THE RHINOGYDD
Known by some as the ‘Badlands’ this range is craggy, sliced through with steep ravines, splotched with bog, marsh and hidden llyns. This kind of terrain doesn’t make life easy – but it does make it fun. And while there are paths through the range, there aren’t many and you’ll be rewarded by, at least sometimes, getting off them.
Despite lending the range its name, neither Rhinog Fach (712m) nor Rhinog Fawr (720m) are its highest points; that crown goes to Y Llethr at 756m with Diffwys just below at 750m. Neither of these hills are quite as exciting as the titular hills, but here you will find solitude at height.
A traverse of the whole range covers 31km with 1650m ascent. But these aren’t ordinary kms and at very few points will you gain anything close to a good pace. Best done over a few days, with time for dips in those high blue waters.