The start of the walk at the Owain Glyndwr statue in Corwen.
Looking back towards the Arrenigs as we climbed out of Cynwyd on the North Berwyn Way.
The North Berwyn Way through what was once Cynwyd Forest.
More of the Arrenigs seen after leaving the North Western side of Cynwyd Forest.
The North Berwyn Way through the North east section of Cynwyd Forest.
The way ahead across the moors from our lunch spot.
Looking East towards the Moel Fferna "massif" - our first view of the highest point of the walk.
The Berwyns from the top stile on Moel Fferna.
Roger at the summit shelter on Moel Fferna.
Martyn at the summit shelter on Moel Fferna.
Heading for Carrog Forest from Moel Fferna.
Anyone would think we were herding the pheasants!
Walk stats: Distance: 9.9 miles (10.1 miles on my newest GPS). 1484'.
Time: 5 hours 32 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.4 m.p.h. (2.6 m.p.h. on my newest GPS).
Group: Martyn and Roger.
This is the first walk on a Wednesday that is a linear walk, requiring a car to be left at Llidiart y Parc and another to transport us to the start of the walk at Corwen.
We were hopeful that the Met Office would get their forecast right, suggesting that most of the walk would be done with clouds overhead. They were pretty accurate, although we did get a little Sun at the start and finish of the walk. At times it was quite humid, but was a little cooler with a gentle breeze when we had lunch before crossing the open moorland to the top of Moel Fferna.
We have done several walks starting at Corwen, but today we still explore parts that we hadn't used before, particularly a path that ran almost parallel with the A5 to the Cynwyd turning.
Route finding was easy as the North Berwyn Way was clearly signed, although we would have appreciated additional one through the Eastern section of the Cynwyd Forest, not just one as we entered the trees and one at the end when we emerged onto a forest track.
The only people we saw on route was a German couple holidaying in North Wales for the next two weeks. They had started at Carrog and were heading towards Cynwyd and Corwen, so it looked as though they had done the same route as us, but in reverse.
The climb from Cynwyd to Moel Fferna is a steady one, but seemed much easier than other routes that we have done.
After lunch the North Berwyn Way gently climbed to Bwlch Cynwyd, before turning North east on a steep stony track to the top of Moel Fferna.
The major surprise of the day, after the much cleared North west section of Cynwyd Forest was the path that led from the stile to the summit shelter on Moel Fferna. Usually it goes through sections of very boggy section of peat, but today everywhere was so dry the these boggy areas had dried out leaving dried peat / mud with cracks a foot deep.
The descent from Moel Fferna was was the one that goes almost directly to the East side of Carrog Forest and onto Llidiart y Parc.
On this section, particularly as we neared the edge of Llidiart y Parc.
Birds seen or heard today included: Common swift, Barn swallow, Jackdaw, House sparrow, Common blackbird, Common chaffinch, Carrion crow, Common buzzard, Woodpigeon, Wood nuthatch, Stonechat, Meadow pipit and Whinchat (definitely the bird of the day).
We arrived back at the cars, having had a really good walk, but with feet screaming to be released from our walking boots.
We decided to miss out the usual visit to the Grouse Inn at Carrog which would have been the perfect end to the walk, but instead went straight home. it had nothing to do with a certain football match scheduled to take place in Moscow later that day! However that cup of tea with a tot of whisky when I got home did taste good!
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