A 2-day varied solo trek of the hills and quarries on the south side of the Machno valley.
Hoovering up unclimbed 500m summits is an occasionally useful technique for designing solo routes in new areas, and the first day of this trek claims a couple of god-forsaken hills in a wild region of Wales that very rarely sees any foot traffic at all, not surprising in some parts due to rough trackless terrain, but with the coveted advantage of complete solitude and spaciousness.
The outward section ascends to the reedy grasslands of Foel Boeth and the more heathery Pen y Bedw, crossing westwards via the bleak heatherclad environs of the large but seldom visited Llyn Conwy.
The return section traverses the minor top of Moel Marchyria to Cwm Penmachno and briefly joins the Snowdonia Slate Trail (SST) that climbs through the quarries to the foot of the Manods, ending with a fine easy promenade around to Llyn Bowydd and a descent through more quarries to Blaenau.
As expected the whole area was deserted from start to finish save for one photographer on the SST taking his tripod and gear up the track for shots over Cwm Penmachno. Despite the lack of rain, the saturated air of this weather stream resulted in one of the wettest camps I can remember, but it also produced an excellent fiery dawn sky and striking landscape colours at the pitch.