Craig Wion
There’s much more to this rough and ready range than Rhinogs Fach and Fawr. Join Nick Livesey for a walk on the really wild side.
The Rhinogydd are magnificent but inexplicably empty mountains. Populated by feral goats – and occasionally by the hardiest of hillwalkers – this enigmatic range provides some of the toughest terrain in the Snowdonia National Park. Many are those that, put off by grim tales of waist-deep heather and non-existent paths, avoid these hills like the plague. However, to do so is to miss out on some of the wildest and most rewarding walks Wales has to offer.
This particular circuit fails to reach 600 metres and weighs in at a paltry five miles, but don’t be fooled into expecting a walk in the park. Craig Wion’s transverse canyons which scythe through the ridge were described by Harold Drasdo in the classic book Wild Walks as “a splendid mile of Celtic Badlands” – as apt a depiction as you will ever hear. In stark contrast to the gnarly Rhinog heights, this spectacular and deeply-affecting walk starts from and returns to an enchanted valley, replete with ancient woodland and a beautiful lake. Add to all this an old packhorse route which predates its ‘Roman Steps’ sobriquet, and you have a walk of great character that will live long in the memory.