| The walks starts from the car park at Tan-y-pistyll. The car park at Tan-y-pistyll is situated at the end of a minor road from the small and remote welsh village of Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant, the minor road is aptly named Waterfall Street as it leaves Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant and is well sign posted from the village. To get to Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant follow the B4580 road out of Oswestry towards Llansilin and then continue after the village of Llansilin. I would highly recommend taking a map of the area as this isn't the easiest starting point to navigate too.
Pistyll Rhaeadr |
Natural Arch |
The car park at Tan-y-pistyll isn't free but is also not too expensive. There is alternative road side parking just before the paying car park. At the car park there is also public toilets and a B&B with tea rooms and shop. The Pistyll Rhaeadr car park is literally next to the car park. Visit the waterfall at the start and end of the walk as it faces south east and can look very different at various times of the day, in the winter it can also freeze around its edges leaving incredible ice formations and icicles. Like most waterfalls in spate after a good downpour it is a raging torrent which at this height is thunderous. The Afon Rhaeadr river below the fall is home to plenty of bird life. Looking from the viewing platforms and the small footbridge over the Afon Rhaeadr you can see the full length of the falls and also the stunning natural arch that the water falls through on its way down the two hundred and forty foot drop.
Ice Formations |
Cwm Nant y Llyn Stile |
From the waterfall head back past the top of the car park and head through the wooden gate into the woods heading in a north easterly direction away from the car park. This path eventually heads into the wide open and remote Cwm Nant y Llyn valley. The path is on the left or western side of the valley, a path does head uphill to the left but avoid this, this will be the descent route later in the walk, instead keep heading into the valley. After just a few hundred metres head down into the valley floor at a point where there is a few stepping stones that lead over to a wooden gate and a track heading in the opposite direction up the hill on the other side.
Cwm Nant y Llyn |
Craig y Llyn |
Cross the stepping stones and head over the wooden stile and gate here onto the track that seems to head uphill in the opposite direction. This track will reach the track that heads up the eastern side of the valley. Turn left on the proper track now heading north to north east into the valley heading over a wooden stile uphill and leaving the valley floor with its many disused stone walled sheepfolds further and further below. Once the path reaches the head of the valley, the views behind down the valley are fantastic. The path crosses and then follows the Nant y Llyn stream up to the beautiful Llyn Lluncaws.
Moel yr Ewig |
Llyn Lluncaws |
Llyn Lluncaws is a typical glacial lake, which are not too common around these parts of Wales. The lake is backed by the crags of Moel Sych on one side and the Cadair Berwyn ridge of Moel yr Ewig on the other. It is a great place to break before the steep ascent to Moel Sych. Once you have taken in the beautiful Llyn Lluncaws simply head back to the path you left and follow it up to the obvious climb to Moel Sych on the left side of Llyn Lluncaws. The climb is strenuous at first but levels out as you come close to the top of the Craig y Llyn crags. Do be careful at the top here as the path certainly seems to narrow cling on to the crags at some points and on wet days the path can be slippery underfoot and there will be no stopping if you fall to the right.
Cadair Berwyn Ridge |
Once on top of Craig y Llyn head north west along the wide ridge path keeping the fence to your left. The first major summit you reach will be the 830m high summit of Cadair Berwyn. People are often confused as to which summit is the real summit of Cadair Berwyn as this 830m summit does not have a stone cairn or trig point pillar but the slightly further north but only 827m high summit does. This first summit is the true highest summit of Cadair Berwyn and is also far more exciting with a rocky knoll and a few rocky pinnacles. From the highest summit of Cadair Berwyn head north to north east passing a small lake in the col and you will soon reach the secondary summit of Cadair Berwyn which does have a trig point pillar. From Cadair Berwyn the panoramic views are amazing. To the east you will see the flat fertile land of Cheshire, to the south the Brecon Beacons and hills of South Wales, to the west the high mountains of Cadair Idris and the Rhinogs and to the north west you will see the three highest mountain ranges in North Wales, the Snowdon massif, The Glyders and The Carneddau.
Snowdon, The Glyders & The Carneddau in distance |
From the secondary summit of Cadair Berwyn head back the same way you came along the ridge. Head back over the wooden stile passing the higher summit of Cadair Berwyn again always with the fence on your right now. This time head to the summit of Moel Sych with its large messy cairn of loose rocks. From Moel Sych head off the mountain in a south direction taking the footpath that heads downhill with a fence on its right. Do be careful here to take the right path as taking the wrong path and direction here can lead to you ending up in a valley on the wrong side of where you want to be. There is more than just the one path with a fence on its right. In bad weather take a compass reading and make sure you head south.
Cadair Berwyn & Moel Sych |
After heading south the path descends slowly towards a small knoll known as Trum Felen at which the path heads slightly uphill again on this tiny bump and crosses the fence to its other side. The path continues downhill constantly keeping to the ridge and heading now in a slightly south east direction. Eventually the path starts to zig zag as it gets closer to the path you left earlier at the start of the wide valley below. When the path reaches the track coming from the right you have the choice of either turning left and heading downhill back to the starting path and back to the car park or if you want to see the Pistyll Rhaeadr from a different angle then head right along the track for fifty metres and head left through a stile into the wooded area above the waterfall to see it from above. Once back at the car park you have the amenities and the refreshments you require plus another chance to see the waterfall at another time of the day.
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Duration
: 4.5 Hr
