Short but steep Penmaenmawr circular (1.6miles / 2.57km)

 

Today’s walk was intended to be much longer but, as happens up in the hills, the weather came in and we got drenched! We had intended to go up Penmaenmawr then head across to Meini Hirion, but it wouldn’t have been fair on the kids to push them further when they were cold and wet so we just did the Pen loop. My mum (Naini) and her labradoodle, Zulu, joined us today. Mum grew up on the West Coast of Scotland so is a great person to be with up in the mountains... although I think she does sometimes despair at her soft, islander kids! 

Penmaenmawr looms over the A55 coast road and has always been a very special landmark to me. It is a symbol of being nearly home when travelling Westwards and of leaving home when heading Eastwards. I’ve always been intrigued by the distant quarry buildings scattered across its bulk too, even before I was old enough to realise what they were. Despite not being the walk we had planned, today’s short hike was worth the effort. The views are incredible and the now abandoned quarry buildings are fascinating. There’s also an abundance of wildlife to spot, including birds like choughs, and of course the beautiful, wild Carneddau ponies.

Distance: 1.65miles / 2.57km (according to the OS map app)

Time taken: 55mins

Total ascent: 501ft / 152.7m (OS Map app)

Parking: Yes, for a few cars (5 or 6 if parked sensibly)

Facilities: No, but there are plenty of cafes, a Co op and toilets in Llanfairfechan. 

Walkers: myself (34yrs, fat, unfit), Naini (55yrs, nature enthusiast), Megan (5yrs, endless energy and non stop talker), Anwen (20 months, in the rucksack but would rather be walking) and Zulu (5 year old labradoodle).

1. We park up above the village of Llanfairfechan, in the same place as if we were heading for Meini Hirion. It’s not the easiest place to find with plenty of steep and winding roads to get there. On the plus side, you start your walk having already climbed a considerable amount which makes the walk much easier with small children. There is a lovely walk right from sea level, which I will hopefully get a chance to do next time.

To find the parking area then, turn up the hill at the crossroads in the middle of Llanfairfechan. Pass the Co-op on your right (handy to grab a picnic). Turn left up Bryn Road then left again up Mount Road and follow it to the top. You’ll see two left turns close to each other, the first signed for Plas Heulog. Take the second and go as far as a farm gate. You’ll see a locked gate on the left which leads up to the old Penmaenmawr Quarry. Park in this area, taking care not to block the driveway as it is a working farm. 

To start the walk we head back down the lane we’ve just driven up which feels counterproductive when our ultimate goal is to get to the top of Penmaenmawr, but there we go! The gates were open for the quarry road today, which would ultimately lead us to the same initial point, but we weren’t sure enough of ourselves at this point to take the opportunity. Next time, I would head straight up the quarry road. Even if the gate is closed there is access up to the left of the gate which is clearly well used. 

Heading back down the lane.

We set off down the lane on this occasion though. 

2. Once you’ve passed some buildings on your right you’ll see a footpath sign pointing up a driveway with a gate. Turn up here, then follow the path to the right of the gate which goes steeply up. 

Turn up towards the gate. 

Take the path to the right of the gate. 

The path up here is easy to follow but is also steep and was pretty slippy in places today. You start off under the cover of trees and pass the back of Plas Heulog, but it soon opens up and the views are pretty lovely, even at this early point. 

Views start to open up. 

Looking across the Carneddau.

Before long you pass by a barn on your left and the quarry road appears on your right. It was at this point I wished we’d taken the easier option! Not far after this you join onto the Wales Coast Path which is clearly signposted. 

3. At this point we turn left onto the Coast Path, intending to take a footpath later on to the right. However, as soon as we turn left we see a clear path up on our right which is marked in the OS map. This climbs further but steadier so we decide to take this option. 

Take the path up on the right. 

