Foggy forests and boggy summits for a Nuttal bagging hike in Radnor Forest

It’s been a bit of a challenge to get back into the flow of things since taking a forced few months away from hiking. My Stafford 2 Snowdon event in the summer affected both my physical and mental health. The road to recovery has been a long one. It’s taken me a little while to get back into routine since.

This hike was a show of return to form. Since it was an October day when I went on my first proper hike of recent years. I class my hiking season as kicking off in the autumn month. Last season started with training for Stafford 2 Snowdon challenge. This year I’m training to be ready to make the most out of a couple of expeditions in spring 2025.

With nine days in the Lake District (April) and sixteen days in Scotland (May) I want to be able to tick off as many summits as the weather allows. There will also be a couple of smaller four or five day Welsh trips on the cards in spring too. I’m going to be busy, so I need to be fit!

The Route

One thing that you can’t see marked on the AllTrails map is the Military training range which is in the valley. It is there on OS and even Google maps, and it does mean that these summits are not approachable from the south.

That is why I drew up this y shaped trail that ticks off two of the three Nuttalls in the area and bags a couple of trigs points along the way.

The foggy forests

Who doesn’t love a foggy forest! I only took the main path cutting through this section as it wasn’t the main aim for the hike.

There are clearly plenty of smaller paths the wound through the trees which my need to be explored if on a return trip.

The clouds in the valleys

As the forest opened up to the valleys I was treated with an amazing view of the sunrise. The clouds clung low in the valleys all morning which just added to the atmosphere of this hike.

The path leading up to the plateau was made up of rocks and pebbles, it was quite clear that once this was a waterway flowing down. It had been a pretty dry week (for October anyway) so I do think it wetter conditions there might be a flow going down this steepest section of the trail.

Rhos Fawr a Nuttall, a Marilyn and a county top

The summit of Rhos Fawr or Great Rhos is a pretty boggy one. My years of hiking around the Peak District has meant that I have learned how to successfully navigate this type of terrain.

There are a couple of things I look out for. One is if there is water flowing over the path, rather than standing, the ground below is more solid as it isn’t soaking up the water.

I also look out for what is growing, clumps of grass are often stronger ground to stand upon. In comparison to algae like moss which is usually a sign the your footprint is going to sink into the ground. That is very similar to if the mud looks almost perfectly flat and soft, yeah your going to sink into that bogger (a boggy bugger!)

The photos don’t do justice to the view form the summit. I was able to sit with a brew in complete peace. Watching as the clouds passed amongst the Welsh hills that lay in front of me.

Black Mixen

So then I headed over to bag my second Nuttall of the day. The fog started to pull through the valley a little. Visibility on the path didn’t really change. I did get a rather moody atmosphere when I looked over the hills rolling down into the old quarry.

This is another summit that sits on a very large plateau. It does mean that there isn’t great views from the trigs themselves.

In a typical fashion the clouds had almost completely cleared by the time the afternoon started. Conciding pretty closely to the end of my hike.

So I sat with a brew, perched in the boot of my car and checked out the view of surrounding hills. A view from the carpark the car park which was completely covered in fog when I had arrived that morning.

I think I’ve found my legs again. I might not have moved particular fast, well not compared to some of my hikes back in spring. However I also didn’t really struggle anywhere. I’m counting this as a win, and with the target of readying myself for multiple expeditions next spring.

For now I’ve got an autumn and winter of hiking planned out with the Eryri, Peak District, Lake District, Shropshire Hills and my local Cannock Chase all playing host to my hiking adventures.

Stay weird, stay kind, stay awesome ✌