| Y Garn(684m) |
| Pen Pumlumon Fawr(752m) |
| Pumlumon Fach(664m) |
| Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan(727m) |
| Pen Pumlumon Arwystli(741m) |
Peaks climbed : Y Garn(684m), Pen Pumlumon Fawr(752m), Pumlumon Fach(664m), Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan(727m), Pen Pumlumon Arwystli(741m)
Total Distance : 16km, Total Ascent : 581m
The name Plynlimon, the highest point in mid-Wales, is anglicized from the Welsh name Pumlumon, and thought to mean 'five tops' or 'five beacons' (Pump in Welsh is 'five' and 'llumon' means 'Beacons') which is quite reasonable as there are five peaks over 2,000 feet, all of which are planned for conquest today. It is, unknown to many, also the source of two great and one not so great rivers; the Severn, the Wye and the Rheidol, the former of which is the longest river in the UK at over 200 miles. For comparison, the Wye is 155 miles and the Rheidol just 19 miles flowing out to the sea at Aberystwyth. The Wye in fact rejoins the Severn at the Estuary near Bristol but takes a more direct route down the Welsh Border rather than mucking about in the English Counties of Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire which it leaves to the Severn. On this walk I would be passing very close to the source of the Wye but some distance from the Severn, although I visited that on my Severn Way walk which is written about in the Long Distance Walks section of this website.
I elected to park at Eisteddfa Gurig on the A44. The car park seems to be an extension of someones drive, but nevertheless can hold 30 cars easily. Today there was mine and one other. There is an honesty box where one pays the very reasonable fee of £5 for all day parking.
Leaving the car park with my trusty companion; Rosie, along for a good walk in the countryside, companionship and safety should the Folklore legend about the Sleeping Giant be true. We quickly passed through the adjacent farmyard and out onto open ground. A cinder track weaves its way uphill toward the radio mast which this can be followed until the edge of the woodland where an obvious path leads in the direction of Y Garn (684m), the first peak of the day. The walking is easy, as is navigation - simply keep near the fence. Towards the top, there are some undulations and it is worth taking the path about 20-30m away from the fence as the undulations are less steep than close by. Eventually the summit arrives, marked by a huge pile of stones. It had taken me just forty five minutes to ascend. Today was quite clear and good views were had all round, including to the next summit, the highest, Pumlumon Fawr.
To get to Pumlumon Fawr (752m), it is easiest to retrace steps back to near the radio mast, then follow the obvious track and again, keeping the fence close by on the left. The mountain is not steep and soon yields, although as I approached, the mist came down which disappointed me greatly as there would be no view, but there is a comforting Triq point to denote the actual top. I'd been walking for one hour and fifteen minutes at this point and seen just one group of walkers on Y Garn. To my surprise I met a second group of five walkers who had climbed from the Reservoir side, but only climbing this one peak. Peak two conquered.
I was conscious of wanting to ensure I departed in the correct direction for Pumlumon Fach, mist preventing a visual check, so checked my trusty View Ranger which today, unlike other days, was working well. It is slightly West of straight on from my route up and soon descends to a col where the cloud more or less vanished and I could see two summits ahead of me.
Rechecking, it was the far one (of course) but still only 500m distant. It is quite a steep climb onto the summit but soon over, and this time I had a much better view of the Nant-y-moch Reservoir.
Third peak summited, fifteen minutes after Fawr and just two to go. Being quite chilly, I didn't stop, but retraced my steps down to the col and straight on in the direction of Llyn Llygad Rheidol Reservoir. The ground gets very steep very quickly and I found myself forced to the right and up to another col, this time, between Fawr and my next destination; Pen Pumlumon Llygad-bychan (727m). Llygad-bychan is fairly uninteresting and didn't warrant anything more than a pause at the summit and quick photo, although being back in the mist didn't make for much of a photo opportunity. It had taken me about twenty five minutes to ascend this peak from the last one and one hour fifty three minutes since leaving the car. I was well on track, feeling pretty good and moving quickly. Continuing in the direction of my final peak, I passed close to the source of the Wye, although it was off the main track and didn't excite me enough to go in search. Having visited the source of the Severn I'd concluded that river sources are particularly uninteresting and not worth the detour. I wouldn't have bothered with the Severn except that I was walking the entire length so there was a moral if not legal obligation to do so.
The path to the final peak of Pen Pumlumon Arwystli(741m) was a straightforward walk of just over 3.5km, all easy walking with a final steep section over rocky terrain to the summit. Two hours and fifteen minutes of pretty much constant walking, covering a shade over 10km and I'd climbed all five peaks. There was just the small matter of the walk back to the car.
I had decided that the best route back was to retrace my steps to the source of the Wye area, then turn South, pick up a fence and follow that down to pick up a mine track which would lead me back to the car. Visibility was good and I was confident that I could use the fence and path as catching features to lead me in the right direction. It was along this return route that I had my first, and only stop. Some trusty hot blackcurrant and a goodie bar did the trick. I gave Rosie her food which she consumed at a swift rate before resuming her constant trotting around. On all the walks I have taken her, she has never stopped moving, apart from to eat and today would be no different it seems.
On the way down I spied a peak to my right and decided I would summit it, just in case it was featured in my Mountain Tables book as a lesser peak. As it transpired, it was Pen Lluest-y-carn at 699m but doesn't feature as a separate peak as there is an insufficient drop from the summit. Oh well.
My plan worked to perfection and I could see the radio mast that I'd past earlier in the day to my right and the old mine workings dead ahead with the cinder track leading down. No sign of the car park or farm at this point but I knew I was okay. Soon, the farms upper buildings came into view and was just a few minutes before the main farm appeared and I was back at the car. Total walking time was three hours and twenty minutes, five peaks bagged for the collection and a fine day out with good weather. Shame about the lack of views on the main summits, but that's Wales!
