Moelwyn 3 peaks heart and lungs
Every April runners compete in Ras y Moelwyn, a race over the peaks. 10 ½ miles and 2,800 feet of altitude typically won in 80 minutes – but as a walk we’ll skip the start and budget a whole day!
From the café at Tanygrisiau follow the track into Cwm Cwmorthin, a steep sided glacial valley. To the right is the mine nicknamed The Slaughterhouse. To the left the path on an old tramway beside the lake overlooked by a quarrymans’ barracks and a grand but dilapidated chapel. You may have walked just 30 minutes but you are in another world – magic.
The track rises up to more mines and a crossroads. To the right are lakes full of brown trout and Cnicht, the ‘Welsh Matterhorn’. Straight on and down to the village of Croesor with its community café and gallery. Or left and up to Moelwyn Mawr, the tallest of the peaks at 770m.
The views are huge with Snowdon looking a short walk to the north, Cadair Idris to the south and coast as far as the eye can see.
Drop down to the craggy ridge of Craigysgafn looking over the upper dam of Britain’s first pumped storage hydro electric station. At times of peak demand the plug is pulled and water races down through turbines to the lake at Tanygrisiau.
Onwards to the top of Moelwyn Bach with a bird’s eye view of the Vale of Ffestiniog, tiny steam trains crossing the Cob to Porthmadog and miles of sandy beach framed by castles at Cricieth and Harlech.
Walking across the dam wall it feels like a giant’s amphitheatre – no way Barnes Wallis could get bouncing bombs in here!
Ras y Moelwyn goes up and over Moel yr Hydd but if you feel you’ve had enough, a stroll down the engineer’s road will be gentle on the knees and bring you out at the starting point.