Geo-Trips :: 3 times up and down The Berwyns
The southern Berwyn Hills
A cycle ride from Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Wed, 15 May 2019 by Richard Law
A good, honest, old-fashioned mountain bike ride around the southern end of the Berwyn hills. As documented here, it starts in the rather interesting village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, which many people will pass through on the way up the valley to the photogenic Pistyll Rhaeadr. I say 'interesting', as it has a wealth of old buildings and a particularly fine church dating back in parts nearly 1000 years.
The route here is 27 miles long, with 5200 feet of climbing split into 3 main ascents with an assortment of little ups and downs, and the same amount of descending obviously. Being a circular route, it is of course possible to start anywhere en route, and there are good pubs and cafes in Llanrhaeadr, Llangynog and Llandrillo. So don't be bound by my start-point. But in this form, it starts with a bit of a long road climb out of the village, which gives way eventually to a delightful track contouring the east side of Glan Hafon, and overlooking the Rhaeadr valley. The last part of this is always wet, and un-rideable, so don't expect dry feet by the time you reach the saddle beneath Y Clogydd. You've ascended about 1200' at this point. Then the fun starts, and it's a terrific piece of narrow singletrack moorland bridleway which initially looks as if it's heading off the edge of the world, and then descends steeply towards the upper Tanat valley. Pick the right turn-off, and you drop further through a wood and across some rattly slate spoil-tips almost into Llangynog village.
There's a choice of routes out of Llangynog - up the main road at a steady gradient, or easily along the lower lane in Cwm Rhiwarth to a nasty steep climb at the end. Either way you climb 1000' to the top at Milltir Gerrig, from where a very loose and rubbly track drops into the head of Cwm Pennant. In spring, this is a riot of bluebell patches along the roadside into Llandrillo and a probable lunch stop. Bear in mind at this point that the next landmark lies 1800' higher than the village, and that's Bwlch Maen Gwynedd at the head of the Afon Clochnant; hence lunch may put in a reappearance somewhere along the way.
There is a good bridleway all the way up the valley, but the first part is (for me, anyway) un-rideable due to being immensely loose and steep. However, persist with it, as the upper valley contains some stretches of beautiful narrow track, just the job for 'Old-Skool' mountain biking. In truth, this would be better ridden downhill rather than up, but then the rest of the circuit involves off-road climbs and on-road descents, which would just be plain wrong.
From the saddle of Bwlch Maen Gwynedd, you join the old Roman Road historically mapped as Ffordd Gam Elin, which takes you over the saddle just beneath Tomle, then becomes decidedly vague as it drops steeply into the upper Cwm Maen Gwynedd. From there it's track and lanes all the way back into Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant. There is an off-road alternative for a mile or two along the western flank of Mynydd Mawr, but time was running short on this particular day, so I omitted that here.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
↓ Scroll down here ↓
Church of St Dogfan, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
An unusually large church for the area, which dates in parts, such as the base of... more
The Green Stone milestone
Originally thought to have been a prehistoric menhir (standing stone) but put to... more
Up the lane out of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
OS Flush Bracket 12037- Rhiwlas Cottage
Flush Bracket 12037 located on the far side of the cottage (ie not facing the... more
Down the lane towards Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Track to Talwrn-y-glo
Towards Penybontfawr
Lane junction near Cefn-côch
Uphill on a long straight near Ochr-y-ffordd
Roadside cottage
This is pretty much the highest house on this lane, and lies just over 1000' up... more
Up the lane towards Glan Hafon hill
The [[979957]] on the right now sports a high fence and some solar-powered... more
Track and path to Bryn-y-llidiart & Garn Uchaf
The same gateway as seen in 11 years ago [[979956]], now with added cattle grid.... more
Sheepshed and a refrigerated container
At the top of the farm lane, before it turns into a track around the side of Glan... more
Track up the side of Glan Hafon
This is the start of a section of good, proper, 'old skool' mountain biking... more
Ford above Craig Garwallt
An un-named stream drops from the flanks of Glan Hafon towards the valley of the... more
Northern side of Glan Hafon, above a large clearance cairn
Sheep roam freely on the fairly open slopes of Glan Hafon.
