All walks › Lake Vyrnwy & the Berwyn
Lake Vyrnwy & the BerwynCraig Rhiwarth
A steep climb from a slate village to an Iron Age hillfort on a crag, with old quarry workings on the way and the Tanat valley below.
- Distance
- 3.1 mi / 5 km
- Time
- 2 hr
- Ascent
- 330 m
- Difficulty
- Demanding
- Shape
- Circular
Where it is
The circle shows the general area, not the exact start. Use the directions link below to get to the car park itself. Contours and paths shown are OpenTopoMap, drawn from OpenStreetMap data.
The route
Climb directly and steeply from the village onto the crag, visit the hillfort enclosure on top, and descend by a longer, gentler line to the west. Rough underfoot throughout.
Worth knowing
- Short in distance and hard in effort. Three hundred and thirty metres of climb in under two miles.
- Old quarry levels and spoil on the lower slopes; keep to the paths.
- The hillfort walls on top are substantial and clearly visible.
What you’ll see
Hillfort ramparts, quarry workings, and the Tanat valley with the Berwyn beyond.
Background
Llangynog was a lead and slate village; the mines were among the richest in Wales in the eighteenth century. The hillfort above is one of the largest in this part of the country.