Tuesday 13th March 2018. An ascent of Craig Dolfudr 518m/54m and Pt. 519m/75m from Cwm Lliw, Gwynedd. 10.9km, with 500m of ascent. 4hrs 35mins.

With the sun at last shining again with another push towards spring, I drove down to Bala, and around the lake, taking a narrow road that heads north-west over the high moors to Trawsfynydd. Parking by a chapel, I headed back down the road past a holiday caravan site to a bridge over the Afon Lliw. A lane, and then a track, took me into the green gloom of Coed Bryn Bras. The ascent on the track through the forest was steep, but eventually I emerged into sunshine again on open moorland above. The track deteriorated into a series of reedy pools. The warming sunshine had roused the frogs to begin their spring spawning, and the pools were a flurry of amphibian activity.

Leaving the track, I headed north up between the small crags of Cerrig Chwibanog onto pathless ground of deep heather. The going was hard, and quite a few calories were expended before I stood on the summit of Craig Dolfudr. The view was extensive, with the still snow-whitened peaks of the Snowdon massif seen from an unusual angle from this summit.

I picked up a narrow path through the heather, marked with an occasional cairn. This eventually developed into an ATV track which brought me down to an old wooden gate. A steeper ascent from here followed up to the summit cairn on Pt. 519m. No name is given on any published map for this hill, though local people may have a name for it that has not reached the ears of the UK Ordnance Survey. The view from this summit was even better than the last, with the Arennig Fawr massif to the north drawing attention.

My descent north into the valley of the Afon Lliw was very rough indeed, with deep heather, tussock grass, hidden boulders and crags to negotiate. There was little sign on the ground of the right-of-way marked on the map on the north side of the hill. Making very slow progress, I eventually reached the river at a series of cataracts and a waterfall over a steep escarpment. Wales has many fine waterfalls which attract a host of visitors. The Afon Lliw Falls would do similarly, if it was not in such a remote and inaccessible position. I felt privileged to have witnessed its splendour.

Continuing my rough descent, I reached a little bridge over the river, crossed it, and made my way up to the road near the farm at Buarthmeini. A walk of some 2km south-east brought me back to my car as the light waned.