Bera Mawr. October 2016

PLEASE NOTE: The GPX trace on this route is for use as a guide only, its accuracy may change depending on the scale of map you are using. Use in combination with judgement and a paper map. We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure these walks are safe and correctly described. However things do change and all outdoor activities involve a degree of risk. The publishers accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any injuries or accidents that occur whilst following this walk. Trail magazine, Copyright Bauer Media Limited.


Scope out this adventure from the very accessible Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve, and you won’t be disappointed. From a landscaped wooded trail to bilberry, heathers, boulders and rough grass up high on the remote plateau of the Carneddau, there is variety and challenge in many guises! You’ll do well not to be enticed into the wonderful native woodlands of Coedydd Aber; but your eye will stray upwards, past the impressive Aber Falls and on to the steep slopes leading to Bera Mawr. This walk delivers massively on clear-sky days. Catch a rough path that wends it way through scree and up past Aber Falls (NB: one vegetated, rocky diagonal step requires attention) and break into a wilder valley with Bera Mawr’s jumbled heap of volcanic boulders above. Cross the Afon Goch, and with a liberating lack of identifiable paths you can make your going as direct or rambling as you like… and take in as much of Bera Mawr’s fun scrambling as time allows. Then turn your attention to Carnedd Gwenllian’s and Foel-fras’ 3,000ft summits and you’ll be on the familiar backbone of the Carneddau. Once the trig point of Foel-fras has been touched, enjoy some very quiet time over the summit of Llwytmor where you may see mountain ponies enjoying the breezy space amid the heathers, grasses, mosses and lichens. There will always be bouldery sections to keep you on your toes; and do save some energy for the steep, pathless descent back to Afon Goch and the familiar path back past Aber Falls. With some time and detective skills, you can also make some detours to discover wreckage from a Blackburn Botha aircraft, which crashed on Llwytmor in 1943. Go discover…

Distance 15km (9¼ miles)

Total ascent 1020m

Time 7 hours

Start/Finish pay and display car park at Bont Newydd (SH662719)

Nearest town Llanfairfechan

Terrain mixture of open, rough hillside, boulders to clamber across, pathless terrain; route-finding would need care in some places in poor visibility.

Accommodation Aber Falls Lodge, Abergwyngregyn, (01248) 689182

Public transport Llanfairfechan is well served by Arriva Wales trains (03333) 211202 and the X5 Arriva bus service 0871 200 2233

Tourist info Coedydd Aber National Nature Reserve 0300 065 3000

Best café Ca Hen Felin, Abergwyngregyn (01248) 689454

SH662719 Parking at Bont Newydd, follow well-marked tracks towards Aber Falls, taking the ‘rough’ path option at an obvious fork/wooden sign. Go through forest then out onto open scree to pick up a faint path and rocky step.

SH673693 Follow a path alongside Afon Goch, past a settlement feature, and scope out a suitable stream crossing point here. From the stream, first head north-west to avoid the steepest grass, to break out onto a wide, grassy shoulder.

SH668691 From the 570m contour and a distinct flattening on an otherwise wide grassy ridgeline, keep ascending the ridge, generally south-east, and you’ll break into Bera Mawr’s rocky outcrops, which you can avoid or scramble over at will.



SH674682 In poor visibility, as long as you’re always ascending to the higher rocks, you’ll soon work your way to the highest point marked as Bera Mawr’s summit at 794m. Interestingly, Bera Bach (Small Bera) is actually higher, at 807m! Some rocky outcrops on Bera Mawr’s summit have high drops beneath them, surprisingly – so take care in wet weather.

SH680673 Follow easy ground to the south-east to pick up a few grassy sheep tracks and an easy angle to Yr Aryg’s rocky summit – worth a visit to take in the view back to both ‘Beras’. This section is fairly easy walking in light winds, but in poor weather the area can be very exposed, especially in a strong south-westerly gale! You’ll soon emerge onto Carnedd Gwenllian’s wide summit top, with its cairn – a good viewpoint to Carnedd Llewelyn.

SH687669 In poor weather, take care to orientate correctly from Carnedd Gwenllian and you’ll pick up a good track, running in a north-east direction, towards Foel-fras – this section is steady walking and you’ll make good progress towards the trig point on Foel-fras – the finishing point for ‘Welsh 3000s’ challenges.

SH696681 Again, check a bearing from Foel-fras for a northnorth-west descent to a grassy flattening between Foel-fras and Llwytmor, and take care on the ankle-wrenching boulders on the way down. A very short and sweet steeper climb up a grassy sheep track to the pale rocks of Llwytmor will leave you with a real sense of achievement: four summit tops in one day. Llwytmor marks a striking ‘outpost’ on the northern Carneddau with a remote, quiet feeling. It’s lovely and airy on a clear day – and pretty exposed and barren on a poor-weather day!



SH689692 Now at Llwytmor’s summit, make careful progress, descending grass and boulders north-west from the summit shelter (much welcomed on a windy day!). Head for the top of a stream at 650m . From here, if you’ve done your homework, you may be able to contour along to SH683693 and hunt for some aircraft wreckage. You’ll find information online if you’re keen to do so: search ‘Llwytmor wreckage’, for example.



SH681696 From the stream descend grassy slopes/a few boulders westerly towards the sheepfolds marked at SH671695 alongside Afon Goch. From the sheepfolds you’ll be able to pick up your original ascent path, via the rocky step by Aber Falls (it’s slightly easier taking the lower band of rock on descent).

SH668703 Descend the familiar scree path but take a left turn here to descend a slightly different path to the valley floor. From here you can quickly access a viewpoint for Aber Falls, or return on a welcome flat and easy path towards your original start point.