The Carneddau (lit. "the cairns"; Carneddau is a Welsh plural form, and is sometimes anglicised to Carnedds) are a group of mountains in Snowdonia, Wales. They include the largest contiguous areas of high ground (over 2,500 or 3,000 feet (910 m) high) in Wales and England, as well as six or seven of the highest peaks in the country—the Fourteen Peaks. The range also encloses a number of lakes such as Llyn Cowlyd and Llyn Eigiau, and the Aber Falls waterfalls. It is delimited by the Irish Sea to the north, the Conwy valley to the east, and by the A5 road from Betws-y-Coed to Bethesda to the south and west. The area covers nearly 200 square kilometres, about 10% of the area of Snowdonia.
After a Rockhoppers MC trip to Ogwen based at Gwern Gof Isaf campsite, I backpack to catch a train at Llandudno Junction. Carnedd Llewellyn was climbed via its pathless south west ridge from Ffynnon Llugwy. I descended to Ffynon Llyffant for the first camp. The next day I returned to the ridge and followed it to Drum and continued over Carnedd Ddriw, then over Foel Lwyd and Tal y Fan, camping in a hollow on its northern slopes. A stormy night threatened but it made it to the train via Waen Grach, Maen Esgob and Mynydd y Dref before the deluge.
