Tal-y-Bont and the southern Rhinogs

The weather was much cooler today, dry with sunny spells, and a pleasant breeze. We drove to the village of Tal-y-Bont on the Harlech-Barmouth road and walked up to some of gentler slopes of the southern Rhinogs overlooking Barmouth and the Mawddach estuary. This walk features in John Gillam's book 'Best Day Walks in Snowdonia;' (Walk 22 in this book), and we certainly recommend it for a reasonably easy walk that covers varied terrain, with great views of the coast as well as the mountains of Snowdonia, and the Llyn Peninsula. The walk starts with a pleasant amble through the woods  above the Afon Ysgethin before taking an old drovers track to Bwlch y Rhiwgyr - you then head north along the southern Rhinog ridge leading to the summit of Llawlech (589m). The return route takes you down the old London-Harlech drovers road, crossing over the old packhorse bridge at Pont Scethin.