Geo-Trips :: Hills to the east of the Crimea Pass above Blaenau Ffestiniog
Crimea Pass
A walk from Bwlch y Gorddinan, Sat, 13 May 2023 by Richard Law
A short afternoon walk in rather fine weather, over some small hills in little-frequented country north of Blaenau Ffestiniog. Moel Penamnen sits 40-odd feet higher than 2000ft, so qualifies as a 'Hewitt' (Hills of England & Wales over Two Thousand). Most of the first part of the walk from the layby on the side of the A470 as far as Foel-fras pretty much follows the boundary of the Eryri National Park, but the return leg through the bogs to the south is a bit of a thankless flog through deep grass - and at least one leg-swallowing wet hole which left me with a boot full of peaty water. Good fun nonetheless.
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. ( )
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Relocated milestone, Crimea Pass
The same stone as [[6293052]], which was originally located a little way further... more
Parking area at the top of Crimea Pass
A short stretch of old road, sectioned off as parking for hillwalkers and passers-by
Nameless stream on the hillside of Moel Farlwyd
Heading uphill on the north ridge of Moel Farlwyd
Short grass and occasional bilberry underfoot makes for quite easy going on this... more
Easterly view from the ascent of Moel Farlwyd
Across the rather sparse upper section of the forest in the valley of the Afon... more
Sheepfold on the northern ridge of Moel Farlwyd
Marked on the 1:25000 map, but not mentioned or recorded by any of the normal... more
Northerly view from the ridge of Moel Farlwyd
Looking across the broad valley occupied by the Afon Lledr and Dolwyddelan, with... more
Looking uphill to Moel Farlwyd
Steady but quite easy grass slopes lead up from the northern ridge towards the... more
Moel Penamnen from the northern side of Moel Farlwyd
Summit cairn on Moel Farlwyd
A little-visited summit, despite its proximity to the Crimea Pass and only being a... more
The upper reservoir of Llynau Barlwyd
This one's still full (nearly) with water, and a stock of small brown trout. The... more
Rock outcrops and block scree on the western flank of Moel Penamnen
Easy but steep walking up the slope from the bwlch below. Moel Siabod dominates in... more
Old wall and newer fence on Moel Penamnen
The fence presumably replaces the derelict wall; together they form the boundary... more
Summit area of Moel Penamnen
The large flat area at the summit is composed of short grass, with an Ordnance... more
OS Surface Block on Moel Penamnen
A rather unusual variety of trig point or benchmark - a square concrete block in... more
Down the eastern slopes of Moel Penamnen
The area consists of extensive upland grassland with a scattering of peaty banks... more
Moorland between Moel Penamnen and Foel-fras
On the high bwlch between the two hills.
Approaching Foel-fras from the west
The summit of the hill is pretty indistinct; it lies somewhere in front, near to... more
Foel-fras summit... probably
It's rather unclear exactly where the highest point of the hill actually is; it... more
Old wall and a sheepfold
On the south side of Foel-fras, this dilapidated wall runs downhill from a small... more
Disused sheepfold on the south side of Foel-fras
This is the sheepfold described briefly at https://coflein.gov.uk/en/site/65775/... more
A pond
Well, the map marks it as a pond. I'd describe it more as a very wet bit of marsh,... more
Rocky outcrop in the bog
The grass and rock outcrop in the foreground is a small rib of rock protruding... more
Large sheepfold in the cwm
Built into the southern flank of [[7484533]], this large triple-chambered... more
Peaty bog overlooked by Moel Penamnen
Part of the extensive peaty bog and marsh in the flat cwm to the south of Moel... more
Unidentified pile of stones on the bank of a stream
My first thought, upon spotting this from a hundred yards away, was 'sheepfold'... more
Part of the conduit from Barlwyd to the Fotty-Bowydd reservoirs
This channel of water was constructed as part of the slate quarrying works, to... more
Part of the conduit from Barlwyd to the Fotty-Bowydd reservoirs
A water channel/leat, constructed to carry water from Barlwyd to reservoirs... more
In the valley of the Afon Barlwyd
Before the construction of the leat which carries water from the Llynnau Barlwyd... more
Shepherds' hut accommodation on the hillside
2 of 3 such semi-mobile huts here on the side of Cribau, available for lets... more
The drained lower Llyn Barlwyd
Derelict sheepfold on the south-western flank of Moel Farlwyd
All images © Richard Law and available under a
Creative Commons licence 
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