Western Hills and Wildflower Meadows

Join Dafydd for this exceptionally scenic circular walk which will encompass the summits of Gyrn Ddu (522m), Gyrn Goch (492m) and Bwlch Mawr (509m). The real joy of this walk is the extensive views on offer, from Anglesey in the north, the Lleyn Peninsula to the west and Snowdonia to the east. This is rough terrain, and the striking stone walls create a distinctive landscape. Lunch on the peaks will give us an opportunity to see how many summits you can recognise from previous escapades in Snowdonia, since the vista stretches from the Carneddau, Snowdon, Moel Hebog and the Nantlle Ridge, as well as the Moelwynion to the Rhinogydd.

At around half the height of the highest summits in Snowdonia, these hills to the west of Caernarfon are overlooked by ramblers which favour other more well-known hills. However, when you set off from near sea level, and the difficulty of some of the terrain combined with a lack of obvious paths, this is a much tougher proposition than immediately apparent on a map. The views make this a very rewarding walk.

During the descent back to Clynnog Fawr, we can make a minor detour to explore the Plantlife Nature Reserve Caeau Tan y Bwlch (the fields below the pass). These are some of the finest examples of traditionally managed hay meadows on the Lleyn, and are designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Especially notable is the number of greater butterfly orchids, which should be in flower at this time of year, along with many other colourful meadow plants that are now rather scarce in the wider landscape.