A Winter Stay in Dulyn Bothy

This was my first trip to a bothy solo, and what a pleasant time it was. After having a rough few weeks battling the winter blues during January and February I decided to take a day off work, pack my hiking pack and go on an excursion to Dulyn Bothy in North Snowdonia.

The drive from Manchester was smooth and easy going as it was early afternoon on a Sunday, once off the motorway and on to the Wales back roads the anxieties of life left my mind as more and more wilderness crept into my view. The drive was the first part of the adventure with the road up to the car park having sweeping 25 degrees inclines (or at least they felt that steep) and having to manoeuvre through 3 cow gates which doing solo meant stopping the car and getting out to do it myself, the first difficulty of a solo trip. The views were brilliant during these last 20 minutes of the drive as the Carneddau range began to loom over and dominate the skyline.

Once at the car park which was at around 3 o’clock, there was a couple of cars there which I assumed were Sunday walkers who would be departing soon, I knew I had to get a moderate pace on to ensure I was at the Bothy in good light. I felt well packed for the trip however having predominantly walked in the Highlands of Scotland normally in groups of at least three, entering a foreign land solo I had a buzz of excitement and nervousness. The walk to the bothy was vast, quiet and pretty with nice views of the mountains, reservoirs and wild horses.

On the path you walk by an abandoned mill with view of a creepy cave in the cliff walls in the background, after this you arrive at Llyn Melynllyn reservoir which walking along the ridge in the background would be incorporated into my walk the following day.

 

 The walk is an easy path to follow and straight forward which would be a great walk for all abilities, the trickiest section involved a short scramble down from the path to Dulyn reservoir and the bothy itself.

Dulyn bothy is well stocked and large, consisting of two rooms with a solid fire place in the main room, and enough space to sleep 12 people easily in the areas for sleeping. From review of items left from previous bothiers there was some options for dinner if you were to arrive looking for shelter from poor weather. However there were some questionable items that I wonder if they will remain there until the end of time such as Dusty rum, opened mustard and an extremely mouldy old stove. I had packed bagels and lots and lots of snacks for my dinner as I was more keen to carry firewood and coal over cooking equipment, another disadvantage of solo bothying I have to carry all the equipment!!

 

Before arrival at the bothy, I had a quick chat with a family staying in a tent near the reservoir (I would not be completely alone this evening I discovered) they were very pleasant. On arrival at the Bothy I discovered I definitely was not alone as I saw packs in the room and heard SNORING from the bunks, “it’s 16:30 and people are sleeping!!!!” I thought. I dropped my bag and decided to scout the area I wandered around the edge of Dulyn reservoir, the reservoir has a welcoming darkness to it, serene beauty with the eternal noise of its waterfall hitting the disturbed water. My wander on the rocks was blissful with a hint of a sunset in the sky.

I returned to the bothy and met my fellow bothiers, before the walk I was nervous about meeting people in the bothy as I was doing it solo. However, the three people staying were three friends who were very welcoming, chatty and like minded. They were not bothered about a third party crashing in for the night (as is bothy code), this should be expected however I was still worried about this before my trip. This was a lovely experience getting to chat to new people in a unique setting and I knew that my solo trip had already been a great success.

After a warm drink, I decided to begin to settle in for the night as the sun had just set. I began to attend to the bothy fire, and opened my flask of whiskey to have the first of many drams of the evening. Once the fire was roaring, and heat and life had entered the main room, I felt great content. With my bagels eaten, and whiskeys following, I began to watch the bothy tv. I watch every channel as my mind empties and reconciles as I tend to its flames.

 

Once my flask was finished, the fire wood and coal expended and several chapters of my book read I headed to sleep. My sleep was as comfortable as it could be in a bothy, I was slightly cold but this was to be expected, and after one horrible internal fight with the bladder monster I had to venture outside at 4 in the morning, but otherwise I slept well.

I woke up around 8, and hopped up and decided to get on my way. I had a 12 kilometre route planned with the possibility of climbing Carnedd Llewelyn. The walk involved returning up to Llyn Melynllyn Reservoir and scaling the mountain around it, then a traverse over a ridge then over bog down to Carnedd Valley. I decided not to climb Carnedd Llewelyn as the visibility up high was very poor and I wasn’t up for risking it solo, as the point of my trip was to visit the bothy more than climb a hill. The walk was great, if not very wet due to having to cross lots of bog. Having the vastness of Snowdonia all to myself was an amazing feeling with not a peep of society in my view.

Once I descended in Carnaud Valley, I explored the abandoned structures of the quarry. The quarry was…

 

 From here I trekked back to the car this walk involved being enveloped by the mountains around me, as I released all my worries into the wilderness. Whilst being accompanied by many wild horses.

 The walk overall was moderately tricky but I didn’t find it too strenuous. On return to my car I was happy to get dry shoes on and was extremely happy with my first successful solo bothy trip.

Staying in the bothy for the night was a lovely mental break from the difficulties and stresses of modern day to day life, to have the time to put the phone away and spend time with myself in my head. It was an amazing experience that I would highly recommend to everyone. Getting to spend time in the wilderness, reconnecting with the world around us. After my trip I returned to work more productive and motivated, this will definitely become a more frequent ritual.