Dulyn to Bwlch y Ddeufaen
DAY 2
1 SH705664 Leaving Dulyn bothy, pick up a path that runs directly behind the bothy itself, heading along the hillside, roughly parallel with the valley floor below. Follow this path to a fence, cross the ladder stile and continue ahead. The ground here is fairly boggy and tussocky. Cross a stream and then turn left, leaving the path and climbing up towards a rocky outcrop with sheepfolds below it. Pass to the left of the sheepfolds and continue uphill, crossing another stream.
2 SH708678 Pick up the faint path that climbs steadily up the hillside, hopping streams and gradually trending left towards the summit of Carnedd Gwenllian (formerly Carnedd Uchaf), a jumble of rocks and boulders. Save it for now though and instead swing left to first bag Foel Grach, another of the Welsh 3000s and the eighth highest peak in Wales. Look out for the stone-built emergency refuge shelter on the mountain’s northern slopes, immediately beneath the summit crags. It’s dark and dank, but still a good place to shelter from the wind that frequently scours the Carneddau.
3 SH689659 Leave Foel Grach’s summit and head due north as the ground drops gradually and then rises again, slightly left of where you walked in. This time, clamber over the stones you saw earlier to reach the summit of Carnedd Gwenllian. From here, pick up a path that heads north-east towards the next peak, Foel-fras. In poor weather, look for the stone wall that leads to the summit, following it uphill. The trig pillar marking the summit is close by, amidst a jumble of rocks.
4 SH697681 From the trig, head northwest to reach the little-visited summit of Llwytmor. This is a wide plateau with few features, but on a clear day, look north for excellent views of the Menai Strait and Anglesey. You may even see the Isle of Man across the Irish Sea and in the far distance, the fells of the Lake District. Return in roughly the direction you came, though this time skirting the northern shoulder of Foel-fras rather than climbing back up to the summit. Look for a path that runs beside a wall.
5 SH705688 Continue to follow the wall as it descends along the ridge and becomes a fence. Keep with the fence, climbing gradually to reach the summit of Drum, where there is a wind shelter over the fence to the right. From the summit, pick up the track heading north until it starts to swing left down the hillside. Leave the track here and instead take a small path that continues north for about 300m, before rejoining the fence at the minor summit of Carnedd y Ddelw.
6 SH708705 Follow the fence northwest for 400m and then bear right, heading roughly north-east to the start of a wall. Follow the wall as it descends steeply and gradually curves right to meet the Roman road at Bwlch y Ddeufaen (‘Pass of the Two Stones’). Cross the road into the valley, with power lines overhead.
7 SH712719 This quiet mountain pass is sheltered here by the flanks of Drum to the south and Tal y Fan to the north, which makes it a good place to pitch up. The two standing stones that give Bwlch y Ddeufaen its name are prehistoric monoliths that mark the highest point of the pass. The flattest ground is on the other side of the Roman road, to the left of the wall (a good windbreak!).