Range Walking Club

Sunday 13th May 1984-North Wales-Bala

 

The next walking club outing takes place on Sunday, 13 May, in the Bala area of North Wales. The coach will leave promptly at 8.00 a.m. so please arrange to be there in good time. We expect to be back in Formby before 8.00 p.m. There will be a short convenience stop in Bala (no shops available) on the outward journey, so it is advisable to bring food and drink for the whole day. The cost of the outing will be £3.00 for adults and £2.00 for children. Boots are essential for the 'A' and 'B' parties, as is warm clothing, for it can still be very cold on the higher mountains in May. Details of the walks are given below. Please indicate on the attached slip which walk you intend to join and return it to the school by Thursday, 3 May.

The 'A' and 'B' walks will both be on the Aran Mountains. Access to them is only by Courtesy Footpath, created by agreement between the land owners and Snowdonia National Park Authority. This agreement is reviewed annually and its renewal depends upon the behaviour of the public who use it.

'A' Walk
From Bala the coach will proceed to Llanuwchllyn 872299 at the South eastern corner of Lake Bala. From that point the party will climb the North end of the Aran Mountain Ridge, which maintains a height of over 2850 ft. for more than two miles and which provides, if the weather is kind, very extensive views ever northern and central Wales. From the mid point of the ridge the party will descend Erw y ddafad-ddu (867232) to a tarn, Craiglyn Dyfi. A further descent of about 200ft, leads to a small stream, which will be crossed before climbing up to the southern end of the main ridge, Drws Bach (2400 ft), and continuing northwards to the highest point of all, Aran Fawddy (2971 ft. 863224) From here the party will return along the ridge and descend by the route followed in the morning, to finish at Llanuwchllyn.

Distance: 13½ miles

Ascent: 3800 ft

Leaders: Patrick Ferguson and Arthur Jones

'B' Walk
A short drive from Llanuwchllyn along the Dolgellau road leads to the starting point (821234). For a few hundred yards it is necessary to follow the main road before turning off to a track to a farm at 816224. From there the ascent is continuous but for the most part fairly gentle, first through meadows, then Through woodland, and over grass to the summit of Aran Fawddy. The climb will be taken at a very easy pace. The route continues northwards the full length of the ridge and down to Llanuwchllyn as for the 'A' party. At Llanuwchllyu there is a cafe.

Distance: 10 miles

Ascent: 2500 ft

Leaders: David Guiver and Ken Lamb

'C' Walk
This walk will start by train! The Bala Lake Railway, one of the Great Little Railways of Wales, runs along the east side of the lake. The 'C' party will leave the coach at Llanuwchllyn and take a ten minute trip to Llangower, half way along the lake. We think the fare is no more than 50p adult and 25p for a child, but this will be confirmed when the railway opens for the season. From Llangower the walk will lead up Glyn Gower, through woodland, climbing gently 500 or 600 ft., then down through meadows above the lake to finish at Bala.

Distance: 6 or 7 miles
Leaders: Maureen Peacock and Shirley Syme