Bagging Nuttalls in the Rhinogs
After summiting Yr Aran on Friday, I had a taste for bagging some more Nuttalls, and all of a sudden the weather for the weekend was looking lovely. I had a few other things I wanted to do on Saturday, so decided it would be nice to head to the hills later in the day, camp overnight and bag a few Nuttalls in the process.
So, after heading into Aberystwyth for breakfast at Medina with Mel and Clélia and then going surf-skiing in the Estuary I finally packed and drove towards the Rhinogs.
As usual, the traffic through Barmouth was terrible and then it was slow going along the coast road too. Things were much quieter once I turned onto the long, winding single-track road to Cwm Nantcol, where I parked up and set off into the hills. The campsite at the bottom of the valley just outside Llanbedr was packed. I’m glad I wasn’t staying there.
Rhinog Fach
It already felt quite late in the day and the sun was lowering in the sky. The ground was still quite dry in most places after the summer drought. More significant was the blackened hillsides where wildfires had ravaged the landscape recently.
It was a little difficult to follow the path at times where the fire had scorched the earth, but in general the path itself seemed to have been unscathed, despite the ash and blackened earth either side of it. I guess the taller bracken, gorse and heather had burnt, but not the low grassy path.
Despite the short amount of time since the fire, fresh shoots of bracken were already showing as I made my way higher into the hills, following the little stream of the Afon Cwmnantcol, which was often hidden beneath a jumble of boulders.
I was heading for the steep gap between Rhinog Fawr and Rhinog Fach. At the top of this valley I turned right and started the extremely steep climb up the north side of Rhinog Fach. It was hard going and the low rays of the sun didn’t help matters. I pushed on with little time to spare, as I didn’t really want to be setting up camp in the dark, or worse still, looking for somewhere suitable to camp in the dark. I therefore kept up a decent pace and was soon sweating as I climbed ever higher.
I passed one other person who was heading down and then finally emerged onto the top and made my way to the summit of Rhinog Fach (712 m), my first Nuttall of the trip.
Wild Camping in the Rhinogs
My plan now was to descend down to Llyn Hywel and camp there. I had identified a couple of likely-looking spots on the far side of the lake.
The descent was rocky and steep, with a few sections of down-scrambling. Again, I was glad it wasn’t dark yet. I reached the saddle and thought I could just about make out a tent already in the spot I wanted. I couldn’t see properly as the sun was in my eyes and now very low in the sky, but I didn’t really want to set up camp next to someone else.
I also spotted an area of level grass in the lee of the tall drystone wall I was following. There were also a few steps up over the wall, so I decided it would be better to camp there rather than walk all the way around the lake only to find my camping spot already taken.
I climbed down to the lake itself to get some water, then climbed back up, over the wall and set up camp.
It was a perfect little spot. Had there been a westerly wind, it would have been nicely sheltered, but that wasn’t a problem today. There were nice views out over Llyn Hywel and off towards the coast and the Ll?n Peninsula, which was now silhouetted against the setting sun.
To the east was a rocky ledge and views down to Llyn y Bi and off towards the hills and forests of central Wales. There was no one else around, so I ate my dinner sitting on the rocky ledge and watched the sky change colour.
I soon settled into bed for a fairly good night’s sleep. I did get up once and took some time to view the stars and marvel at the Milky Way snaking its way across the night sky.
Two more Nuttalls
I had a slow start to the morning, waiting for the sun to climb above the ledge to the east and dry out my tent. After breakfast I packed up and continued on my way, heading up the steep, loose climb to the summit of Y Llethr (755 m), the highest of the Rhinogs.
Here I met a guy who had been camping next to Llyn Hywel. Apparently there had been five tents there last night, so I was doubly glad I’d picked a spot on my own.
We chatted for a bit and then walked together to the summit of Crib-y-Rhiw (681 m).
He carried on along the ridge as he was doing the full Rhinogs Traverse to Barmouth. I had already done those to the south, so turned back towards Cwm Nantcol.
From the stile over the impressive dry-stone wall, I turned left, following a grassy ridge with wide views out over Cardigan Bay before descending along an easy track to the minor road and back to the car.
A nice night out and three more Nuttalls bagged, taking my total to 141 out of 189.
Barmouth was once again a nightmare traffic-wise thanks to a jackknifed caravan that had somehow been reversed into a roadside cliff! I finally made it through and stopped at the BBQ café trailer near Corris for a sausage bap, and was then at home not long after midday.
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