The Walk: Sychnant Pass - one of the finest sections of North Wales Path

Start: There is parking for a number of cars at the top of the Sychnant Pass.

Map reference: SH750 770. If this is full, there is further parking space on the Conwy side of the pass. Map reference: SH 756768.

Distance: 9 or 11 kilometres/5 1/2 or 6 3/4 miles.

Duration: Allow 3-3 1/2 hours.

Difficulty: Moderate. A fairly strenuous walk through the high pastures above the Sychnant Pass. Footpaths are excellent throughout.

Food and Drink: The Fairy Glen. Restaurant and bar food, home cooked meals, B&B accommodation, families welcome.

Map: OS 1: 50,000 Landranger 115 Snowdon; OS 1:25,000 Explorer/Outdoor Leisure OL 17 Snowdon.

High above the Sychnant Pass, this lovely upland circuit promises broad views spanning the coast from Anglesey in the west to the

Great Orme on the North Wales coast.

The walk

1. Cross the road and go through the large gate between stone pillars almost opposite (‘Pensychnant Nature Reserve and Farm’). Follow a

good footpath with woods on the left for about 200 metres before turning sharp right at a T junction as indicated by the North Wales

Path (NWP) sign. Rise gently up the hillside soon swinging leftwards to follow the broad grassy path under power cables. About 200 metres after the cables, bear right with the main footpath. Follow this path passing under the power cables again and where you pass beneath the cables for the third time keep directly ahead (ignoring a prominent right turn). Follow this path for almost 1 kilometre/3/4 mile.

Climb a ladder stile over the wall beside a gate and follow the track ahead which curves in from the left. Beyond a cottage down to the right, the track curves leftwards, then forks - keep right here (NWP) passing under overhead cables again and soon walking beside a stone

wall on the right. Stay beside the wall until it curves away to the right. Take the obvious path straight ahead.

Follow the obvious path ahead over open moors to reach an area of wall-enclosed fields ahead. Turn right (NWP) beside the wall, then

bear half-left at the corner to a footbridge over a stream.

2. Cross the stream and take the good footpath ahead towards a farm (Ty’n-y-ffrith). Just before the farm there is a fork in the path where the North Wales Path bears left. Bear right here to a ladder stile over the wall. Beyond the stile the footpath bears half-left to a little bwlch or saddle where there is a junction of unsurfaced roads. Follow the road ahead down the hill.

Continue down the road to a sharp left-hand bend. Turn right on the bend between two large stone pillars, which mark the beginning of

a contouring footpath. The Jubilee Walk ends on the far side of Foel Lus overlooking Capelulo and the Sychnant Pass (there is also a

bench and power cables overhead here).

Continue straight ahead and take the first narrow path on the left in 50 metres or so, which drops diagonally down the hillside to a stream.

Cross the stream and keep straight ahead on a contouring footpath across grassy slopes overlooking Capelulo. At a T junction with a

broad grass track turn left down the hillside passing a small cottage on the left (ignore signed footpaths on the left). Beyond the cottage, the track enters woods and drops to a gate. Go through the gate and turn sharp left along a lane. Follow this into Capelulo.

There is a pub here - ‘The Fairy Glen’ . On the opposite side of the road there is an enclosed footpath; follow this path to a second road. For a shorter round turn right here, walk up the lane and at the bend, take the rising footpath straight ahead up the valley back to the car park (1 kilometre/3/4 mile).

3. Alternatively, for a longer walk incorporating the woods of Pendyffryn Hall (an additional 2.5 kilometres/1 1/4 miles), turn left

and walk down the lane to a bridge over the stream on the right. Cross the bridge turning right immediately and walk in front of stone cottages. At the end of the terrace take a signed footpath on the left which passes behind the cottages, then bears right up steps into the woods. Follow a contouring path to a kissing gate, then go ahead through the trees beside the fence until the path splits and the hall is visible to the left (shortly before caravans ahead).

Bear right here and follow the path as it rises to a ladder stile. Climb over the stile and continue on the obvious path ignoring a footpath on the right which cuts directly up the hillside.

A little further on, the path narrows and there is a fork; keep right here and zig-zag up the hillside. At the top of the slope turn right

and follow a broad grassy footpath beside a wall-enclosed field on the left. At the end of the wall, walk ahead to meet a path at a T junction. Bear left here to pass a small pool (often dry in the summer) keeping to the left of the water to join a broad path that runs beside

the wall on the left. Join a farm access road and bear right. Follow this to a finger post carrying the NWP signs.Turn right here, rise over

a bank and descend to join the track again, which you should now follow back to the Sychnant Pass to complete the walk.

Walk taken from Best Walks in North Wales by Carl Rogers.