ARENIG FAWR FELL RACE - DESCRIPTION
Registration and car park:
SH 830393 Large lay-by opposite disused Arenig quarry.
Travel directions: From Bala take the A4212 (off the A494). After 0.6 miles take
minor road left, follow it for approx. 6.5 miles to arrive at Arenig quarry. From the West: The quarry is 0.8 miles along
a minor road which branches off the A4212 near the junction with the B4391.
The race is 11km long with 590m
of ascent, some of it steep. The start is at an elevation of 340m, the summit of Arenig Fawr is 854m. There is a one mile
walk to the start from the car park, in an easterly direction along a minor road. There are no facilities of
any kind but there are plenty of bushes. The race visits two subsidiary tops in addition to the summit of Arenig Fawr and finishes
at the disused Arenig quarry near the car park. The first mile is along a track that takes you to the scenic Llyn
Arenig Fawr (headcount at the dam). A path then leads up a grassy ridge, which becomes progressively steeper and rockier.
As the path rises, a panorama of Llyn Arenig Fawr, lying in the shadow of some impressive rocky buttresses, comes into prominence.
Soon after crossing two fences the ground levels off and the route turns N in the direction of the first checkpoint, a lonely
cairn by a small pond, at spot height 697m. The route then turns SW and after 400m it picks up a fence. At the fence corner
the route continues South along the remnants of an old fence to the summit. From the summit the route is followed in the reverse
direction back down to the fence corner. Run along the left of the fence in a Noth-Westerly direction and go through a gate
after 200m, just before checkpoint 3 (elevation 790m). Follow the fence
along the crest of the ridge. The steep rocky descent that follows, offers spectacular views of the surrounding lowlands
and reveals an interesting profile of Arenig Fach on the right. Halfway down the ground becomes grassy and should suit fast
descenders. Checkpoint number 4 is on a small rocky outcrop (elevation 425m). From there the route turns 90 degrees to the
right (NE) and follows an old wall to reach a grassy and in places wet quarry track; this leads to the finish after three
quarters of a mile of fast running.
The course is marked, apart from the
initial track and along the fence where the route is obvious.
NEXT RACE: Sunday
7th October 2012
CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR A MAP
OF THE RACE ROUTE