Track contouring around Glan Hafon
A little-used bridleway around the northern side of the hill. I last rode it... more
Towards the summit area of Glan Hafon
Fences and tumbledown walls litter the upper slopes of the hill; all quite easy to... more
Glan Hafon trig
The trig lies not at the highest point of the hill (that's just about visible... more
Glan Hafon trig - flush bracket 10335
Installed in the concrete trig [[652329]] probably in 1959, at which point it was... more
Cairn on the summit of Glan Hafon
One of two points marked at 608m; this rocky outcrop is crowned with a small stone... more
Track contouring around Glan Hafon
A fine place for a bike ride on a belting day.
Track contouring around Glan Hafon
Pretty much the opposite view to that in [[979950]] and apparently taken on a... more
Zig-zag track on the flank of Glan Hafon
A well-engineered way up the side of the hill from the valley of the Afon Rhaeadr.... more
Path & bridleway high on Glan Hafon
The track crosses the bwlch between Glan Hafon and Y Clogydd.
Along the bridleway looking southwest
High on the NE slopes of Glan Hafon, where the path and bridleway from the valley... more
Glan Hafon from the northwest
A view of the hill Glan Hafon; the easy track that contours it can clearly be... more
Upland singletrack
A very promising narrow ribbon of singletrack bridleway, which heads across this... more
Things are about to get steep. And entertaining
A narrow bridleway, the best sort, that heads across a reassuringly easy flat... more
Bridleway descent beside the Nant Ddial
I didn't really want to stop on this cracking descent, but pictures were... more
Probable lead adit on the hillside
A shallow adit mine, with a spoil heap at its entrance; there are other trial pits... more
Shallow ford through the Nant Sebon
This is not quite in the place marked on the maps where the bridleway crosses the... more
Bridleway through a bluebell patch
Bridleway above Glan-hafon Uchaf
The track heads downwards through the beech woods on the slope of [[3737058]],... more
End of the track at Tan-y-graig
This is not the bridleway marked on the maps - that joins the road a hundred yards... more
Refreshing water for a thirsty cyclist
Yes, it's fine to drink; I haven't died yet.
OS Flush Bracket - Llangynog, former school
Flush Bracket S0824, affixed to the wall of the former school in Llangynog. It was... more
Former village school in Llangynog
Now converted (in 1987) to the Village Workshops.
B4391 heading uphill out of Llangynog
A long old drag up out of the village towards open moorland higher up.
Very steep hillside below Craig Rhiwarth
Perspective loses the detail of this hillside, which is mightily steep; the... more
Hillside above Llwyn-onn
Sheep graze contentedly, above what appears to be a disintegrating ex-railway... more
B4391 above Llangynog
Uphill on the long climb from Llangynog to Milltir Gerrig.
Up the B4391 above Cwm Rhiwarth
Part of the long climb from Llangynog to Milltir Gerrig.
A glimpse of Ty'n-y-ffynonydd farm
Cattle grid out to open country
Fenced and enclosed fields below here; open moorland above. And sheep on the road... more
OS benchmark - Pant y Lladron, roadside wall
Cut into the stonework of the wall in 1953, and levelled at 380.684m above... more
Open land above the Nant Sgrin
Extensive moorland, part of the Berwyns National Nature Reserve, on the hillside... more
Moorland track from Milltir Gerrig into Cwm Pennant
More or less the same location as [[973527]]; the state of the track has changed... more
Moorland above the Nant Chrechwyl
The shallow valley quarter of a mile away across the grass is occupied by the Nant... more
Sheepfold and gate into the Cwm Pennant forests
The open moorland of the upper Pennant valley gives way to commercial forest... more
A cleared forestry block above Cwm Pennant
Fields and forests around Cwm Pydew
Almost exactly the same view as [[973515]] taken in 2008; you can even recognise... more
Track heading into Cwm Pennant
A good ride downhill; it'd be a right royal flog going up on a mountain bike.
The farm and settlement at Blaen-y-cwm
The highest farm in the valley, the 250m contour line runs more or less right... more
Fields to the east side of Cwm Pennant
Coed Llystyn appears to be the name of the plantation on the upper part of this hill.
A large oak tree, and Rhyd y Gethin farm
The scene near the head of Cwm Pennant on a warm spring day.
