Jim Krawiecki fortifies himself with a visit to the hills of the Northern Lleyn.

A range of three bold, yet relatively little known peaks called Yr Eifl, stand guard over the northern end of the Lleyn Peninsula. These hills reach no more than 564 metres, yet the highest hills on the Lleyn can provide some challenging and spectacular hill walking.

Away from the hustle and bustle of Snowdonia National Park, the walking here is less cluttered with the issues of traffic and parking. This leaves the mind freer to appreciate the views and anticipate the possibility of having a whole hill to yourself.

The western slopes of Yr Eifl crash dramatically into the Irish Sea serving up views to the north towards Anglesey, and south along the peninsula towards the islands of Bardsey and St Tudwal. There are three summits. The smallest and most northern summit is Garn Fôr (444m). The central and tallest summit is Garn Ganol (564m) with its cairn and trig point. During the summer months it may be possible to eat your way around this peak, feasting on the abundant bilberries ripening amongst dense patches of heather. The eastern summit is Tre’r Ceiri (485m) and is home to one of the most well-preserved and spectacular Iron Age hill forts in Britain.

An occasional tangy whiff of sea air adds to the surprisingly wild and remote feel to this area. Walking here is sure to feed the mind, test the body and enrich the soul. There are numerous routes and paths amongst the heather, scree and boulders. Rights of way and good paths start from Llithfaen, Trefor and elsewhere along the B4417 road.

A good circular route begins at the car park at the head of Nant Gwrtheyrn, about half a mile to the north of Llithfaen. Nant Gwrtheyrn is named after a 5th century king from southern England called Vortigern (Gwrtheyrn in Welsh). Vortigern’s own people drove him from England for betraying them to the Saxons. It is easy to imagine the depths of Nant Gwrtheyrn to be a perfect hideaway for such an exile. From the car park a bridleway ascends northeast, gently at first then more steeply.

The bridleway continues into Bwlch yr Eifl, which is the saddle between Garn Fôr and Garn Ganol. Bwlch yr Eifl was one of the crucial points along the trail trodden by thousands of pilgrims making their way along the Lleyn Peninsula to the holy island of Bardsey. From the Bwlch, the obvious route towards the summit of Garn Fôr is towards the quarry and microwave communications station. Granite from the quarry on the northern edge of this peak was used for the stones for the curling event at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

To reach the central and highest peak you will have to return to Bwlch yr Eifl, then continue south-eastwards, climbing steadily up the path to the summit and trig point of Garn Ganol. The view from here can only be described as the finest of the Lleyn.

On exceptionally clear days it is possible to see beyond the local area, across the sea to the Mountains of Wicklow to the west, the Isle of Man to the north and across Cardigan Bay to the Preseli hills in Pembrokeshire to the south.

A winding path descends steeply south-eastwards from the summit of Garn Ganol amongst heather, bilberry and small boulders. The path eventually finds a gap in a stonewall and follows the north side of the wall to the low ground that heralds the lower slopes of the final, but most spectacular summit, Tre’r Ceiri.

When planning your day it’s worth allowing at least an extra half hour or more to explore this intriguing national treasure. The hill fort on Tre’r Ceiri is surrounded by substantial stone ramparts and contains the remains of over 150 dwellings. The dry stonewalls of the ramparts and dwellings are fragile and prone to erosion, and should not be walked or climbed on.

The route from this summit back to the car park is back down to the low ground between Garn Ganol and Tre’r Ceiri. A path beyond a stile leads southwest towards the village of Llithfaen. Before reaching the village a path leads west to return to the car park where you started.

Essential facts: Yr Eifl

What’s in a name?
The name Yr Eifl is taken from the Welsh word for fork and makes for a fitting description of these tri-peaked hills. The English name The Rivals is a culturally unpopular Anglicisation.

Getting there
Yr Eifl stands at the northern end of the Lleyn Peninsula in North Wales between the villages of Trefor and Llithfaen, little more than 12 miles south of Caernarfon along the A499 road towards Pwllheli. An hourly bus service runs between Caernarfon and Pwllheli along this road.

Maps & guides
OS Landranger sheet 123
OS Explorer sheet 13
North Wales (Collins Rambler’s Guides) by Richard Sale
Snowdonia, Anglesey and the Lleyn Peninsula: Walks (Pathfinder Guide) by Brian Conduit, Neil Coates, and Ark Creative

Terrain
The slopes are steep scree, but in many places heather and bilberry is well established among the rocks. There is little or no scrambling and despite the steep nature of the ground, walking is generally easy going on sometimes narrow but well-trodden paths.

When to go?
Anytime really, but mid to late summer is great especially when the heather comes into full bloom, and there are bilberries aplenty to augment your usual hill walking snap. These hills are often clear when low cloud and drizzle make walking in some of the nearby larger hills claustrophobic.

Sleeps and eats
There are two noteworthy campsites northeast of Trefor along the coast. Parsal 01286 660 222, Aberafon 01286 660 295 (also with a cottage for rent). B&B accommodation can be found at the Plas yr Eifl hotel (01286 660781) in Trefor. There are shops at Clynog Fawr (well stocked petrol station), Llanaelearn and Llithfaen. Rest those legs at The Rivals Inn and Foelas Café in Llanaelhaearn.

Want more?
This walk is part of the new Lleyn Peninsula Coast Path brought about by Gwynedd County Council. Improved coastal access is high on the political agenda in Wales right now – you can find out more about how you can help by visiting the Coastal Access Campaign page on www.thebmc.co.uk

Jim Krawiecki works in the Membership Services Team at the BMC offices.  He is an active hill walker and has a special enthusiasm for kayaking. An in-depth knowledge of the coastal hills and paths of Wales is a fortunate spin-off from the research for his recently published book: Welsh Sea Kayaking, Pesda Press.

« Back