All walks › Cambrian Mountains
Cambrian MountainsPumlumon from Nant-y-moch
The highest ground in mid Wales, source of both the Severn and the Wye, on a long boggy climb from a remote reservoir with nobody else about.
- Distance
- 6.8 mi / 11 km
- Time
- 4 hr 30
- Ascent
- 550 m
- Difficulty
- Strenuous
- 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
From the reservoir road, climb the western slopes across open moor to Pumlumon Fawr, continuing along the ridge to Pumlumon Arwystli if conditions allow. Return by the same broad ridge.
Worth knowing
- Wet peat for much of the way. Waterproof boots and expect slow going.
- Owain Glyndŵr won the battle of Hyddgen on the northern slopes in 1401.
- No paths, no shelter, no signal. Navigation is the main skill required.
What you’ll see
The source of the Severn and the Wye, Nant-y-moch below, and the whole Cambrian plateau.
Background
Nant-y-moch was flooded in 1964 for the Rheidol hydroelectric scheme, drowning farms and a chapel in the valley.