Bluebells on the verge
The first of several extensive stands of native bluebells (Hyacynthoides... more
Close-up of a bluebell
The native British bluebell Hyacynthoides non-scripta, which is a common spring... more
Damaged remnants of a benchmark
I can't find any reference to this mark on the OS database, nor a proper record of... more
Barn at Ty-nant
The road through Cwm Pennant passes the small farm of Ty-nant
OS benchmark - Cwm Pennant, Ty-nant
A rather faded but still perfectly serviceable OS benchmark on the NW corner of... more
Roadside bluebells just north of Ty-nant farm
Mid May is a good time to catch the extensive bluebells of Cwm Pennant; this is... more
K2 callbox at road junction in Cwm Pennant
I half-expected this rural phonebox to be listed - quite a lot of K2 boxes have... more
Farmland in Cwm Pennant
Immediately north of the minor lane which runs up the valley.
Minor road through Cwm Pennant
Mid spring sunshine on the narrow lane that runs through Cwm Pennant.
Heading towards Llandrillo
This narrow minor lane runs the length of Cwm Pennant; no place to meet a tractor... more
Roadside bluebells near Cadwst
One of many such patches of bluebells in the verge of the narrow lane in Cwm Pennant.
Afon Dinam heading for Cadwst
This small stream drains a small valley just west of here (Cwm Dinam, probably)... more
On the lane through Cwm Pennant
This narrow minor lane runs the length of Cwm Pennant, and here it's approaching... more
Pentre Farm
The small farm at Pentre lies in the valley, beneath the plantation on Cefn Pen-llety.
The former Bell Inn, Llandrillo
Grade II listed... more
No 4 High Street, Llandrillo
Grade II listed... more
The Dudley Arms, Llandrillo
Now the main pub in the village since [[6176824]] closed, and itself Grade II... more
Church of St Trillo, Llandrillo
Grade II listed... more
Cross shaft used as a sundial
Probably a medieval preaching cross shaft, cut down in the 18th century for use as... more
Pont Llandrillo from the north
Try as I might, I couldn't get a clear/sunlit view of the south side of this Grade... more
A classic Berwyns hill track
A rough, loose stone surface, eroded by many years of farm traffic and more... more
Track on the east side of The Berwyns
Steeper than it looks, this track comes up from the road end at Blaen-y-dre-isaf,... more
Track junction at 377m
This gateway is the point where the loose stoney track from Blaen-y-dre-isaf joins... more
I was even further from the track than I thought
Tried to follow the bridleway on the hillside above, but failed. By quite a long... more
The Afon Clochnant
Carrying the bike up into the valley, I found myself at the same place and the... more
Grassy singletrack in the Clochnant valley
Now, this is more like it; a proper stretch of narrow singletrack across an... more
Slightly too steep to ride up
The path crosses a tributary of the Clochnant, and the far side climbs a bank of... more
The upper Clochnant
High on the west side of the Berwyns, there's extensive moorland and tussock grass.
Singletrack bridleway up the Clochnant valley
A fine ribbon of narrow bridleway, gradually climbing to the pass of Bwlch Maen... more
Back down the bridleway
In the valley of the Afon Clochnant, this narrow path lies on the north bank.
Up the Clochnant, near Blaen Trawsnant
Another stretch of the perfect, narrow bridleway which runs along the upper... more
Ford through the Blaen Trawsnant
Not far from the top of the bridleway
After a long ride up the Clochnant valley, the summit of the pass at Bwlch Maen... more
Two bridleways on Cadair Bronwen
On the east side of the pass of Bwlch Maen Gwynedd, the ancient path of Ffordd-Gam... more
Gate at Bwlch Maen Gwynedd
At the historic pass of Bwlch Maen Gwynedd, where the ancient road of Ffordd-Gam... more
Ffordd-Gam Elin crosses Cwm Llawenog
The ancient road of Ffordd-Gam Elin, marked on early maps as a 'Roman Road' but... more
Bridleway and track in the valley
More or less the same photo as [[6169136]], but on a sunnier day with greater... more
Sheep and a large shed at Blaen-y-cwm
In Cwm Maen Gwynedd near Glanrafon
Fields in the valley of the Afon Iwrch just above Glanrafon farm.
Along the lane by Glanrafon
Tyn-y-fedwen farm from the road
Most of the farm buildings are hidden behind a series of walls and hedges, but... more
Cwm Maen Gwynedd from the road
Damp fields and grazings in the valley of the Afon Iwrch.
Cwm Maen Gwynedd above Plas-criafol
Damp fields and grazing land in the valley of the Afon Iwrch.
Narrow lane in the valley of Cwm Maen Gwynedd
Up the valley towards Plas-criafol farm
The farm lies just out of sight around the bend in the road.
Along the lane in the valley near Tyn-y-ffridd
K6 phone box at the track junction
The track on the left heads steeply uphill to Maes and Votty farms.
