Monday 5 November 2012

Preseli Hills Area


"The Navigator" suggested a walk in the Preseli Hills Area, not the main hills but the target would be Foel Dyrch.

This is a revised blog as I had lost my camera on Foel Dyrch, but luckily we went back the next day and there it was, thankfully in a dry bag and working and now I can add the pictures.

On the main walk day the weather was good and we had excellent views across to the main Preseli ridge.  At one point we could see the distant Carmarthen Fans in the east.






We parked at 167332 at the place marked "P" on the OS map.  We did not take the green line but headed uphill towards Crug Yr Hwch and then followed just inside the open access area to the minor road near spot height 304. From here we headed directly south on the green line and had elevenses just near the spot marked as "cairn" on the map.


Our route continued south past the television mast and just outside the woods.


Until now the going was good if not a little damp underfoot.  Dramatic changes now took place!  We turned west along the narrow neck of open access. No wonder this spot is open access as tractors would get swallowed up here! We all fell in the boondoo (that's our word for hellish ground, usually well overgrown and frequently wet).  Mrs Navigator came off worst soaking most areas up to her nether regions.


We eventually made it the the lower slopes of Foel Dyrch and took the green line around the base where part way along we stopped for lunch and for Mrs Navigator to empty her boots and  change socks (apparently no change of underwear was carried).  Carrying on to beyond Tyrch Quarry we struck upwards to the top of Foel Dyrch.  It was here at the shelter I last took a photo.








More boondoo bashing although a little easier than before saw us meet up with the green line on the map.  The way marking is no longer the diagonal shown but north west along the fence line and then north east towards Pen Y Ddafad.  Just beyond the farm I realised my camera was missing.

A decision was made that I would carry on to the car and Mr and Mrs Navigator would retrace our steps a little way to see if the camera had been dropped.

On my way back along the green path which leads from spot height 304 directly back to "P" I disturbed a fox who was about to have lunch on a recently deceased ewe.

I drove back to Pen Y Ddafad but my searchers had failed to find the camera.  Mr Navigator suggested we come back on Tuesday and get as far as when I last took a picture and hopefully we will be lucky.  We were!!


Amazingly on our way back down we met a National Park Ranger checking paths and placing way marks.

3 comments:

  1. Good luck with the camera.

    I left one on the Great Orme circa 1955 when on a cycling holiday with a friend (before I left school).

    I visited the Great Orme again last year on my walk round Wales, but there was no sign of my camera after 57 years!

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  2. Well the good news is that the camera was found today!

    It was on the cairn on Foel Dyrch where I had taken the last photo. Thankfully in a waterproof bag and joy of joys it still works.

    Think I will buy a lottery ticket.

    Blog now to be revised with pics.

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  3. Hi Bob, enjoyed a report on hills I was looking longingly at from the main Preseli range just a few weeks back.I have new word to add to my vocabulary now - "boondoo" :)

    Glad you found the camera too

    Andy

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