I started from the carpark in the centre of Blaenau Ffestiniog just by the elegant public loos that used to be a railway ticket office. The Nuttalls directions to Moel Penamnen say you should first follow a road at the back of the carpark “leading steeply uphill through slate spoil with high retaining walls on either side.” I’m pretty sure I took the right road but high retaining walls were conspicuous by their absence leaving me a bit uncertain This, the Nuttalls tell me, leads into the disused Maen Offeren Quarry. It certainly led to a quarry but there seemed to be a bit more activity than I would expect were it entirely disused. At the back of the big open area was a track leading uphill. On the right on this was big sign saying, in Welsh and English:
SITE SAFETY
ALL VISITORS AND CONTRACTORS MUST REPORT TO MAIN OFFICE
CHILDREN MUST NOT PLAY ON THIS SITE
No access for unauthorised persons
DANGER Quarry workings
KEEP OUT
High visibility clothing must be worn
Foot protection must be worn
Head protection must be worn
Speed limit
THINK SAFETY! AVOID ACCIDENTS.
On the left there was a much smaller public green and yellow public footpath sign. A bit tentatively, hoping I was not about to be shot or mauled by guard dogs, I carried on. I soon came to a place where another public footpath sign pointed uphill through thick rhododhendrons, just as the Nutalls advise, so I followed it up, finding it, just as they say, a tad overgrown. This leads, again as Nuttalls say, to a ruined winding house with cable and drum. At which point I encountered the day’s second discouraging sign. This one says, in very faded letters, again in Welsh and English:
Public footpath ends here. Please return along footpath.
Looking at the map there look to be two rights of way that don’t quite join. But what the Nuttalls say is OK is surely OK so I scrambled over a pile of old slate blocking the way and carried on north east to reach again as advertised by Nuttalls, another ruined winding house. This brought to an end the rather fraught first stage of the walk which all felt rather like I was trespassing on a not very safe industrial site. Now it got much better.
SITE SAFETY
ALL VISITORS AND CONTRACTORS MUST REPORT TO MAIN OFFICE
CHILDREN MUST NOT PLAY ON THIS SITE
No access for unauthorised persons
DANGER Quarry workings
KEEP OUT
High visibility clothing must be worn
Foot protection must be worn
Head protection must be worn
Speed limit
THINK SAFETY! AVOID ACCIDENTS.
On the left there was a much smaller public green and yellow public footpath sign. A bit tentatively, hoping I was not about to be shot or mauled by guard dogs, I carried on. I soon came to a place where another public footpath sign pointed uphill through thick rhododhendrons, just as the Nutalls advise, so I followed it up, finding it, just as they say, a tad overgrown. This leads, again as Nuttalls say, to a ruined winding house with cable and drum. At which point I encountered the day’s second discouraging sign. This one says, in very faded letters, again in Welsh and English:
Public footpath ends here. Please return along footpath.
Looking at the map there look to be two rights of way that don’t quite join. But what the Nuttalls say is OK is surely OK so I scrambled over a pile of old slate blocking the way and carried on north east to reach again as advertised by Nuttalls, another ruined winding house. This brought to an end the rather fraught first stage of the walk which all felt rather like I was trespassing on a not very safe industrial site. Now it got much better.
It was a bit of a boggy trudge north towards Moel Penamnen to a point where a path is visible climbing a steepening leading to the ridge. This was soon reach and climbed and it was easy going to the cairnless top. From here to Foel-fras is a lovely pleasant grassy walk and from here it is a straightforward fence-following excerise, sometimes with a path of sorts underfoot, to the North Top of Manod Mawr. Getting from here to the main top requires circumambulating a gigantic hole in the ground caused by more quarrying operations. Now the descent to Blaenau was straightforward. Down the northern slopes to another quarry (this one looked properly disused) and follow the old incline system back into the town.
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