David Smith
The old drovers’ road from Llandrillo over the Berwyn ridge to Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog was once used to move sheep and cattle to English markets. Today, this rough and stony track is a useful route to gain the summit of Cadair Bronwen via a path leading from the Wayfarer Pass. Properly called Nant Rhyd Wilym, it owes its nickname to one of the pioneers of mountain biking, Walter MacGregor Robinson.
In March 1919, World War One veteran and cycling writer WM Robinson, pen name “Wayfarer”, set off with companions on his bicycle in thick snow from Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog on a rough track over the Berwyns. He subsequently wrote about this adventure in an article entitled “Over the Top” in a national cycle journal. This article and his many lectures around the country struck a chord with a war-weary generation of cyclists, many of whom were inspired to take to their bicycles for their own adventures.
It was also the catalyst that ignited the adventure cycling movement in the form of the Rough Stuff Fellowship (RSF), the world’s first off-road cycling club. It was formed in 1955, long before specialist mountain bikes were first created and is still going strong. Off road adventure cycling is now established as a worldwide and growing sport. There are two memorials to Wayfarer, the main one being on the green at Meriden near Coventry, the other on a rocky outcrop at the summit of the Berwyn track.
This sounded like an interesting walk. According to the map, Paula and I might even get to the top of Cadair Bronwen if we took that path from the memorial. This proved optimistic. We left the car near Hendwr at a small parking area – room for three – at SJ046383 and set off up the track. A long walk and steady climb past heather coming prettily into bloom brought us to the plaque. Bronwen looked reachable but the path through the heather proved so rough, narrow and demanding that we decided to turn back. Not before we’d reached the ridge line, however, and were hugely impressed by the view of the craggy eastern flank of the Berwyns.
This mountain range is not quite as lonely as it was in the 1960s when I first explored it, but its grandeur is still not widely known. One day it will be the jewel in the crown of a new national park.
Cofeb y Fforddwr
David Smith
Ar un adeg, defnyddiwyd yr hen ffordd borthmyn o Landrillo dros grib y Berwyn i Lanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog i symud defaid a gwartheg i farchnadoedd Lloegr. Heddiw, mae’r llwybr garw a charregog hwn yn llwybr defnyddiol i gyrraedd copa Cadair Bronwen trwy lwybr sy’n arwain o Fwlch y Fforddfarer. Wedi’i alw’n Nant Rhyd Wilym yn briodol, mae’n ddyledus ei lysenw i un o arloeswyr beicio mynydd, Walter MacGregor Robinson.
Ym mis Mawrth 1919, cychwynnodd y cyn-filwr o’r Rhyfel Byd Cyntaf ac awdur beicio WM Robinson, gyda’r enw ffug “Wayfarer”, gyda chyfeillion ar ei feic mewn eira trwchus o Lanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog ar lwybr garw dros y Berwyn. Ysgrifennodd wedyn am yr antur hon mewn erthygl o’r enw “Over the Top” mewn cyfnodolyn beicio cenedlaethol. Tarodd yr erthygl hon a’i ddarlithoedd niferus o amgylch y wlad gân gyda chenhedlaeth o feicwyr blinedig o ryfel, a chafodd llawer ohonynt eu hysbrydoli i fynd ar eu beiciau ar gyfer eu hanturiaethau eu hunain.
Dyma hefyd oedd y catalydd a daniodd y mudiad beicio antur ar ffurf y Rough Stuff Fellowship (RSF), clwb beicio oddi ar y ffordd cyntaf yn y byd. Fe’i ffurfiwyd ym 1955, ymhell cyn i feiciau mynydd arbenigol gael eu creu gyntaf ac mae’n dal i fynd yn gryf. Mae beicio antur oddi ar y ffordd bellach wedi’i sefydlu fel camp fyd-eang sy’n tyfu. Mae dau gofeb i Wayfarer, y prif un ar y lawnt ym Meriden ger Coventry, y llall ar graig ar gopa trac Berwyn.
Swniodd hyn fel taith gerdded ddiddorol. Yn ôl y map, efallai y bydden ni a Paula hyd yn oed yn cyrraedd copa Cadair Bronwen pe baem yn cymryd y llwybr hwnnw o’r gofeb. Profodd hyn yn optimistaidd. Gadawon ni’r car ger Hendwr mewn maes parcio bach – lle i dri – yn SJ046383 a chychwyn i fyny’r trac. Daeth taith gerdded hir a dringfa gyson heibio i rug yn blodeuo’n bert â ni at y plac. Roedd Bronwen yn edrych yn hygyrch ond roedd y llwybr trwy’r grug mor arw, cul a heriol nes i ni benderfynu troi’n ôl. Nid cyn i ni gyrraedd llinell y grib, fodd bynnag, a chael ein plesio’n fawr gan olygfa ochr ddwyreiniol creigiog y Berwyn.
Nid yw’r gadwyn fynyddoedd hon mor unig ag yr oedd yn y 1960au pan archwiliais hi gyntaf, ond nid yw ei mawredd yn hysbys iawn o hyd. Un diwrnod bydd yn drysor yng nghoron parc cenedlaethol newydd.