ron-t climbing
23 April 2017 ................ Penmaen Mawr
I had a trip up to not quite the highest point of Penmaen Mawr - the purpose of the trip was have a look at the quarry up there, and I have done a page in the "Out and About" section of my website about the quarry.
This is a shorter page which shows off some of the views from the top.
I climbed up to the top from Llanfairfechan following a series of paths which work their way up through the trees and round the west end of Penmaen Mawr, than followed a high level path which contoured back around the west end of Penmaen Mawr, and eventually ended up in the quarry.
One of the first things you see is this big fin of rock rising up from the quarry floor - I am still uncertain as to why it was left, it must have had some kind of significance, otherwise it would have been flattened like much of the rest of the hillside.
It is a lot bigger than it looks to be in this picture - perhaps it is North Wales` answer to the Inaccessible Pinnacle.
Away along above the far end of the quarry now, and this is looking down on what is the remains of the west end of Penmaen Mawr - a huge quarry, with the fin of rock away at the far end.
Somewhat surprisingly, you don`t get a particularily good view of the Carneddau from up on Penmaen Mawr, but you do get a good view to the west - with I think Drosgl on the left, and Moel Wnion on the right.
Away to the back is Elidir Fawr.
Here is a closer view of Elidir Fawr, and just in front of it, slightly darker, is Carnedd Filiast and the un-named 721 metre summit.
Looking down on Llanfairfechan and the huge expanse of the Lavan Sands, with the east end of the Menai Straits away in the distance.
A closer view of the Menai Straits, Bangor, and Bangor Pier -
You get an excellent view across to Penmon and Puffin Island -
Looking along to the east, and you can see another quarry on the other side of Penmaen Mawr, further along the coast you can see the rocky hill Penmaenbach, and beyond it part of Great Orme, Llandudno, and Little Orme.
I did think about going across to the summit at the east end of Penmaen Mawr which is the higher summit, but most of Penmaen Mawr is covered with the most foul ground creeping gorse which varies in height between about 200mm and about 700mm - it is very dense and very jaggy - sometimes it is so thick you can actually walk over the top of it.
However you usually don`t, and you sink into it - and ouch, ouch ouch.
So I didn`t go across to the other summit.
I could see people away across on the other summit, so I guess it is more accessible from the Penmaenmawr side, and I shall try again some other day.
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