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Hendre Isaf
(meaning "lower winter dwelling") is a 400-year-old converted farm building
on a 7,300-hectare estate that consists of 51 hill farms, forested valleys
and high open moorland. It is still very much a working estate in a
remarkably quiet and peaceful part of the Snowdonia National Park, yet only
6 miles east of
Betws-y-Coed
(pronounced
"Betus-se-coi-ed").
Scanning framed photos taken before and after the conversion of the
building, I could not help but wonder why the date, given as "Mei 2001", was
written in German, until it dawned on me that the spelling was identical in
Welsh. The delightful dwelling with its tiled flooring, open-plan kitchen,
showers and lounge facilities, even has its own sprawling sofa, suggesting
that "basecamp" tag might seem a tad inappropriate . Having taken the Friday
off, I drove down in the morning with a colleague of mine, Dougie Bisset,
whose Tom-Tom had inexplicably directed us off the M6 further north at The
bunkhouse only being available around six in the evening, we decided to do
some walking anyway, upon arrival in
Betws-y-Coed
in the early afternoon. Halfway up the A5 between
Betws-y-Coed and Capel Curig we located a parking spot near Swallows Falls,
as the series of waterfalls on the Afon Llugwy (River Llugwy) has been named.
The climb, on the opposite side of the A5 to the river, took us through some
forestland known as
the artist's wood,
until we reached a gravel road that led to a farm. Passing through the farm
we eventually reached another gravel track which constituted a network of
tracks. From a clearing we made out a number of wind turbines spinning
hypnotically on a distant hillside. Suddenly a military jet flew low
overhead from the east. |
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Though the map indicated paths that led through the forest, it was obvious
that many of the tracks weren't being used or were non-existent. So we found
ourselves on the gravel roads mostly, though this did not deter from the
enjoyment of the experience, particularly since the weather was quite
splendid. Our aim was to reach a Roman Road known as Sarn Helen, named after
the mother of Emperor Constantine, that ran to Rhiwddolion, an old slate
quarry village. Making our way back down the hillside along a path, we
passed a Landtrust cottage.
Ty Capel,
beside the stream that flows down the valley, was a school-cum-chapel in the
days of the slate quarry. At the end of the nineteenth century the chapel
served a community of 150 people. By the early twentieth century, the mines
and quarries had closed and the miners drifted away to find employment
elsewhere. Two cottages and the chapel were left abandoned until they were
restored.
Further down we encountered two red highland calves or kyloe on a farm,
their eyes hidden by the hair of their fringe. Curiosity got the better of
them and the fearlessly wandered over to the fence to greet us, their moist,
pale noses sniffing as they strained through the fence. And what jolly
friendly creatures they turned out to be! Passing through the artist's wood
once more past Ty Hyll (The Ugly Cottage), we reached the A5. Crossing over
this and the miner's bridge, we followed the Afon Llugwy back upstream
beyond Swallows Falls, where the A5 crosses the river, reaching the car
roughly three and a half hours after we had initially set out.
By the time we reached
Hendre Isaf,
some folk had arrived. Not all of the 17 beds in the bunkhouse had been
fully subscribed and though I am usually afforded my own room due to popular
demand, I was not expecting to be allocated a room which included its own en
suite shower. I did however detect an element of jealousy creeping, based on
some of the comments that did the rounds. We showered before driving down to
a pub just outside Betws-y-Coed, for dinner. Our chief organisers, Martin
Lighten and John Adams, away on walks on the Pennine Way and a holiday on
Alderney channel island respectively, were notable absentees on this trip.
Tim Porter seemed to have been given the responsibility of acquiring
provisions, though it was Gordon who brought the stuff down in his car
Friday. It was great to see Chris and Angelica along with 5-year old Mathew,
who seems a walker in the making, like his dad. Maeve's fruit cake laced
with alcohol had now become a feature of the hiking trips, a very generous
gesture indeed. |
