Gwydyr Forest

On a soggy weekend a couple of weeks ago Chris and I headed off in search of some hill walking in the Snowdonia National Park. There was a thick blanket of drizzly grey cloud hiding the peaks and ridges that we love, so we thought we would try something a little different.

The waters of Llyn Geirionedd and Llyn Crafnant are separated by the thickly wooded slopes of Mynydd Deulyn in the Gwydyr Forest. Neither of us fancied a route march on exposed windy slopes in poor visibility, so a walk along the lake shores and through the woods made a pleasant change.

The views along the shores were far better than from the higher peaks. The waters of Llyn Geirionedd are strangely clear but this lake has been polluted by water leaking from nearby disused lead mines. In contrast, Llyn Crafnant is a popular fishing spot and there is a cafe that overlooks the lake.

The slopes of Mynydd Deulyn have a variety of woodland. Areas of densely planted spruce make for a spooky scene reminiscent of walking through caves or vaulted cellars.

In the occasional clearing there were small twisted oak trees sprouting with ferns and thickly draped in mosses. We hurried on quickly back to where we had left the car in case of ghosts, witches or other such wild beings.