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Monday 18 January 2016

Tarrenhendre & Tarren y Gesail

Walk summary
If you see this info board you are off route
unless you want to include an historic tour of disused quarries
Primary focus of this walk is to continue with completion of the Welsh Nuttalls also has the added bonus that both Nuttalls are also Marilyns. Further bonus was bagging the two Deweys of Mynydd Rhyd-galed [Tarrenhendre East Top] and Foel y Geifr which had not been noticed during the planning stage, due to my focus on Nuttalls then Marilyns, though I really must pay more attention at the planning stage to avoid missing nearby hills on the route to add to my overall bagging total. Who knows when the Marilyns are completed I may reeturn to the Deweys.
Once again joined by walking buddy John Parkin.
Plan was to drive as far as possible down road to Hendrewallog alongside Nant Gwernol. The road turned out to be barely passable though it did improve as adopted road ended. Bonus was safe parking that did not block access to private forest tracks,  it also saved a long walk in and out of Abergynolwyn a former slate quarrying village.
Should have been straight forward walk in between Bryn-Eglws quarries, onto forest tracks/fire breaks then on to col between Tarrenhendre and Mynydd Rhyd-galed [Tarrenhendre East Top]. However missed path (probably due to us chatting instead of concentrateing on route finding) off quarry track and ended up doing an impromptu circular historic/nature walk around disused quarries. Further more staying on track to the col was further complicated by rerouted forest tracks due to current harvesting work.
From the col it was easy enough hand-railing the fence up and down Tarrenhendre summit then following the forest boundary along the Foel y Geifr ridge before starting final ascent up Tarren y Gesail.
There was still some snow to enjoy around the summits but cloud just above 500m restricted visibility and views. 
Overall a great days walking with good company. 

Peaks visited
Nuttalls (189W - 443E&W)
Tarrenhendre (93W - 346E &W)
Tarren y Gesail (94W - 347E &W)
Hewitts (138W - 317E&W)
Tarrenhendre (54W - 243E &W)
Tarren y Gesail (55W - 244E &W)
Marilyns (175E - 1556E,W&S)
Tarrenhendre (45W - 205E,W &S)
Tarren y Gesail (46W - 206E,W &S)
Deweys (181E - 422EW&S)
Mynydd Rhyd-galed [Tarrenhendre East Top] (35W - 87E &W)
Foel y Geifr (36W - 88E &W)
HuMPs (444E - 2975EW&S)
Tarrenhendre (55W - 282E,W &S)
Tarren y Gesail (56W - 283E,W &S)
Historic County Tops (49E - 93E,W&S)
NONE
W: Wales. 
E,W&S:England,Wales & Scotland

Other walks on this trip
2016
January
06th Ysgyryd Fawr, Sugar Loaf & Bryn Arw
07th Allt yr Esgair, Myarth & Graig Syfyrddin [Edmund's Tump]
08th Three Marilyns between Llangattock and Newport
10th Mynydds y Lan & Machen
11th Craig yr Allt, Cefn Eglwysilan & Mynydd y Glyn
12th Garth Hill & Coity Mountain, GB Marilyn 200
15th Mynydd Betws
16th Pumlumon Nuttalls
17th Ffridd Cocyn & Gamallt
18th Tarrenhendre & Tarren y Gesail
19th Y Garn (The Rhinogs)


Walk Statistics
Walk Date -18 January 2016
Walkers - Steve Smith, John Parkin

Accommodation - YHA Borth
Start Point- End of unfenced metalled road to Hendrewallog (SH 68956 05902)
Finish Point End of unfenced metalled road to Hendrewallog (SH 68956 05902)
Total Duration - 5hrs 44mins 
Overall Average pace - 1.48mph
Total Distance Walked - 8.49 miles
Total Height Ascended - 821.77 metres


Route
GPX can be downloaded from www.shareyouradventure.com
More Photographs
Looking west along Foel y Geifr Ridge towards Tarrenhendre coverered in light snow, still shrouded in cloud
Click on photograph to view slide-show