydd Terrace.  There are six cottages, each was occupied by a quarryman and his family.  Before the quarries were opened, Cwmorthin was a drovers route.

Follow the track uphill and past a large pit wheel on the right.  Keep walking uphill to reach Bwlch Cwmorthin and the main working area of Rhosydd Quarry.

The main mill once stood here and you can see the remains of two rows of barracks to the left, behind them the main adit.  Men would have stayed here from Monday to Saturday and walked in from Beddgelert, Croesor, Llan Ffestiniog and even further afield.

Turn left between ruined houses and a wheel pit, pass a tunnel on the left and climb an incline to the remains of a drum house.  Follow the path up another incline to a level area with great views of Cnicht on the right and Moelwyn Mawr ahead.

From here, you can return back down the same way and explore any hidden nooks you missed on the way up.

Photos

Slideshow and geotagged photos in also in Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36736321@N04/sets/72157619789559790/show/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36736321@N04/sets/72157619789559790/map/

Maps

OS Grid Reference: SH 678 463
Fly to Lake Cwmorthin on Google Earth: 52°59’50” N, 3°58’16” W

Paper maps: OS Landranger Sheet 124 115 (1:50,000 scale)
Paper maps: OS Explorer Outdoor Leisure Sheet OL18 (1:25,000 scale)