{"id":47148,"date":"2025-10-14T06:35:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T05:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/?p=47148"},"modified":"2025-10-14T06:35:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T05:35:20","slug":"solo-wild-camp-among-the-arenigs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alananna.co.uk\/blog\/2025\/10\/solo-wild-camp-among-the-arenigs\/","title":{"rendered":"Solo Wild Camp Among the Arenigs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Things seem to have been a little hectic lately, and there doesn\u2019t seem to be much chance of that changing in the near future. But last weekend was, at least, a quiet one. With a good weather forecast, it was also a good chance to get out into the hills and tick off a few more Welsh Nuttalls (mountains above 2,000 ft).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t fancy heading south for some reason, so instead went just an hour or so northeast of here to the Arenigs. These are mountains I\u2019ve walked before \u2014 many years ago, before I had a GPS device to\u00a0officially<\/em>\u00a0log them. I don\u2019t think I visited all of the summits in the area back then either. Actually, I\u2019ve just looked it up: it was in 2007 that I was last here, on a little geocaching trip with Steve<\/a>. So I\u00a0did<\/em>\u00a0have some sort of GPS with me, but I didn\u2019t record the route \u2014 I just used it to find Tupperware in the hills!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Climbing into the Arenigs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This time I was on my own. I drove up with clouds shrouding the hills and parked just off the main road. The forecast was for sunshine, so I was optimistic as I followed easy trails to the foot of the first climb. From here, it was a tough ascent up the steep northwest ridge of Arenig Fawr. I soon disappeared into the mist and murk. The views vanished as the whiteness closed in. I\u2019d seen no one all day; there was no wind, and all was quiet as I headed ever higher. The gradient eased after the initial steepness but continued steadily up along the ridge to the first summit of the day at Moel Llecwedd (817 m) and finally to the summit of Arenig Fawr (854 m). Arenig Fawr was my first Nuttall of the day. I took a quick photo, then moved away from the summit to find a sheltered spot where I got out my stove, boiled some water, and made coffee \u2014 accompanied by a couple of Eccles cakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Into<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Trig<\/a><\/figure>
\"Summit<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I was doing my best to take my time, soak it all in, and not worry about how far or fast I could go. Chilling with a coffee was perfect. Although, shrouded in mist as I was, there wasn\u2019t much to take in \u2014 so I simply enjoyed the peace and solitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I soon hefted my heavy rucksack back onto my shoulders and set off again. Next was a steady walk over varied terrain to the subsidiary summits of Arenig Fawr South Top (837 m) and Arenig Fawr South Ridge Top (714 m). Both of these class as Nuttalls as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All was quiet, and the going was steady over rocky ground interspersed with boggy patches and heather-clad grass. It was surprisingly chilly up here in the clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On to More Nuttalls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Next came a slippery descent out of the mist and another steep climb back up \u2014 and back\u00a0into<\/em>\u00a0the clouds \u2014 to reach the next Nuttall, Moel Llyfnant (751 m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Out<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
\"Views<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I dropped from the summit of Moel Llyfnant and, out of the clouds at last, stopped beside a fence for lunch with views into the valley below. I took my time scouting the ground ahead, looking for the spots I\u2019d identified from maps as potential campsites. It was still early, though, so I also started to plan how far I might go beyond them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once on my way again, it was an easy descent into the valley. The area I\u2019d marked near Afon\u00a0Lliw\u00a0would have been fine for a camp, but it was still early, so I filled up with water and started up the next hill. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Afon<\/a>
Afon Lliw<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This next climb turned into a slog through knee-deep heather with no paths \u2014 not even a sheep track to follow. It was the hardest part of the day. Boggy areas were actually a bit of a relief from the energy-sapping heather. Typically, the sun came out just in time to make the climb sweaty. I eventually made it to the ridge and then on to Foel Boeth (615 m), Nuttall number\u00a05\u00a0of the day. Now that the sun was out there were at least some views out to the west with Llyn Trawsfynydd seen and the Rhinogs towering behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking West to Llyn Trawfynydd and The Rhinogs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I was now on the lookout for possible campsites. First was the summit of Gallt y Darren (619 m), the final Nuttall of the day. There were a few likely looking camps sites as I followed the ridge, gradually descending and picking off the smaller summits of\u00a0Moel yr Wden (572 m)
and Moel y Slates (557 m). Although there were suitable camping spots, there was no water up here, so I continued on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I left the paths behind again and trudged through more hard-going tussocky ground. There was nowhere decent to camp. I crossed a couple of small streams and kept slogging on. My next target was the confluence of several small streams that, on the map, looked as though it might offer a campsite. As I approached, things didn\u2019t look promising \u2014 just tussocks and bogs, but there were nice views of Arenig Fawr with a crown of clouds. It wasn’t long ago that I’d been up there.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Arenig<\/a>
Arenig Fawr<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A Bed for the Night<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just as I was starting to feel tired, I spotted a small area perched above a pool between two little gorges. It looked flat and not too boggy. Perfect. The grass was quite long, but that was fine. I soon had the tent pitched, washed my feet in the pool, and filled up my water (actually in the opposite order!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Home<\/a><\/figure><\/div>
\"Streams,<\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dinner was soon on \u2014 pasta bolognese followed by more Eccles cakes. A chilled evening followed. I\u2019d seen no one all day, bagged 6\u00a0Nuttalls, covered 11 miles, and my sore Achilles was only a little sore. There was no wind, clear skies, and falling temperatures, so I was under my quilt relatively early and soon snoozing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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