UKC

I did the majority of this route - Crickhowel to the Carnadau - and loved the remoteness of it say in comparison to the C2C or WHW. I'm thinking of going back one day and doing the whole lot. I was wondering out of interest if anyone has done it all and what they thought of it? I've never met anyone who has walked more than one day on it.

In reply to Steve Perry:
Thanks for drawing attention to that.

I've not done it, but looking at the route map, and knowing the top half reasonably well, I can see why they've billed it 'the mountain connoisseur's route'- Heads of the Valleys onward.
I think its' a bit of a disappointment that it starts from Cardiff - Maybe once you've begun from there it helps to spur you on your way. As the Irish would put it: 'it's a good place to come from'.
As an alternative start, there's a roman road 'Sarn Helen' ( not always traceable on the ground) that runs a bit further west than Cardiff and ends just short of Conwy. But I guess you cant really avoid the M4 conurbation down there without going further west still.

It hasn't yet received the same publicity as Offa's Dyke or the Glyndwr Way.
I imagine that the final day's walk- leaving the high Carneddau and winding down to the town of Conwy would allow a contemplative frame of mind and the sight of the castle in the distance as an end.
Added bonus in Conwy is the Albion pub and a cracking chippy.

I've been eagerly awaiting a munros trip report. Maybe for this trip you could do a video diary in the style of your winter Crib Goch youtube one?

In reply to llechwedd: I can see where your coming from regarding the offset in Cardiff, its just I've always had a curiosity to what came before my joining the route at Crickhowel, therefore leaving me wanting to do it from the start.

I'm buying a Go Pro so maybe a video diary could be an option though we don't have an actual date for doing the route as yet. Re the Crib Goch style well I could always just ask the Mrs to swear a lot I suppose.

There's a full Munro trip report in a TGO issue sometime around spring 06.

In reply to Steve Perry:

Brill!

In reply to Steve Perry:

I did the whole thing in during the 2003 record heatwave, heat stroke in mid wales - fun!
The valleys could never be called pretty but it makes for an interesting contrast with the rest of the walk. Cardiff is no better or worse than many other walk start points and has the merit of being easy to get to. If nothing else a picture of you taken at Cardiff bay and one at Conwy castle make for an amusing comparasion.
As a coast to coast walk it is far better than the offical C to C and is probably the best long distance walk in Britain short of a self designed 2-3 week trip through the central/northern highlands.

In reply to hairyRob:

How many days did it take you?

In reply to Steve Perry:
20 or 21 days i think.

In reply to Steve Perry:

An alternative is the route Aber Falls to Worms Head (or the reverse). My wife did this (the reverse) in 2013. 2 weeks, about 200 miles. Really enjoyed herself.

In reply to Steve Perry:
I did the whole lot in 1987, starting by camping in the park in Cardiff after pubs shut. Thought it was cracking route, especially some of the small hostels beyond Llandovery and the section after the Brecons. Quiet and remote and a haunted Roman encampment to camp in.

In reply to Beat me to it!:

That's early, I bet crossings were in very low numbers then??

In reply to Steve Perry:

Mer one other guy 3 days in, then we didn't see each other till Ogwen where I caught him up having had a day off in Mid Wales. Didn't encounter anyone else who said they were doing it.

In reply to Steve Perry:

Walked the whole thing with a friend when I was 18. Took us quite a while (26 days, 3 of which were full rest days) but was overall an excellent experience, had some good adventures. We didnt mind the Cardiff start, for one thing it means you walk castle to castle which has a nice ring to it. There is a nice escalation in ruggedness over the course of the walk. Good luck with doing the whole thing, you wont regret it (well at least not that often).

In reply to Steve Perry:

I did the whole route in 2008; I started in February and just about wild camped the whole lot to make it cheaper. Enjoyed wild campfires in the Tywi forest on the coldest nights. I had my farther join me from Barmouth to Conwy as he started it some 15 years earlier with our LDWA club but they never finished it as they could'nt decide when to meet to finish it off. I did a winter version so the ground would be harder, especially out in the moorland area's.

It's a great route; I added the Arans and the Berwyns into the mix as well as these are wonderfully remote mountains like the Rhinogs and Elenydd Mountains.

I had the pleasure of meeting Tony Drake and his wife in Rhimandir-mwyn in 2008, on the Campsite there, and had a good chat to him, he said about the difficulties with access in the Arans and Berwyns, hence why they were left out of his route.

The best bit is from Barmouth to Talyfan, the Elenydd's in Midwales were great and super remote, I added Mynydd Mallaen and the Pysgotwr Valley as they are smashing wild places

I'd do it again, but will do it in chunks so I can look forward to each part. I did'nt start from Cardiff, i started from Ystrad Mynach (Home) which is about a similar distance to Mynydd Machen.

Go and do it again !

Jason

In reply to Owen_P:

Cheers and good effort.

In reply to lone:

I did it in February also and wild camped the whole lot. Nice one Jason.

You don't have to start at Cardiff - its a coast to coast, so the whole of either coast is game. I tried it once, starting from Porthcawl - got as far as Llandovery after being trashed by the Fastnet storm (1979). A train was about to leave for Craven Arms, and after days of being hammered by the weather it was just too tempting. Highlight was being put up for a night to dry out at the Aberpergwm Colliery. (a candidate for my best hillbashing experience yet).

The fragment was still a great walk: Merthyr Mawr, being taken to a night out in Margam from the remote farmhouse where I was camping, spending the night out during the big storm on Craig y Llyn, Aberpergwm, the waterfalls, Black Mountain and another storm.

In reply to Steve Perry:

I did the route in reverse a few years ago now starting in Conwy. But to make it a bit different again once I got to Plynlimon I headed over to the Wye valley, walked down the Wye trail to Glasbury and had a relative meet me there with my touring kayak. From Glasbury I then paddled the 120 miles to Chepstow castle, all in it took me 19 days.

In reply to BHound:

I like your style Sir.