Just to the southeast of Tyn-y-rhos
This one heads back, slightly circuitously, to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant.
Log cabin/bungalow near Cefn-y-rhodfa
This is almost exactly the same photo as [[3678948]], nothing much has changed... more
Along the lane towards Cefn-y-rhodfa
A narrow lane (most of them are narrow, to be fair) in the valley of the Afon Iwrch.
Pont Maen Gwynedd
A narrow bridge over the Afon Iwrch.
Upstream on the Afon Iwrch
Looking upstream, with the lower reaches of Cwm Maen Gwynedd giving way to the... more
A short hillside track below Tan-y-ffridd
Steep hillside below Pen-y-ffridd
Rough grazing land on the western side of the Afon Iwrch.
Lane in the valley of the Afon Iwrch
A narrow lane, heading down towards Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant.
Narrow lane leading towards Nant
Steep hillside above Sychnant
The fields here rise steeply above the road and the valley of the Afon Iwrch. It's... more
Lane rising towards Penfforddwen
On the lane heading back to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant.
Access track to Sychnant farm
Approaching Tai-newyddion
The house of Tai-newyddion lies at the road junction just out of sight beyond the... more
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant Bridge
The bridge, which was built around 1775 and was probably turnpiked (tolled),... more
Shrewsbury Rugby Club ground
Rugby pitches on the east side of Shrewsbury, near Sundorne.
Footpath just south of Sundorne
Footpath heading for Uffington village
Barn in a field of wheat
No wheat plants were damaged in the taking of this photo, honest.
Track to The Meadows farm
Y Bwthyn on Park Street, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Currently boarded off to view from the road, it looks as if Y Bwthyn may be about... more
7 Park Street, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
One of a terrace of 4 vernacular stone cottages, all dated 1834, which all... more
8 Park Street, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
A cottage in the middle of a terrace of 4 vernacular stone cottages, all dated... more
9 Park Street, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
A cottage in the middle of a terrace of 4 vernacular stone cottages, all dated... more
10 Park Street, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
The left-most property in a terrace of 4 vernacular stone cottages, all dated... more
'Trigfan' cottage on Park Street, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
For the most part, early 19th century, but there are signs of earlier buildings... more
Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant parish war memorial
This stone obelisk and the surrounding iron-railed enclosure were Grade II listed... more
OS Flush Bracket S0826, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
OS flush bracket affixed to the east wall of [[5495056]], which was placed as part... more
Listed milestone at Green Ucha
Fully documented and described in the image at [[5497681]], and Grade II listed... more
The one-time National School, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Built in 1858, and Grade II listed by CADW in 2003... more
OS benchmark - Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, former school
An OS cutmark on the door jamb of [[6187365]], which was levelled in 1973 at... more
The B4580 out of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Looking south down the main road out of the village, in the general direction of... more
Haulfre cottage
The cottage here, the iron railings, and the shop that's partly in shot... more
Capel Seion in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Built in a very fine Arts & Crafts Gothic style in 1904 by the architects... more
OS benchmark - Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, Capel Seion
An OS cutmark on one of the corner buttresses of the chapel in [[5495773]],... more
The Plough Inn, and its adjoining listed buildings, in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
The Plough, and the cottages to its west, date from the early 19th century; it may... more
Bwthyn-hedd cottage
Slightly out of place amongst the more modern houses around it, but then it's... more
Maesgwyn cottage
Located in Church Street, Maesgwyn is a mid-19th century partial remodelling of an... more
Minafon cottage
The exact age of Minafon is subject to a certain amount of speculation, but it's... more
OS Flush Bracket S0439 - Llandrillo
An OS flush bracket on the wall of [[5557684]], which was installed in 1942, and... more
Nos 5 & 6 High Street, Llandrillo
Pictured together here are two semi-detached cottages which date from around the... more
OS benchmark & bolt - Llandrillo, St Trillo's church
Levelled in 1942 at 161.945m above Ordnance Datum Newlyn, although the bolt... more
OS benchmark - Llandrillo, St Trillo's church
Cut into the southern angle of the church, only a few yards from the rather older... more
Listed phone box, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
A K6-type box dating from the reign of King George VI, which was Grade II listed... more
The Wynnstay Arms, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant
Built around 1850 in a modern Gothic style, and Grade II listed... more
All images © Richard Law and available under a
Creative Commons licence 
.
