Dinas
Mawddwy – South East Snowdonia
This
cache is on a wild and seldom visited hill called Foel Dinas, above the village of Dinas Mawdday. In the 1500s the village was the
haunt of the notorious Red Bandits, so called because of their red
hair. The bandits attacked travellers as they struggled over Bwlch
Oerddrws (Cold Door Col) on the road
from Dolgellau, the county town of Meirionnydd, towards
England. There is a
small car park at Bwlch Oerddrws, where
you can read the story of the bandits and imagine them creeping out
of the misty mountains.
There is a Mystery Cache here, “Beware the Bandits!”
(GC116BW). For the
hill walker, the car park is the start of a brilliant ridge walk,
across Maesglasau, finishing by passing
the cache on the way down into Dinas
Mawddwy.
Today,
Dinas Mawddwy is home to the Meirion Mill (waypoint DMXCAF), whose café makes a
good starting or finishing point for doing this cache (I recommend
the Oggi, a type of lamb pasty with
mint). The shop &
café are located in the old mill building for Minllyn slate quarry, which closed in
1916. The car park was
originally the stack floor for finished slate roof
tiles. Dinas Mawddwy was
unusual in that it had a private, standard gauge railway, linked to
the main line at Camaes Road, to
transport its slates to market.
If
you’re not visiting the café, park near the war memorial
(waypoint DMXCP1) and maybe take time to read the
names. One of the
Privates killed in the 1914-18 war had the same name as
me. Take the forestry
track and turn right at the first T-junction. Head uphill until you come to a
path that turns sharply left off the track by a bin. This is an alternate place to park
(waypoint DMXCP2).
Follow the steep path up to Minllyn
Quarry and imagine what it must have been like to have this as you
daily commute to work!
The
Public Footpath emerges at the original mill buildings for
Minllyn Slate Quarry (waypoint DMXMIN)
and crosses a stile.
There are some fascinating remains here including the chimney for
steam power and the turbine pipe for water power from Llyn
Foeldinas. Please be careful if you explore
the working themselves.
There are some very large drops with crumbling, undercut
edges. At the bottom of
the incline is a nicely stone arched lined tunnel into the
underground workings, which is usually at least knee deep in icy
water. Underground
there are some chambers with large, unsupported roof spans and a
deep, flooded pit.
It is safer, drier and warmer to stay
outside! The footpath follows the incline up to its top and
then goes around to the left into a small valley. One last steep climb up a faint
incline will bring you the cache.
The
“Big Wheel” of my title (it isn’t that big
really!) was part of a system for hauling slates up and over the
hill from Cae Abaty Quarry, which were lowered down to
Minllyn to be shipped on. It is definitely best to do this
cache on a clear day as the views form the site are
superb. Northwards,
Aran Fawddwy sticks up almost
3,000’ above sea level. To the west you can just see the
top of Maesglasau waterfall which in a
good winter will freeze to give 200 metres of grade IV ice
climbing. Pumlumon lies to the south and the wind-turbines at
Cemaes Road and Llanidloes can be seen off the south
east. You can get from
the road to the cache in about ½ an hour if you’re in hurry
but not if you’re with children! Having struggled up the hill, I
recommend spending a while up here.
All of
the hill is CROW Access Land, but you won’t find any
paths. It is possible
to follow the ridge northwards to where 2 fences meet (waypoint
DMXFEN) and then go up to the summit of Foel Dinas. From here you get a full view of
Maesglasau Falls. It’s a grand place to sit
for lunch and watch the aerobatics of the ravens (natural) and
hawks (RAF Valley).
Descend to Llyn Foeldinas, the south
edge of which is a dam, built to increase water storage for power
machines in the quarry.
Beyond this lie the communal TV aerials for the village (waypoint
DMXTV). By carefully
crossing some boggy ground and an unusual stile you can get onto
the start of a forestry track (waypoint DMXFOR). Follow the track back to the
village.
Books
&
“A
Gazeteer of the Welsh Slate
Industry” by Alun John Richards
– Details & short histories of every slate working in
Wales. ISBN 0-86381-196-5
&
“Folk
tales & Heroes of Wales Volume 2” by John Owen
Huws – The Red Bandits of
Mawddwy & other tales. ISBN
0-86381-885-4
&
“Welsh
Winter Climbs” by Malcolm Campbell & Andy Newton –
Only for folk who are optimistic about global warming and planning
an ascent of Maesglasau falls. ISBN
1-85284-001-3
&
“Meirionnydd”
Climbers’ Club Guides – Details of some hard, scary
rock climbs in Minllyn
Quarry. ISBN
0-901601-63-2