Bryn y Fedwen

Rising within the expansive, rolling moorland of the Pumlumon range, this 543-metre summit captures the quiet, isolated character of Mid-Wales. Often bypassed for higher neighbours, it offers an honest Cambrian experience of soft grass and peat, rewarding walkers with a sense of total solitude far from the popular honey-pots.

• •Derived from the Welsh 'bryn' and 'bedwen', the name translates as 'Hill of the Birch Tree'. While birch is common in the lower Welsh valleys, the summit itself is a strictly open landscape of moorland and rough grazing.
• •The summit provides a clear perspective of the Pumlumon massif to the south and, on a clear day, the distinctive profile of Cadair Idris appearing on the northern horizon across the Dyfi hills.
• •Because it is classified as a Tump—a hill with a thirty-metre drop on all sides—the ascent requires a steady climb through pathless, tussocky ground that is characteristic of the Cambrian Mountains.
• •In this part of Central Wales, 'terrain' is often just a polite word for a sponge, and a walk up Bryn y Fedwen is a reliable way to test the integrity of your boot membranes.