PENMAENMAWR Hills, Sir Conwy, Cymru
Saturday 30th June 2018

Saturday 30th June 2018. An ascent of Foel Lus 362m/60m, Craig Hafodwen 381m/37m and Clip yr Orsedd 429m/41m, Penmaenmawr, County Conwy. 9.4km, with 420m of ascent. 5hrs 30mins.

With the Mediterranean weather continuing across the country, AT and I agreed that some lower coastal hills would be in order for this month’s walk. There might be the expectation of a sea breeze to cool us down, and make the heat more bearable for his son and daughter, who were to accompany us. The ring of hills surrounding the little town of Penmaenmawr fitted the bill nicely.

After collecting me from my house, AT drove us along the North Wales coast to the town, and then up a narrow steep lane to the car park on the south-west side of Foel Lus. As we carried out our extensive preparations to set off (the two children needed helping with boots etc.), the car park quickly filled up. The reason for this sudden influx of people later became apparent.

We started our hike along the panoramic path that winds round the flank of Foel Lus, the start marked by two grand rock columns. As we rounded the corner, we encountered the people who had recently arrived at the car park. They were all there to watch the Red Arrows flying display (see at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Arrows), which formed part of the Armed Forces celebrations taking place in nearby Llandudno. We watched the display as we continued our walk. As we left the main path on a narrower one to head to the summit, the air squadron flew over our heads, heading south.

We soon joined a wider path from the east that headed steeply up to the large wind-shelter on the summit of Foel Lus. I had been right about the cooling effect of the sea’s proximity, as a strong south-east wind provided just the right amount of cooling. After lunch on the summit, we headed off for our next objective – Craig Hafodwen.

This proved to be a somewhat tougher hill to climb. We descended to the bwlch between the two hills, working our way round, keeping to access land. A wall with barbed wire required climbing, but we negotiated the task with little difficulty – especially the children, who showed their fearless climbing skills. It was then a case of working our way up through deep heather and around little crags, using sheep trails where possible. A wade through heather and bilberry brought us onto the un-marked summit. The view was excellent seawards, with Ynys Môn (Island of Anglesy) spread out before us to the north-west. As AT remarked, the bright sunshine and deep blue hues of sky and sea made the view reminiscent of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia, rather than the usual damp grey of North Wales.

We headed down steeply to a locked gate, where the children again showed their climbing proficiency. We joined the North Wales Path trail west around the cwm, heading for Clip yr Orsedd, the highest hill for us today. A navigation error on my part resulted in us being forced to climb another high stone wall, before we eventually reached the summit. The view south was opened up on this hill, with the high tops of the Carneddau, the second highest mountain range in Wales and England, dominating the landscape.

We resolved to walk back by our outward route, rather than head down towards Penmaenmawr, as this would have necessitated a steep climb back up Mountain Lane. Below Moelfre, a young man approached me asking for directions. I learned he was Greek and greeted him in his own tongue, as I did the other seven members of his group who were behind him. He corrected me, as each was a different nationality. The nationalities I heard when I asked them were French, Belgian, Russian, Indian and Chinese, and two others I cannot now remember. They all lived and worked together in London and were up for a weekend break in North Wales. They had certainly chosen the best weather for it. I was heartened to meet and talk with such an international group of friends, here in BREXIT Britain.

We continued on our outward path, passing a group of wild Carneddau ponies, wholly unconcerned by our proximity. We passed by Craig Hafodwen, and took the track down between the two hills back to a very hot car.