Cadair Berwyn is the highest point in the Berwyn mountain range, though the current summit was for years a crag between Moel Sych and the old summit at Cadair Berwyn North Top until the OS surveyed it and found it was 3 metres higher than either! It’s likely that any walk up will also include these summits as well as the summit of Cadair Bronwen if approaching from the north. There are a number of other minor summits on the radiating ridges to the east, but strangely none on the western approaches.

The Berwyn hills are largely bog and heather, but the summit of Cadair Berwyn is thankfully broken by the impressive crags of Craig Berwyn to the north and Craig y Llyn to the south along the eastern edges of Moel Sych. These hills, make no mistake about it, are seriously bleak under the wrong conditions. If you do go up when it’s wet and damp over the autumn and winter months then we think these mountains are simply Novermber epitomised in mountain form. Visit in the summer and under winter conditions to see them at their best (and least boggy!)

Whilst they have a reputation for being boggy, some of the routes outlined below shouldn’t pose too much of a problem even in the wettest conditions. Despite not being in the national park, or part of an AONB (though with any luck, it will be incorporated into the Clwydian and Dee Valley at some point) there are excellent boardwalks over the wettest parts of the most popular tracks.

You’ll also need to factor in some extra time if you plan on bagging Moel Sych or Cadair Bronwen as many of the routes bypass these neighbouring summits. On the plus side, neither is a major diversion and make a fine addition to the days’ walking.