Bog, Tussocks and Two Nuttalls Above the Claerwen

by Alan Cole · Published Sunday, March 8th, 2026 · Updated Sunday, March 8th, 2026

I very nearly went to Scotland at the weekend to backpack and wild camp along the Affric Kintail Way. But then I realised that it would be dark by 6 pm in Scotland, and sitting in a tent on my own in the dark from 6 pm onwards could be a bit of a drag. Instead, I decided on a shorter wild camping trip closer to home — a walk across the Claerwen hills to bag the Nuttalls of Gorllwyn and Drygarn Fawr above the Claerwen Valley.

Drygarn Fawr and Gorllwyn Nuttalls from Claerwen Valley

This quick Welsh wild camp was something of a systems check to make sure all my kit was in good working order ready for Scotland. I took a look at SummitBag, found a couple of Nuttalls that I hadn’t yet done, and decided to create a route based on them. I parked up at the southern end of the Dol-y-Mynach Reservoir and started heading uphill on well-marked tracks alongside the Afon Marchnant. It was a grey day with very little wind, but the weather forecast suggested things would clear and the sun would come out. A clear, cold, windless night ahead was promised — perfect for camping.

Gorllwyn

It was already colder than I expected, so my insulated jacket soon went on as I left the tracks behind me and started a long slog up through tussocky Molinia grass to the summit of Gorllwyn (613 m). That was Nuttall number one. The climb hadn’t been too bad. The views were good, but with grey skies they didn’t make for the best photos. There were various piles of stone that looked like old buildings on several of the little peaks here, and way off in the distance I could see the huge cairns of Drygarn Fawr, my next destination.

First though, I stopped in a stone shelter for lunch and then started what turned out to be a long slog through very boggy, tussocky ground with few obvious paths. Every step was accompanied by a soggy squelch and a little splash of water. Most of the time it wasn’t too deep, but there were patches that needed circumnavigating and now and then my foot would disappear up to my calf. It wasn’t the quickest of traverses across the ridge tops.

Drygarn Fawr

I stopped at a few little peaks, just in case they were summits, and eventually found myself climbing up the flank of Drygarn Fawr, past a first cairn where I met a couple going in the opposite direction. They said it had been a really hard slog to get there and asked what the conditions were like where I’d come from. I told them they weren’t the easiest! I then headed onto the second cairn and the trig point at Drygarn Fawr (645 m).

This was the second, and last, Nuttall of the day. I could have descended to the car from here, but instead I continued across the hilltops, this time along a more obvious path that was quite easy going in comparison. If the couple I’d met earlier thought this was tough, they were in for a surprise!

Campsite Search

It was, of course, still very boggy in places. I then left the path and headed down a steep descent to Nant y Rhestre, a lovely little river tumbling down the hillside. It was easy to cross and had some potential campsites on the flat grassy banks. I contemplated stopping here, but it was still early and I didn’t fancy the steep climb back out of the valley first thing in the morning.

So, after a quick rest stop, I hefted my pack onto my back and started what looked to be a very steep, long climb back up onto the tops. It turned out to be quite easy. The grass here was short and grazed, so there were none of the tussocks I’d been dealing with earlier. It was also very dry and easy going, so I reached the top much quicker and easier than I had anticipated.

From here I could see the ‘Nant y Gorlan Stone’. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but it stood out on the hilltop in the distance and I was drawn to it even though it wasn’t quite where I wanted to be. WhenI got there I discovered it was just a stone, so I looped around and headed back to where I was originally going. However, I’ve since spotted it on the map and discovered that it has a name, so looked it up. It’s a “recumbent” standing stone believed to be associated with a nearby, now vanished, Bronze Age cairn.

Back on track I visited the summit of nearby Drum Nant-y-Gorlan (551 m) and then continued to trudge across the featureless ridge to the summit of Cerrig Llwydion y Rhestr (590 m).

Just beyond this, I dropped down to the little fishing lake of Llyn Carw where I had hoped to find a spot to camp. It would have been lovely alongside the lake as it was sheltered from the wind and perfectly still and quiet. Unfortunately, my search was a hopeless one as the ground was just too tussocky and boggy.

A Night in Claerwen

After a circuit around the lake, it was back onto the ridge through more bog, across a couple of little streams, and then on towards a descent with amazing views over the Claerwen Dam. Once at the bottom of a steep, slippery descent I turned right onto a very wet and muddy track alongside the Afon Claerwen, with the dam towering above me. A short way along, I found a grassy area that, despite the sheep poo, was fairly flat and dry.

I was almost back at the car and would have made it there just as darkness fell. But I was supposed to be testing my gear, and so far I’d used none of it, so I decided a night under the stars was still an option. Unfortunately, the promised sunshine and clear skies hadn’t materialised. Somewhere along the tops it had started raining, so I now had my rain jacket on and even down here in the valley there was still a light misting of drizzle. So, it would have to be a night under leaden skies rather than starry ones.

I soon had my water filter topped up from the river, the stove on to boil, and my tent set up. It was pretty cold now that I’d stopped, so I had all of my clothes on as well. After dinner it was dark and there was little to do, so I soon snuggled under my quilt and got some sleep. It was actually quite a good night with no wind, no real rain and no disturbances.

The following morning was quiet. I had breakfast, packed up and walked the short 2.5 miles along the valley, avoiding the wettest and muddiest parts of the trail back to the car.

That’s another two Nuttalls ticked off and a good test of my kit so that I’m ready for a few days in Scotland once the days are a little longer. I don’t want to leave it too long though — I’d rather get there before the midges!