A three day excursion to South Snowdonia

The trip to Bryn Hafod started off earlier than usual for me as I decided to travel with Sam in a morning car to gain an extra day of hiking. I had debated whether an 8am start was too early for a night owl like me but eventually relented when I saw that the weather looked rather decent. After a midday arrival, we hiked up the beautiful peak of Cadair Idris at a good pace and were enjoying a cheeky pizza in a local pub only 6 hours later. Visibility had generally been good, giving us some idyllic views of the mountainside tarn and distant countryside although the summit of the mountain had been shrouded in mist (a permanent feature for Welsh hills it seems). 

I had some good memories of this bunk house after visiting for a mystery trip in June 2024 but these were slightly tempered after the arrival on the Friday evening: it turns out the water supply had failed. This led to a slightly anxious night where we all wondered whether Saturday would end up being a gradual descent into dehydration and general malaise. One experienced club member admirably tried his hand at some amateur plumbing which resulted in a reconfiguration of a few u-bends, but unfortunately no running water. However, after an early visit from the hut warden, the water supply returned early the following morning allowing us an uninterrupted and safe day of walking. Bryan Hafod is not far from the peak of Aran Fawddwy (at respectable height of 905m), so most groups attempted a variety of routes involving this hill. I helped Gaurav lead a walk with a sizable group of hikers which immediately started off well as we walked in the wrong direction for half a mile and then went off trail up an ascent which was steeper and muddier than anticipated. Despite these initial misadventures it was a great walk, with nice company and good weather (we even saw some sunshine, blimey); the highlights being a walk along a striking ridgeline and some panoramic views from the summit of Aran F.

We arrived back sweaty and eager for a shower… However, due to the unpredictable water supply we were advised to not shower until after the cooking was done. This seemed especially cruel for some of the trail runners who had done some staggering distances (the maximum was 50km I think: a distance I couldn’t even walk). We all soon cooled down though as the heating in the bunkhouse was initially non-existent (aside from a coal-burning fire which was coaxed into producing some paltry heat) and I found myself wearing 4 layers inside and still shivering. (It’s a bad sign when you can see your breath indoors..). All was not lost though as a fun evening of board games, tasty food and club singing was accompanied by the triumphant return of warmth from the fire and heating system. Clearly Gaurav felt sorry for me being so cold and tried to warm me up by adding a bucket of Sriracha sauce to Morgan’s tasty chilli which resulted in the gradual incineration of my mouth. Nevertheless, the meal was still great and all the exertion meant we all slept much better in the rather cosy alpine bed arrangement. 

The Sunday called for a more relaxed day of hiking due to a drizzly forecast and a general consensus of lethargy. I persuaded Ryan (a driver) to take a group to the coast, for an uncharacteristically flat walk across an estuary to the coastal town of Barmouth. The walk was surprisingly pleasant with the mountains of Snowdonia providing a great backdrop to the pleasant beachside town, and this combined with a stop for a hearty english breakfast, and some lively discussion, meant the day was a good one. The drive back was scenic but uneventful although I got to experience my first Popeyes meal (verdict: better but more expensive than KFC) and the Beatles soundtrack made me a very happy passenger. Overall, the trip was a good one, despite multiple features of the bunkhouse attempting to sabotage us.