TR: bog hopping above Pontrhydfendigaid

In article <[email hidden]>, Rudi Winter
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

It looked pretty much as if spring had arrived in Aber on Fri morning.
I thought it was a good time for the wilderness just down the road.
I went to Pontrhydfendigaid and then to the end of the access road to
the Teifi pools. This could be regarded as cheating, as the road goes
as high up as 440m, but Friday's walk was about bog hopping, not ascent.
Some photos are at
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/060414.html

I turned north from the road and, once past Claerddu, followed the stream
Nant Banc Mawr up the hill. There is a curiosity on the map in that two
streams appear to cross there. On closer inspection, one is an old ditch
that hugs the contour, which must have been dug to supply water to
Claerddu which would naturally drain towards the east. The artificial
water course runs for about 3km around the hill, bypassing Llyn Du, a
natural lake a little higher up! Anyway, on the ground, the crossing
of the stream and the ditch is in the middle of a bog these days:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06041404bNantBancMawrWatercourse.jpg

Llyn Fyrddon Fawr, the origin of the ancient water course, is a
reservoir with a dam made of earth and reinorced with stones. The
outflow just runs over its crown.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06041411bLlynFyrddonFawrOutflow.jpg

I had been up to Domen Milwyn before, but the seriously boggy area to
its east and north was new to me. Basically, the whole area is pretty
flat and boggy. On each col between two adjacent higher bumps there is
a peat bog from which streams emerge in either direction.
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06041413bNantMilwynSourceBog.jpg

Progress was very slow, and when I crashed through a gap in the
grass cover, I decided I'd better come back another time at the end of
summer rather than just after snowmelt...

Anyway, I didn't want to literally track back along my GPS track, so I
went a little higher up and spent nearly 2 hours negotiating my way
through about 500m of peat bog:
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/06041418bPeatBog.jpg

Lots of interesting wildlife: birds I've never seen before, sheep of
course, this year's first midges, and a few llamas at a farm on the way
back to Aber.

Very Interesting territory indeed Rudi

Went to Teifi pools, or at least the road, only once and the fog brought
visibility down to about twenty yards, so I didn't bother to walk.
--
Bill Grey
http://www.billboy.co.uk

W. D. Grey said:

Went to Teifi pools, or at least the road, only once and the fog brought
visibility down to about twenty yards, so I didn't bother to walk.

Definitely not the place to be stuck in in little or no visibility -
finding a way amongst the peat hags without seeing which way leads to
solid ground would get me a bit worried to say the least!
--
Rudi Winter, Aberystwyth, Wales

Rudi Winter said:

I went to Pontrhydfendigaid and then to the end of the access road to
the Teifi pools. This could be regarded as cheating, as the road goes
as high up as 440m, but Friday's walk was about bog hopping, not
ascent. Some photos are at
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/060414.html

Interesting pics.

One thing I've been curious about for a while, are there any flat dry spots
up there where you can pitch a tent? I'm thinking particularly of the area
between Llethr Tirion and the two Llyn Fyrddons. I was hoping there might
be the odd dry spot sheltered from any westerly wind. I can see from your
photos that the side of the ridge isn't boggy, but of course it isn't flat
either. Any flat dry spots up there or is that a daft question? On top of
the ridge may be a bit exposed if the wind gets up.

Also, you seem to have gone out of your way to traipse through bog, surely
there must be a dry route from the 461 spot height on the road up to the 593
trig point, then along Llethr Tirion?

Paul

"Paul Saunders" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rudi Winter said:

I went to Pontrhydfendigaid and then to the end of the access road to
the Teifi pools. This could be regarded as cheating, as the road goes
as high up as 440m, but Friday's walk was about bog hopping, not
ascent. Some photos are at
http://users.aber.ac.uk/ruw/album/060414.html

Interesting pics.

One thing I've been curious about for a while, are there any flat dry

spots

Quoted message said:

up there where you can pitch a tent? I'm thinking particularly of the

area

Quoted message said:

between Llethr Tirion and the two Llyn Fyrddons. I was hoping there might
be the odd dry spot sheltered from any westerly wind. I can see from your
photos that the side of the ridge isn't boggy, but of course it isn't flat
either. Any flat dry spots up there or is that a daft question? On top

of

Quoted message said:

the ridge may be a bit exposed if the wind gets up.

