Walk 13 - Rock Fall & Building Collapse. The recommended route is no longer open due to recent rock fall on the outward leg alongside Vivian Quarry and because of the collapse of the roof of one of the winding engine houses on the return leg. Follow the recommended route rising steeply alongside Vivian Quarry until you reach the level where the next section of the steep path is closed. Carry on along the level towards the winding house and then carry on along the level which was constructed as a small scale railway track for carrying the quarried slate from Dinorwig Quarry to the coast. Eventually the railway level reaches the point where construction was abandoned when Vivian Quarry workings cut back into the railway from Dinorwig Quarry. Follow the track to a junction & follow the track upwards through the wood to another junction, then bear right. The path ascends to another junction where the you take the left fork and soon leave the boundary of the ‘country park’. Follow the track, at first well fenced in, then becoming a vehicle track, to the road at Dinorwig roundabout (parking place). The land immediately on either side of the vehicle track is ‘made land’, filling in old quarry workings. You can distinguish the made ground by the monotony and slightly different hue of the vegetation. All the same, attention will be drawn to the substantial quarry waste tips of Dinorwig Quarry. At the roundabout, rejoin the recommended route. The second diversion is on the descent. After passing through the row of quarrymen’s barracks, turn left onto the track and descend to a metal bridge. The winding house on the right is now closed (but at the time of writing - March 2011 - the closure notice has disappeared. Carry on over the bridge and follow the path built into the waste tip until it diverts through the wood down to the road.
Sketch maps – a few gremlins have crept into some of the sketch maps for the walks – see below for details.
Chapter 6 – photo 6.22 caption should read Moel Cynghorion rather than Moel Eilio (which is just visible in distant left).
Walk 2 (Glyder Fawr) – the sketch map shows a route using the track on the eastern side of Llyn Ogwen for the return leg whereas I recommend the track on the western side in the text.
Walk 3 (Glyder Fach) – the sketch map doesn’t show the recommended route to the north of Llyn Cwmffynnon on the outward leg for those starting from Pen y Pass.
Walk 5 (Y Carneddau) – Nant Ffrancon is to the west of the Carneddau, not to its east as stated in the text.
Walk 6 (Elidir Fawr) – since the text of the book was completed work has taken place to raise the level of the Marchlyn Mawr dam; this involved erecting bar bed wire fences alongside the tarmac track and notices instructing walkers to use the rough land instead of the tarmac track – these fences remain in place even though the work has now finished. It is not necessary to follow the notices and it is possible to use the tarmac track, especially if you want the best view of the Marchlyn Bach syncline. Also note that the reference on page 163 to photo 7.4 is an error and this reference should have been deleted.
Walk 7 (Carnedd y Cribau) – the sketch map shows the ancient cairn near two streams in the wrong place (ironic given that I had criticised the OS map for showing another cairn in the wrong place!). Also the map shows the stream next to the cairn wrongly. The stream should be shown bearing right where it now seems to end and the cairn should be just north of the non-existent right hand bend.
Walk 11 (Llanberis Pass) – the sketch map doesn’t show the recommended ‘there and back’ diversion to look at the Cromlech boulders and scree deposits on the north-eastern side of the Pass just north of Pont y Gromlech bridge. Use the bridge both ways if you want to follow this diversion.
Walk 13 (Quarry walk) – the sketch map shows a route through the rows of Barics Mon, and then looping back to the south of the barracks and continuing down the incline. This route is fine but slightly different to that described in the text which guides the reader to a track of steps beyond the barracks and then down to the incline winding house. BUT SEE DIVERSION DUE TO ROCKFALL DESCRIBED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PAGE.
