If you travel on the A44 main road east from Ponterwyd, within a couple of kilometres you will see a small but enticing range of hills over to your right across the valley. The highest point is nearly 600 m, and the peaks have great character, making a much undulating wide ridge with easy access to Ponterwyd and the main road, but with a distinctively wild, mountainous feel. There is a shorter walk in this range elsewhere in the website, starting from Ponterwyd and descending via Fuches Wen. This current walk covers some of the same ground, but in the reverse direction and is a bit longer, and includes the highest peak in the range, called Draws Drum, at 574 m (1,883 ft), close to its outlier, Y Glog. The walk takes in most of the peaks along the ridge, including Pen Dihewyd, and gives fine views down into the forested ravines of the Afon Myherin, a group of small lakes called Llynoedd Ieuan, and the Cefn Croes wind farm. Wider views towards the sea to the west and the Pumlumon range to the northeast are truly magnificent, and the going underfoot is easy and mostly dry, with only very short boggy sections. The walk follows made up tracks, paths, and faint but easily walkable quad bike tracks, with very little, if any, tussocky hard going. This is a great day out in a little-walked area which deserves to be better known. Unfortunately there is 1.2 km of road walking along the B4343 and A44 at the end, and about 50m at the start, so bringing a hi-vis vest for these sections is a good precaution.
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of starting point :
The starting point is the car park across the main road from the former (now closed and boarded up) Dyffryn Castell Hotel, about 3 km east of Ponterwyd on the A44. There is ample space for cars here, and also the X47 bus from Aberystwyth (to Llandrindod Wells) will stop at this point on request.
From the parking space, walk about 50 m along the verge of the A44 in the easterly direction, then take the small lane branching off to the right, which runs parallel with the main road but lower, and alongside a copse of trees.
Turn right in 500 m where there is a sign for Fagwyr Fawr farm (and a currently broken footpath finger post). This is a public right of way through the farm right up to Access Land.
Walk through the farmyard, and take the track which passes to the right of the farmhouse, then climbs diagonally left up the steep hillside. Follow this made-up track as it ascends a long way up, becoming grassy, and eventually arriving at the boundary of Access Land.
The path bears over to the right now, but is mostly clear and easy to follow. Continuing up to the top of the bwlch, you will suddenly see the first of the three lakes called Llynoedd Ieuan, quite close by, and pass a small pond. One of the other lakes is visible well over to the right, but the third is hidden over to the left by the undulations in the landscape here.
You should find that your path joins a faint quad bike track that runs parallel to the lake a short way along a low ridge of land. This takes you towards a second small pond, which you leave on your left as the track curves round towards the top part of Draws Drum.
The faint track heads straight up the steepish but relatively easy incline until you get up onto the long top hump of Draws Drum. There is a small grassy mound which marks the summit at 574 m. from which there are lovely view all round, particularly towards the Pumlumon range, and in the other direction the full length of the ridge of small peaks visible ahead (with the half-forested cone of Pen Dihewyd in the distance).
Walk in a southerly direction along the broad ridge towards an obvious wire fence corner, where you will find an openable gate to your right.
Pass through the gate, and descend from the southern end of the long hilltop keeping the fence on your left at first. There are views down into the forested ravines of Cwm Myherin to the left.
The faint quad bike path eventually veers away from the fence….keep faith with it, as it will head towards the next peak reliably, veering right before zig-zagging left to ascend again.
Your way emerges onto the summit of the ‘unnamed peak’ at 547m (1,795 ft), with the broader sweep of the lovely-looking ridge ahead, curving round to the left, topped by our continuing faint quad bike track. Descend a short distance with wider views of the steep-sided cwm to the left.
Walk along this lovely high level, wind-blown, slightly narrower part of the ridge to its end, where the conical half-forested mass of Pen Dihewyd is obvious ahead, and drop down the slope towards it, heading for a gate in the fence, well to the right of the forest boundary.
It is possible to miss out the steep climb up to Pen Dihewyd on a track which circles round it to the right from near here, re-joining our way further on, but this final peak is well worth the effort. Go to the bottom of the slope at the forest fence, where there is the remains of an old stile and climb up very steeply alongside the wire fence until you get to the obvious highest point. You now have two options…carry on down the other side steeply descending alongside the fence. Or, find a way over the fence to the left into the forested area, being careful not to damage the fence, and wend your way ever upwards between the trees, actually quite a short distance, until you emerge onto the actual hill summit, with wonderful views all round, as shown below.
Heading straight ahead and dropping down a little from the summit you reach a knobbly viewpoint among the trees with really great views, particularly down into Cwm Mynach. Clearly, people have ascended to this point from the valley, as there is a rudimentary path between the trees coming up from the valley side. When you are ready to move on, find a way between the trees to the right to reach the boundary fence again, further down the other side of the hill.
Then follow the faint path alongside the forest boundary fence for about 700 metres, eventually rising up the gradual incline to point 12, near a difficult to spot trig pillar marking 463 m, ahead and to the left.
Keeping the fence on your left, bear slightly right to descend steeply down the hillside, meeting rather boggy ground where it levels off, and keep going in this rough general direction on the faint path which gets clearer after the boggy ground.
The path becomes wider here, curves round to the right past a shoulder of hill, and then descends via a stile, with a craggy ridge ahead. The way heads to the right hand end of this ridge, climbs a small slope and then turns left and continues its gentle descent.
Keep going on this clear path in the same direction, over descending terrain, going through a gap where fences meet at a corner, and up again slightly to cross two stiles, the first of which was ‘on its last legs’ at the time of writing.
Across yet another stile, and following the path through a slightly craggy cleft brings you out with a view down to Ponterwyd ahead and a descending grassy hillside, with the path now very faint.
On reaching a fence with a gate that crosses your way, turn 90 degrees right on its other side and follow a faint but gradually improving path which mainly descends and curves right with the B4343 some way below and to the left of you, keeping the fence close by on your right.
Soon you reach a tall stile over a fence….this was broken at the time of writing, but our helpful footpath ranger has agreed to get it sorted…then descend quite steeply to the farm hidden amongst the trees at Troed-rhiw-goch.
Find your way through the farmyard onto the road (B4343) and walk for about 800m along the verges until it meets the A44 main road. It is advisable to wear a hi-vis jacket along here.
Finish the walk to the starting point which is about 400m further along the A44…take care!
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