The path was pretty clear on the whole, but was muddy and rocky at times. I didn’t have my stick with me today, and although I’d have liked it with me, it wasn’t too difficult without it. Megan wasn’t phased at all! It was at this point though that we realised Ynys Môn had vanished into pretty dramatic looking clouds behind us! We decided to press on as we were pretty close to the top. 

Looking back over Llanfairfechan. Ynys Môn is there somewhere! 

Path was mostly clear and straightforward! 

It was along here that we spotted our first ponies of the walk. It’s always a pleasure to see these tough wee things out and about in their natural habitat. We have a Section A pony for Megan... he’s such a wimp I don’t think he’d last one day in the actual mountains! Although you can get pretty close to the ponies it’s important to remember they are wild and could cause some damage if given the opportunity. You should also never feed horses you don’t know- it could kill them. 

Mother and youngster sheltering by the wall. 

Roan youngster. 

Mother and youngster.

Eventually the path bends to the right past the wall on the right and becomes much wider and clearer. Up ahead there’s a collection of derelict quarry buildings, which is where we’re heading next. You’ll see a small reservoir on your left. The path we had originally intended to come up should have joined here, but I couldn’t see it, so I’m glad we went up the way we did. 

Veer right and up towards the derelict buildings. 

Disused reservoir.

Derelict buildings. 

It was quite a pleasant path to follow and gave a bit of a break from the steep section we had just done. We also spotted another small group of ponies on our right which was lovely. It was along here, however, that the rain really set in. Again, we considered turning back then and there, but we really wanted to get to the buildings up ahead and have a look round so we carried on. Mum did make me put my coat on though (never too old!)

4. Luckily, when we get to the top the rain stops. It’s still bitterly cold but it does make things easier and we get a view too. We spend a bit of time exploring the old quarry buildings. I’m not sure what they would have been, but I assume they were dressing sheds. There are sudden drop warning signs around the edge but I can’t help but have look over. I hadn’t realised the size of the quarry. From the bottom you only see the inclines and some scattered buildings. It’s incredible to think that the industry up here literally took the top off Penmaenmawr. 

Penmaen-mawr (Penn- maheen- mah urr)- the mountain

A timeline of over 6,000 years shapes Penmaen-mawr’s history, including prehistoric axe factories, stone circles, early Christianity, and quarrying of course.

The uplands above Penmaenmawr village are home to many prehistoric remains, including the sites of prehistoric polished stone axe factories on the western slopes of Cwm Graiglwyd near the top of the mountain Penmaen- mawr (after which the village was named). Cwm Graiglwyd was once one of the most important stone axe manufacturing sites in Europe and there is evidence that axes were exported widely. Examples have been found as far afield as southern England.

Nearby is Meini Hirion, A prehistoric stone circle which links to a prehistoric trackway which travels from Bwlch-y-ddeufaen to Conwy Valley. This walk https://camaubach.blogspot.com/2021/04/llanfairfechan-meini-hirion-standing.html takes in Meini Hirion and part of the trackway. 

The summit of Penmaen-mawr used to be crowned by Braich-y-Dinas. Located on the eastern slope of the mountain, Braich-y-Dinas was one of the largest Iron Age hillforts in Europe, comparable with Tre’r Ceiri near Trefor on Penllyn. Penmaen -mawr used to stand at 1,500ft (460m) above sea level until its rounded top was reduced by 400ft by modern quarrying. Braich-y-Dinas was sadly obliterated during quarrying in the 1920s.

An early  view  of  Braich y Dinas hillfort, formerly on  the summit  of  Penmaenmawr,
 which  appeared  in  The  Sphere  for  November  19th  1910, during  the controversy
concerning  the  hillfort’s  imminent  destruction due to the expansion of quarrying at
the nearby Darbishire and  other stone quarries.

According to local tradition, the sixth century Saint Seiriol, after whom Ynys Seiriol (also known as Puffin Island or Priestholme) is named, had a hermit‘s cell in Cwm Graiglwyd.

Derelict buildings. 

Looking over the edge at more buildings. 

