Geo-Trips :: Diffwys ridge in the southern Rhinogydd
Diffwys
A walk from Banc-y-Fran, Sat, 13 Mar 2010 by Rudi Winter
This walk starts at the end of the minor road leading up into the hills from Bontddu on the Mawddach estuary. At first, I walked along an old track which must have been the main route of access to southern Ardudwy before the coast road was built through the rocks at Abermaw. At Bwlch-y-Rhiwgyr, the sea lies below to the north and the estuary to south. From here, I followed the southern Rhinog ridge onto Diffwys, aiming towards the top of y Llethr. While there was little snow at the Bwlch at about 450m, there was still almost complete snow cover above 700m, and the top of the ridge was covered in cloud, too. This resulted in interesting but slightly disorientating light patterns reflecting from the sea in otherwise dense mist. In the end, I had to turn round just after reaching the summit of Diffwys, and returned via y Braich (where my GPS batteries gave up) to Banc-y-Fran.
On the map below, the grey line is the GPS track from this trip. 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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Banc-y-Frân
Banc-y-Frân is located at the end of the public road from Bontddu on the... more
At the foot of y Braich
Overlooking the Mawddach estuary from the southern end of y Braich, a major spur... more
Bryn Castell
The old trackway from Bontddu to Dyffryn Ardudwy crosses a wide stream valley... more
Diffwys ridge in cloud
The Diffwys ridge, the southern half of the Rhinogydd, is covered in low cloud... more
Stream running off the Diffwys ridge
One of the 'two streams' combining to form the Afon Dwynant. The stream collects... more
Rhos-caerau
An abandoned and ruined farm building at the foot of the Diffwys ridge. The... more
Rhos-caerau
Abandoned and ruined farmstead at the base of the Diffwys ridge. The building... more
Diffwys ridge in cloud
With the cloud base at around 550m, the top of the ridge is out of sight. The... more
Forest edge near Cae Tudur
One of several streams draining this boggy patch of moorland adjacent to the old... more
Forest on Ffridd Rhos
Looking across a boggy valley towards the wood on higher ground. The Cadair Idris... more
Ffynnon Oledd
An old well, presumed to be medieval... more
Ffynnon Oledd
An old well, presumed medieval... more
Golodd farm above the Mawddach estuary
Golodd lies at the foot of the Diffwys ridge on a headland above the Mawddach... more
Southern end of the Diffwys ridge
As the old cart track from Bontddu to Dyffryn Ardudwy pulls up to Bwlch y Rhiwgyr,... more
Approaching Bwlch y Rhiwgyr
The slope levels out just before the track reaches the pass at the southern end of... more
Bwlch y Rhiwgyr
Looking northwest into Ardudwy, the strip of land between the Rhinogydd and the... more
Bwlch y Rhiwgyr
Looking southwards from the pass. The signposted footpath leads down to the... more
Bwlch y Rhiwgyr
Looking up the Diffwys ridge from Bwlch y Rhiwgyr, the pass on the track from... more
Diffwys ridge near Bwlch y Rhiwgyr
Looking towards Tremadog Bay and Penllŷn from the ridge as it climbs up from... more
Looking back towards Bwlch y Rhiwgyr
The two minor tops just above 500m across the gap form the southern end of the... more
Boundary wall on Diffwys ridge
The wall runs along the crest of the ridge for 13km from Abermaw/Barmouth all the... more
Southern slopes of the Diffwys ridge
Diffwys itself is in cloud on the left, with the main ridge running up to it from... more
Cloud drifting in over the Mawddach estuary
There is little cloud out at sea, but as the wind forces moist air over the... more
Stone pillar on the Diffwys ridge
Marked as such on the 1:50k map, I'm not sure what distinguishes it from a cairn.... more
Diffwys ridge and the Rhinogydd
From the 'stone pillar' on this minor top, the ridge curves east towards Diffwys... more
Ardudwy from the Diffwys ridge
Ardudwy is the landscape between the Rhinogydd and the sea. To this day, there is... more
Boggy pond on the Diffwys ridge
The ridge is pleasantly dry and grassy in most places. This is the only boggy... more
Southern Diffwys ridge
The ridge turns southward as it approaches Bwlch Rhiwgyr. The Mawddach estuary... more
Llyn Bodlyn
Tucked away under a 200m cliff, Llyn Bodlyn lies at the head of Cwm Ysgethin at... more
View of the Mawddach estuary from Diffwys
Sunlight falls through a gap in the cloud cover over the Mawddach estuary. The... more
Towards the summit of Diffwys
Just before the summit plateau, the grassy ridge becomes a little rockier in... more
Southern slope of Diffwys summit
The final climb towards the summit. At this point the grassy ridge becomes a... more
Summit of Diffwys
Shrouded in cloud, the summit trig point lies on the other side of the wall,... more
Diffwys summit
Patches of snow left over from snowdrifts accumulated earlier in the year. The... more
Sunlight reflecting off Cardigan Bay
The Diffwys ridge is in cloud, but the cloud base is only slightly below.... more
Y Braich in cloud
The old cart track from Bontddu to Harlech crosses the Diffwys ridge after... more
Y Braich below the cloud
What a difference thirty metres of altitude and a bit of wind can make in a few... more
Wide cwm below the Diffwys ridge
A wide valley head with many springs on its slopes, framed by y Braich (left,... more
Y Braich
Y Braich is a southern appendage of the Diffwys ridge in the southern Rhinogydd.... more
Pen Hirgwm
Looking across the head of the Hirgwm valley from y Braich. The rocky heathery... more
Cae Goronwy
Farm at the edge of the open moorland, high above the Mawddach estuary.
All images © Rudi Winter and available under a
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