An Autumnal Adventure in Myherin Forest – Bagging Another Welsh Nuttall
“Autumnal” is always a nice word, isn’t it? Myherin is a forest not far from here in Mid Wales, and a Nuttall is one of a series of mountain peaks in the UK. I’m trying to summit all the Welsh Nuttalls, so after a busy couple of weeks at work and a day off on Friday, I decided to head out to find Pen y Garn.
Pen y Garn
Pen y Garn is an isolated Nuttall in Mid Wales, south of the Plynlimon Range. Sitting all on its own and somewhat diminutive both in height and scenic qualities, it was one of the local ones I’d never visited. I’d mountain biked just beneath its peak many times but had never detoured up to the summit. Nuttalls are peaks over 2,000 feet, so at 610 m (2,001 feet), Pen y Garn only just qualifies—but it does, so I wanted to bag it. Conveniently, it’s also not far from the car park at The Arch, making it relatively easy to reach. On top of that, the car park is at around 380 m in elevation, so the climb isn’t too demanding either!
I dropped Anna off at work, drove out via Devil’s Bridge to the car park, and set off. It was a grey, cloudy day with a cooling breeze and the threat of rain. I decided to head into the forest first to bag the smaller peak of Truman (481 m). After reaching Truman, I descended back to the fire road for a gentle walk toward the towering wind turbines. The breeze had them spinning wildly, generating plenty of power.
Just before reaching the turbines, I turned right and headed steeply uphill across heather moorland to the summit of Pen y Garn. Here, I found a desolate-looking upland moor, a trig point, and a spiral-shaped stone shelter.
It was still only 10:15 a.m.—too early for lunch but perfect for a coffee break. I donned my jacket and settled into the stone shelter. Soon, I had the stove lit, a pot of water boiling, and my coffee machine ready to brew a delicious double espresso. After relaxing with my coffee, I realised I didn’t have a rubbish bag with me. I didn’t want to put the used coffee pods loose in my bag as they’d drip everywhere. So, I improvised—time to eat my bag of prawn cocktail crisps so I could use the empty packet for rubbish!
Lunch, Llamas and Lists
Refreshed, I set off again, descending into a tussocky valley. Sheep and horses grazed on the hillsides, but all was quiet. Emerging onto a small road, I entered the forest again, crossing a couple of slippery wooden bridges hidden in the dark, damp woods before briefly stepping onto the main road. I crossed over, dropped into a little farmyard, and then headed uphill to a couple of smaller summits to finish the day.
I stopped before the first to enjoy my lunch—a Sunday Roast pasty—while a couple of llamas on a nearby hillock watched me in bewilderment.
After lunch, I reached the summit of Pen Bwlch yr Oerfa (415 m). It was only just attainable with some scrambling through brambles in a scrubby, deforested area at the top. I had plans to visit another nearby summit, but from my vantage point, I could see it was deep within a thick plantation and likely inaccessible. I decided to skip it and made my way back to the car, completing a steady 8-mile stroll through the hills.
That’s one more Nuttall ticked off of my list. 73 down, 116 in Wales left to do.
