{"id":45528,"date":"2025-04-23T11:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T10:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=45528"},"modified":"2025-04-23T11:56:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T10:56:42","slug":"backbreaking-but-beautiful-nuttall-bagging-in-north-wales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/04\/backbreaking-but-beautiful-nuttall-bagging-in-north-wales\/","title":{"rendered":"Backbreaking but Beautiful: Nuttall Bagging in North Wales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With a long Bank Holiday weekend on offer, it would have been rude not to bag a few Nuttalls.<\/strong> I left it until the end of the break to do so, though, as Friday, Saturday and Sunday were taken up with other things\u2014including lots of shopping and gardening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, on Monday morning, I set off to North Wales with my rucksack fully loaded and a route planned. I drove to Dolgarrog and then headed off on a tiny mountain road to a small car park not far from Llyn Eigiau. The plan was to head into the Carneddau to bag a few summits on their eastern edge. It was a somewhat grey day, with clouds shrouding the mountain tops and no one else around. There was a cool breeze, too. I donned my jacket, put on my gaiters, hefted my backpack onto my shoulders, and started off along an easy track up onto the ridge to the west of Llyn Eigiau. The first target was the summit of Llyn Eigiau  (735 m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Grey<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Llyn<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Rocky<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Summit<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Craig<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I had some nice views out over Llyn Dulyn to the Carneddau on the way up and soon reached the rocky summit, surrounded by a grassy plateau.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From here, I continued upwards along a relatively easy gradient, following a wide, flat ridge toward the highest point of the day\u2014Carnedd Llewelyn (1,064 m) that I\u2019ve visited it a few times before. It felt like a bit of a detour, but it was the easiest way to get to where I wanted to go. I stopped for lunch a little before joining the main path. From this vantage point, I had a good view southward along the ridge I\u2019d be following later. It\u2019s not very clear in the photo thanks to dramatic clouds, but earlier I\u2019d had a view of it and the three new Nuttalls I was hoping to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Atmospheric\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Looking<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After a restful lunch, I was back on my feet and heading up to the rocky tops of the Carneddau. I had yet to see another soul, but I expected to find someone at the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn\u2014it is, after all, the second-highest peak in Wales. I joined the main path and made it to the rocky summit with its circular windbreak of stones. No one was there. I paused briefly, but the clouds obscured most of the view. With another peak bagged, I turned left and started descending the rocky slopes toward the ridge leading to Pen yr Helgi Du. It was steep in places, and I eventually came across a couple also heading down. I overtook them and left them behind on some steeper, scrambly sections where I had to stow my walking poles and use my hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Down<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Ridgetop<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Rocky<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

From here it was a short climb to Pen yr Helgi Du (833 m). The couple I\u2019d passed were heading down toward Ffynnon Llugwy, so I was once again alone in the mountains. The path was well-defined, but it felt like few people came this way. It was a lovely ridge to follow, with dramatic drops over the cliffs of Amphitheatre Wall, a narrow ridge through the saddles, and steep rocky climbs and descents to the summits. I bagged Pen yr Helgi Du and then descended to another saddle for a steep scramble up to the summit of Clogwyn Llech Lefn (637 m). Despite the steep climb, this was a fairly flat, grassy summit\u2014but it doesn\u2019t count as a Nuttall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dramatic<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Summit<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I continued down into another saddle and over a stile. As I started the next climb, I felt a twinge in my back. The twinge soon became a fairly sharp shooting pain. I do sometimes have back issues, but now wasn\u2019t the best time! I was miles from anywhere, carrying a heavy pack, and about to climb another Nuttall. I was also planning to spend the night under canvas in a small tent on a thin air mattress. I tried to ignore the pain and gingerly made my way up, being mindful of foot placement to avoid jarring my back. The climb wasn\u2019t too bad, and I took several breathers\u2014partly to rest, partly to sneak in some painkillers. I made it to the grassy summit of Pen Llithrig y Wrach (799 m). This was the fourth Nuttall of the day and offered some amazing views of the Carneddau to the west and precipitous drops to Llyn Cowlyd to the east. I could see the stream feeding the reservoir far below\u2014my intended destination for the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Carneddau\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Descent<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

All that remained was a steep descent over rough ground. This proved to be the most difficult part of the day, as my back was now in agony\u2014and descending seemed to make it worse. I had little choice, so I carefully picked my way down through rock and bilberry bushes, avoiding boggy patches and scanning the valley below for flat grassy spots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, I reached a lovely flat grassy area next to the stream flowing into the reservoir. It was still quite early in the day\u2014under normal circumstances I might have continued\u2014but with a sore back, a perfect-looking campsite, and a good distance already covered, I decided to stop for the night. I chilled for a while, did some stretches and yoga, and soaked in the views. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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