Tri chopa'r Elenydd rules & disclaimers

Tri chopa'r Elenydd (Three peaks of the Elenydd)

Routes and Safety Info

An example route

There is are GPX files (reverse starts at Llanwrthwl) and an OSmaps route (filter all routes, walking, difficult, 20-25 miles from Llanwrtyd square or Llanwrthwl bus stop) of a possible route that has been verified to be on a track of some sort most of the way across the tops; it chooses

the Nant y Glo Cerdin ford crossing
Llethyr Bach-Helyg to get down to Afon Gwesyn
a route straight up from Sgwd y Ffrwd to open moorland with easily walkable sheeptracks/quadbike tracks for most of the way to Drygarn Fawr lower peak

Notes on possible alternatives

1. Directly to Cwm Cerdin - It is possible to get to Cwm Cerdin without having to go quite as high as the bwlch between Garn Dwad and Mynydd Gwyn; going along the road past Maes-y-Gwaelod is deprecated as the aim is to keep tarmac to a minimum. You should use the bridleway that passes Lofftwen, Ffos-y-fign and Geufron (NB the footpath by Ffos-y-fign appears shorter but takes longer if found). But don't forget you are still required to ford the Cerdin from west to east (when starting from Llanwrtyd)

2. Down to Abergwesyn from Banc Paderau – this an attractive way if everso slightly longer. But it does add a further ford crossing; do not use the adjacent farmers' bridge – it is private and on private land.

3. Following the Gwesyn up to meet the bridleway that crosses it and then up to Drygarn Fawr highpoint. This is delightful to start with but deteriorates after a while and then a big battle with molinia grass is required to get over the final 400m or more to the bridleway; it's shorter but takes longer.

Notes on ford crossings

The fords enroute can quickly become impassable after heavy rain; a reasonable proxy for ford depths is the monitoring station on the Irfon in Llanwrtyd - https://rivers-and seas.naturalresources.wales/Station/4001. Above 0.5m reading will be too high for the Abergwesyn ford by Pentwyn Farm. Above 0.6m reading will mean the the water is too high at the ford between Ty Mawr and Trysgol. The Cerdin fords are generally passable with a reading up to 0.8m. Don't forget this monitoring station is downstream and it's readings will lag behind what is happening further up the catchment.

The fords are not normally an issue as the high level bogs would likely be too damp to make anything like decent progress if the river level is up. It's probably better to study a couple of weeks worth of data from the monitoring station to see if conditions would be amenable up top.

Methods of crossing fords are a personal choice; many Llanwrtyd walkers opt for “bags” - a couple of rubble sacks can act as temporary “over-wellies” even with a number of small holes they still work well on narrow fords provided you wade with some speed (the holes tend to be in the base so you end up with a small puddle in the bottom of your bag – no worse than a shallow puddle). Of course, going barefoot can be quite refreshing, but grip can be an issue in faster flowing fords.

Public transport options – at the time of writing

Travelling back to Llanwrtyd Wells the last bus departs Llanwrthwl at 5:23 pm for Llandrindod Wells; the train then departs Llandrindod Wells at 7:41 (not Sunday) – giving nearly 2 hours to enjoy the town's hospitality. Travelling to Llanwrthwl at the start of the day requires catching the 9:09 from Llandrindod Wells which can be reached using either 7:34 train (not Sunday) or the 7:20 bus (not Saturday or Sunday) via Builth Wells. With the train you get 50 mins in Llandrindod Wells for breakfast; on the bus its about 30

minutes in both Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells.

Warnings and disclaimer

Whilst this is a promoted walk all risks undertaken can only be the responsibility of the participants themselves. This walk takes you over wild and remote countryside and each indidvidual should have their own back up plan in the case of foreseeable and/or unforeseen issues.The route goes through a rural industrial landscape, both farming and forestry, and should be respected as such. Occasionally some routes are blocked; usually for safety reasons – ensure that you can dynamically modify your planned route to reach your destination.