Quarrying at Penmaen-mawr.

Penmaenmawr was a little collection of farms and houses supporting agriculture and herring fishing prior to the opening of its quarries in the first half of the 19th century.

Industrial quarrying of diorite at Penmaenan began in 1830 with the opening of the independent Penmaen Quarry. By the 1940s, this and the competing independent Graiglwyd Quarry were in production making setts (granite paving blocks) and paving. In the early years, the quarried stone was lowered by self-acting inclines from where the setts were loaded into ships. Around 1881 new crushing mills were built to provide railway ballast for the expanding rail markets, which greatly increased expansion and production. The quarries were amalgamated in 1911 with the quarries of Trefor in Penllyn to form the Penmaenmawr &Welsh Granite Co.

As the quarry industry grew, workers and their families flocked to Penmaenmawr from all over north west  Wales and beyond. The community which sprang up was close-knit and almost entirely Welsh speaking.As the quarry industry grew, workers and their families flocked to Penmaenmawr from all over Northwest Wales and beyond. The community which sprang up was close-knit and almost entirely Welsh speaking. Between 1851 and 1900, the population of the village grew from 826 to 3,403 people.  By the early 1900s, about 1,000 men were working in the quarry and its associated workshops. The neighbouring town of Llanfairfechan was also an integral part of this process.

The work of a quarryman was very hard, especially those who worked on the higher slopes. They were expected to walk up to the summit area in all weathers and faced losing pay in bad weather. It would take a man seven years of apprenticeship to train to make setts and they were the best paid quarry workers. They were, however, part of a bigger team and depended heavily on other quarry workers - those who blasted and broke the stone up, those who carted the stone down the steep hill, and those who loaded the trains and ships.

Whole families were involved: children as young as 9 worked in the quarries, breaking up the stone, and wives ensured that their husband’s protective coat was scrubbed clean every week. A quarryman earned, depending on demand and weather conditions, around £2 a fortnight which approximates to £200 today. If the weather was bad, the men wouldn’t blast, so no one would get paid. It was a very hard life. The women had to look after the household money carefully to make sure there was enough to feed their husbands and children. A strong spirit of camaraderie developed and was reflected in the town’s chapels, pubs, and cultural societies.

Stone was exported by rail to ports such as Liverpool and to the cities across England,  and by sea to Liverpool and a number of European ports. Ships continued to load cargoes from the Darbishire jetty until 1976 and railway ballast continue to move in quantity. The present quarry at Penmaenmawr now concentrates on producing aggregate for road construction.

After exploring for a little while we head back, but instead of turning back down the hill the way we came we decided to follow the quarry road back down for a while. Look out for some discarded setts on your route. 

Quarry road.

Looking back at the buildings.

Down into the quarry.

More ponies.

5. At some point the track gets quite close to the edge of the quarry hole so we turn off to the right where there’s a break in the bank. We follow the path to the left along the bank for a while then turn right and drop back down to the Coast Path. This section is a little bit steep and not too obvious as a path, but it is manageable and we get down pretty quickly and without too much of a struggle. 

Walk along the bank before dropping down. 

6. The original plan had been to go left here. If you continue along the coast path then it eventually joins onto the route to Meini Hirion (https://camaubach.blogspot.com/2021/04/llanfairfechan-meini-hirion-standing.html). Anwen was pretty miserable by this point though, so we decided to go straight back down to the car. Instead of slipping and sliding down the way we came, we took the quarry road and hoped the gate was open. It wasn’t. That’s ok though, because as mentioned earlier there is a gap to the side of the gate. You need to be careful as there’s barbed wire and then a drop down which isn’t easy with a baby on your back! We managed though and made it back to the car. 

Although this walk didn’t go as planned, I’m glad we explored it and hopefully next time we can incorporate this section into a longer walk. 

Sources

https://www.theeyepenmaenmawr.org/Our-Heritage http://www.tpwilliams.co.uk/penmaenmawr/penmaenmawr.htm