Also, you seem to have gone out of your way to traipse through bog, surely
there must be a dry route from the 461 spot height on the road up to the

593

Quoted message said:

trig point, then along Llethr Tirion?

Paul

Have been to Carnyrhyrddod a few times, seriously boggy but good views. Bryn
Eithinog just East of where you were is much drier, has the odd rocky
outcrop and equally good views.

Gerald

Quoted message said:

Evocative pictures, but they make it look a lot boggier and more formidable than we remember it,
although we made our trip in June which would be a definite improvement. The area between Waen
Claerddu and the Llyn Fyrddons was easy and dry, our line North from there via Domen Milwyn was wet
and boggy only in a couple of places but not disgustingly so. The area to the East did look
significantly worse from a distance as we recall, we didn't encounter any significant areas of peat
hags, just water and tussocky grass.

A splendid wild area nevertheless, and we will bear those pictures in mind when we visit again. This
is the only area where we have seen farmers rounding up sheep on horseback.

Regards

-- GeoffC

Take out TheEnemy to email me

http://v-g.me.uk

Paul Saunders said:

One thing I've been curious about for a while, are there any flat dry spots
up there where you can pitch a tent? I'm thinking particularly of the area
between Llethr Tirion and the two Llyn Fyrddons. I was hoping there might

I was wondering about that myself. The little peninsula in Llyn Fyrddon
Fach looks like it may be a candidate but I haven't given it a close
look. The area SE of Llyn Fyrddon Fawr is fairly dry, too, although
probably not very sheltered.

Quoted message said:

Also, you seem to have gone out of your way to traipse through bog, surely
there must be a dry route from the 461 spot height on the road up to the 593
trig point, then along Llethr Tirion?

The bit from Claerddu to Domen Milwyn isn't too bad apart from one short
stretch just before Domen Milwyn. The area to its north to southeast is
seriously quagmiry stuff, though.

The area south of the trig point you mention isn't as dry as it looks on
the map either!
--
Rudi Winter, Aberystwyth, Wales

Idris said:

Have been to Carnyrhyrddod a few times, seriously boggy but good views. Bryn
Eithinog just East of where you were is much drier, has the odd rocky
outcrop and equally good views.

Bryn Eithinog was my intended return leg but I got stuck between Geifas
and Trum y Gwr with another suspected quagmire in between.
--
Rudi Winter, Aberystwyth, Wales

GeoffC said:

Evocative pictures, but they make it look a lot boggier and more formidable than we remember it,
although we made our trip in June which would be a definite improvement. The area between Waen
Claerddu and the Llyn Fyrddons was easy and dry, our line North from there via Domen Milwyn was wet
and boggy only in a couple of places but not disgustingly so. The area to the East did look
significantly worse from a distance as we recall, we didn't encounter any significant areas of peat
hags, just water and tussocky grass.

Same now: The stretch along the Fyrddons was wet but manageable, but
east of that line, well...

If you want peat hags, go to SN823729...

You're saying you went north via Domen Milwyn. Where did you go?
--
Rudi Winter, Aberystwyth, Wales

(Rudi Winter) said:

You're saying you went north via Domen Milwyn. Where did you go?

Outline map and description on day 3 of this backpack:

http://v-g.me.uk/Trips/T0652/T0652.htm

-- GeoffC

Take out TheEnemy to email me

http://v-g.me.uk

In article <[email hidden]>, GeoffC
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

(Rudi Winter) said:

You're saying you went north via Domen Milwyn. Where did you go?

Outline map and description on day 3 of this backpack:

http://v-g.me.uk/Trips/T0652/T0652.htm

-- GeoffC

Take out TheEnemy to email me

http://v-g.me.uk

Lovely pictures Geoff - thanks
--
Bill Grey
http://www.billboy.co.uk

GeoffC said:

(Rudi Winter) said:

You're saying you went north via Domen Milwyn. Where did you go?

Outline map and description on day 3 of this backpack:
http://v-g.me.uk/Trips/T0652/T0652.htm

Oh I see, you walked the rim of the bathtub...

I do usually read your reports, at least if they are in an area that I
have maps of, but that one must have escaped me. Wet sponge indeed!

I've never made it past the Severn source (looking at it from this
side), but that upper Severn waterfall looks very appealing.
--
Rudi Winter, Aberystwyth, Wales