MYNYDD MAWR
Time - about 4 hours Maximum height 698m.(2286 ft.) It is easy enough to plod up and down Mynydd Mawr from Rhyd Ddu in about 2/3 hours. This is an attempt at a circular walk. Easy going except for some tough heather in Cwm Du. Mynydd Mawr is known locally as the Elephant Mountain and whereas this may appear to be a little far fetched, there is an area near the top of the Snowdon Ranger path on Snowdon where the resemblance is quite remarkable. CAR PARKING at Rhyd Ddu or else in a layby at the prominent BETWS GARMON sign driving north from Rhyd Ddu. FROM the layby walk along the road towards Betws Garmon for a few yards until you can turn left on to a track and over a bridge. There are good sign posts which direct you up into the forest and on to a wide path. Coming out at the top of the forest there are more signs directing you to the right and over a stile. Ignore the path to the right here and try to find lines of weakness in the heather going directly up the hill. When the mine on the flank of the mountain comes into view go vaguely in that direction until you can pick out the spot where this meets horizontal ground. Flounder through the heather and reach this point where there is a good path heading up and round the edge of the cwm. At a point where this path becomes horizontal (at last!) turn sharp right and head upwards. The top of the mountain is rounded so that as long as you keep going up, even in bad visibility, you are bound to arrive at the top.Coming away from the top go on in the same direction until you are forced to turn left by the cliffs of Craig y Bera. Follow the path down to the edge of the forest and continue down the edge until you reach the stile into the forest. Go down and turn right until the track leads you out to Rhyd Ddu.